Don’t Cry for Me  

It was close to midnite and little 11 yr old Barbie was  lying awake in her bedroom, snuggled under her covers when dad walked in. Standing over her bed, he looked down at her and said matter-of-factly, “Barbie, get your guitar, we’re going to go sing.” Now this sort of behavior might seem odd to most kids, but to Barbie this was as normal as apple pie at Thanksgiving. She rose up, grabbed her guitar, and rode shotgun with dad all over rural Kenton County, Kentucky until they happened upon a gravel road and a small faded red sign for “The Red Barn.”  Her dad decided that this place would be her stage that night.  As dad and the unassuming fifth grader entered “The Barn” as the locals called it, they spied a sea of hardcore country and bluegrass old timers, shooting the breeze, playing cards, and line dancing. That is when a charming older woman greeted them. She had an impeccably neat hairdo underneath a stylish cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Her dad said a few words, and the lady looked down at Barbie with a smile and said “sure thing, we love having young people come here and sing.” And with that, Barbie found herself perched in the middle of ‘The Barn’ as nearly a hundred locals watched on.                                                                       
Barbie played her guitar and softly sang John Denver’s “Country Roads,” then she ended her tune and peered somewhat nervously out at the audience as they eerily gazed back at her.

American Idol Veteran

Barbie is no stranger to performing, in fact her dad has been putting her in front of audiences since she was six. Her first musical performance for the public was at a Dayton, KY watering hole that they used to live above. She only knew two songs at the time: “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion and “I Will Always Love You,” by Dolly Parton. Twelve years later she has two national karaoke crowns under her belt (she also won in 2007). Barbie has paid her dues over the years, in addition to her dad’s spontaneous midnite bookings, Barbie has trudged and endured the infamous American Idol audition line not once, not twice, but three times; in Memphis, Charleston, and in Louisville. She is no stranger to sleeping in the streets or spending twenty four hours waiting in line.

The tens of thousands of people that show up for these auditions is somewhat humbling to her. She says that sometimes despite her dream to be a recording artist, her faith gets rocked every now and then when she is around so many talented singers.

She has not made it past the initial auditions for Idol, but still intends to keep showing up. But for now she has to concentrate on the bird that is already in her hand, not the two in the bush. That bird is the karaoke world championship on October 23^rd. As a KWC veteran now, Barbie says that one thing she has learned upon returning from Thailand last year after representing the U.S. at the KWC, is that the performers there, who were representing over 30 countries – took the competition very seriously, including what they wore. So this time Barbie wants to put more thought into her costuming decisions as well as her stage presence.

In the meantime, Barbie is investing in a college education and working on her next big break. She says that her dad is her mentor and main inspiration. “He has so much faith in me its unbelievable!” Barbie says with authentic amazement in her voice. Surely that faith will get her through Finland with flying colors.

Wish Barbie all the best at the 2008 Karaoke World Championship on our guestbook.

Get Out and Go For IT!

“Get out and Go for It” was 2008 Karaoke Natio nal Champion Alex Peak’s concise answer to my open-ended question about what advice would he give to anyone preparing for a karaoke competition, whether it be a local contest at a watering hole or the Karaoke World championships, his advice is the same. And that is Alex Peak in a nutshell. Performing doesn’t make him nervous at all, “I’m just outgoing, [nerves] just doesn’t affect me as much” he says sincerely. And by looking at his national championship performance video, his claim is not hard to believe. He is definitely comfortable in front of a crowd. He has been on the karaoke scene in Ohio every since he was old enough to get into local bars.  In fact, that’s how he discovered karaoke; hanging out local watering holes with friends.

He doesn’t remember the details of the night his karaoke cherry was popped, mostly because it wasn’t such a big deal. “I just saw someone singing that night in the bar and said to myself; hey I can do that, so I did.” After that night though, he was an instant karaoke addict, he loves going to a place where you can hang out with friends and have fun listening to other people sing. In fact, he loves it so much; he finds it hard to understand why people either dislike karaoke. “I’ve seen some people actually leave the area or go out for a smoke if a person sounds bad on the microphone, but it doesn’t bother me if a person can’t sing, I still enjoy the karaoke.” 

And you had better believe that Alex is the one in the audience cheering everybody on, no matter what they sound like because that is the kind of guy he is. He loves the camaraderie and welcoming atmosphere that karaoke invokes between friends and strangers alike.

My Stage, My People

Alex is more than a karaoke addict however, he fully intends to pursue a professional music career. “100 percent I wanna be a recording artist,” he says. Although he loves karaoke, “I would rather have my stage and my people” he explained, sounding just like the proverbial country music star already. Indeed, Alex is the kind of person that people just love. He has already entered over 25 local karaoke contests, and by his count he is 21-4. The four contests he lost, he placed 2^nd. Most of these contests gave cash payouts but Alex has already racked up a precious 16 hours of free recording time by winning contests and has already recorded 2 CD’s of popular hits. For a guy whose only voice training came from singing in the choir for the 1^st Church of God in Camden, Ohio, Alex is doing pretty good.

When it comes to music though, Alex comes from good stock. His father writes and sings bluegrass and gospel. His grandfather is the song leader at church, and Alex’s brother is a musician that plays bluegrass on every instrument you can think of; the banjo, mandolin, bass, acoustic guitar, and a guitar like instrument called “the dobro,” all of which he plays by ear. Alex, to his credit also has the gift to hear a song and know both the music and the lyrics quickly; “I can hear a song about three times and know it all the way.” Yes, he is a KJ’s (karaoke DJ) dream. Alex is off to Finland with his girlfriend, who doubles as his song coach and critic. I am sure we all can guess what Alex’s strategy is for Finland, so let’s all say it together . . . “Get out and go for it!”

Wish Alex all the best at the 2008 Karaoke World Championship on our guestbook.