I have been going to Karaoke nights at the Sechelt, B.C. Legion for several months now, and I have to say, it is always a really fun night out. Every week that I go, I am amazed at how friendly and supportive everyone is, regardless of what style of music you sing. If someone sings a song that people like, the dancefloor gets packed. Since singing and dancing are two of my favourite things to do, I always look forward to my Karaoke nights.
Recently, it was announced that they were going to have a ” Sunshine Coast Karaoke Idol ” Contest at the Legion. I have been to enough Karaoke nights there to know that there are some extremely talented singers around, so I didn’t think I would try out. I also don’t really like competition, or being judged in public, so was definitely shying away from the prospect of auditioning for the Contest. They held 3 weeks of auditions – the first week slipped by, then the second, and I still didn’t go. I was worried that the “good ” feeling we all had on our Karaoke nights, that warm, encouraging feeling, may disappear in a competitive setting. I didn’t want things to change. I probably had at least 10 reasons why I shouldn’t audition. ( in my own mind )
I thought about it long and hard, about how much I love to sing. I have been up here on the Sunshine Coast for just over 2 years now, and haven’t really ” put myself out there ” musically, yet. It was so easy in Vancouver – I had lots of contacts there, knew a lot of musicians etc, and there were always places to play. Being still fairly new to the Coast, and quite shy, I hadn’t really talked to very many people about my singing. I decided that it was time to at least try and get myself heard a little bit. I had to start somewhere, and what better place than a friendly, familiar environment?
So, on the third week of auditions, I gave it a shot. I made it in, and at the end of May, our Contest began. I met some wonderful ladies along the way – all of whom clearly love to sing. It was so nice to get to know them, and see the joy in their eyes, and the beautiful smiles on their faces, as they did what they love best. There is nothing quite like watching someone doing what they are truly passionate about – it is an amazing sight to behold.
The weeks went by, we sang different genres each week ( which challenged us, and helped us grow as vocalists ) and we all helped each other get through our nerves, which were aplenty throughout the Contest. This past Friday, June 11th, it was down to 3 of us, and we had the Finale.
Laura, Heather and Krystal
I would like to thank everyone involved with the contest for making it so much fun for all of us. It was great experience for us in front of an audience, and it helped us try new genres we may not have otherwise attempted. A lot of hard work and preparation went into getting things running smoothly, and everyone learned a lot along the way. Richard Lachance deserves a special ” Thankyou ” for running the show, and encouraging us all to try out – nobody worked as hard as he did at making this thing happen. It is because of him that we’ve had so many fun nights out at Karaoke over the months gone by.
Jac, Dani and Bob
We had great Judges ( see above photo ) who all had good advice to give us, and we all appreciated their honesty. We even had a couple of last minute judges have to step in on occasion to fill in, and they did a wonderful job, as well. There were several other people involved with the event, helping things go as planned, videoing for us, and all the way through, giving us encouragement.
The next picture is the 3 of us anxiously awaiting the results of the voting.
The Ladies Wait For The Results
Thankyou to all of our friends, families, co-workers, and even complete strangers that came out and supported us with their clapping, cheering, and votes. It really meant a lot to us to have so much love and support from all of you. As I mentioned earlier, we were all quite nervous, so having so much positive energy around helped us a lot !!!
Top 3
I would like to thank all the Contestants as well, for sharing their talents with us, and being so much fun. It never felt like a competition ( thank goodness ) as everyone was there for the same reason – to have fun, and do what they loved to do. We all cheered for each other, and felt the ups and downs as each of us had good or bad nights over the last few weeks. I am so glad to have met all of you ladies – not only are you very talented, but you are very sweet, kind people, as well, and I hope we will stay in touch.
A big thanks to the fabulous Community – spirited photographer ( and so much more ) Duane Burnett, who showed up at the Finale to take some pictures of us on our big night. You can always count on Duane to be there for any special event on The Sunshine Coast. You can see some more of the Finale pictures
here.
All in all, competing in this contest was a really great experience for me. I overcame some fears, forced myself to do things I was uncomfortable with, and eventually, even got over my nerves. ( even if that only happened on the very last night. ) Most importantly, I met some wonderful people along the way, whom I hope to sing with again some day very soon.
Thanks again so much to everyone for supporting us in our love of singing !!!
