Heidi Khzam, Agoura Hills, Calif.
Heidi belly-danced her way to 15 minutes of fame in the Los Angeles episode. But she sang “Super Woman” well enough to get unanimous approval for a golden ticket to Hollywood. The 2005 Agoura High grad says Shakira — surprise — is one of her favorite entertainers. Another of her favorites: Adam Lambert. “I don’t like to follow the herd. I like to stand out,” she says. But while her dancing and singing got the most praise from Randy and Steven, she said it’s what J-Lo said that touched her. “I just sang to her, and she said, ‘I can feel that you still have some pain hidden underneath everything.’ This is my chance, the light at the end of the tunnel for me.”
Heidi’s audition
Hunter Elizabeth Steketee, Boulder, Mont.
In April, Hunter won the Helena (Mont.) Idol competition as a 17-year-old junior at Jefferson High School by singing a pair of popular country songs (see the video below). She leads a children’s choir in Boulder and says those youngsters helped convince her to try out for the big show. In her Idol video, she recalls scoring tickets to the season five finale. “Watching that was huge,” she says. “That made me want to be on the show.” Her favorite performers are Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Michael Buble. On MySpace, she writes: “I would like to get a little bit more education and training under my belt before I involve myself in major performance business … but that most definitely doesn’t mean I wouldn’t jump at an opportunity.” Seems as though the opportunity has arrived.
Singing “Jesus Take the Wheel”
Singing “Anyway”
Juliana Tucker, Encino, Calif.
Not sure how Idol passed up on this story. Juliana says she’s inspired by her cousin, Bella Tucker, of New Hampshire. Bella acquired a near fatal infection and underwent quadruple amputation surgery in April. After all she’s gone through and the way she’s persevered, Juliana says any problems she faces seem minor. As for music, Juliana says Britney Spears was her favorite “when she was popular,” more for her performing than her singing. Juliana’s hoping “I can show everyone that you don’t have to be a specific age (to be an American Idol). You can be young and sing.” Juliana was 16 when she auditioned last summer.
No video
Karen Rodriguez, New York, N.Y.
She’s the MySpace auditioner we met last week, and she’s hoping to become the first Hispanic-American winner of American Idol. She thinks the fact that she can sing in English and Spanish (you can see both below) will work to her advantage. Sporting blond hair, she was a contestant on the firth season of Objectivo Fama, a Puerto Rican talent show aired on Univision. She says she’s inspired by her mom, who wanted to be a singer, but was discouraged from pursuing her dream because it was not considered a good career at that point. Her favorite performers are Selena and Beyonce. “I have everything it takes to be an American Idol,” she says. “I sing from the heart and I sing for people, and I want to make a change through music.”
Her Idol audition
Singing “Falling:
Singing “All By Myself”
Singing “El hombre que yo amo”
On group day on Idol
Lakeisha Lewis, Los Angeles, Calif.
She sings as Keisha Renee, and you can watch her belting out gospel music in a wide range of YouTube videos. It all started with a fifth-grade talent show, she says. “People gave me this overwhelming applause.” She’s been singing ever since. Her favorite performer is Whitney Houston; her favorite Idol moment was watching Fantasia win back in season three. She thinks her spirit and personality will set her apart on Idol. “I am the girl next door,” she says. “I am your average person. I don’t look like what the entertainment industry wants you to look like. I’m not a size 2. I’m a real person. I have a real dream. I can be relatable to people.”
Singing at Gospel Bash 2010
Singing “Watch Me Praise Him”
Singing “Ave Maria”
Singing “Long Distance”
Leave a reply