While most other 16-year-old girls are spending their time chatting with friends on social media, going shopping and all those other fun things teenagers usually do, Camryn Champion is preparing to wow the judges at the next round of the 20th season of American Idol, a reality television series in which aspiring singers compete for a recording contract and a shot at making it big in the music industry.
Champion put new meaning to her name when, from among the thousands of people who auditioned for the show, she earned herself a golden ticket to Hollywood on February 27, which secures her advancement to the next round in the competition.
Champion's maternal grandparents Quinn and Vidya Jogie are originally from Chaguanas, Trinidad and now live in Long Island, New York.
[caption id="attachment_944422" align="alignnone" width="768"] Camryn Champion says she has never been to TT, but she is familiar with the beauty and tastes of the islands because her relatives frequently visit. -[/caption]
She said her grandmother is a big Idol fan and always encouraged her to audition, believing she could make it all the way to the top. Champion agreed to do it when she was old enough, but said although her life revolved around music, deep down she never believed she would get the opportunity to do so. But then the unimaginable happened and she found herself on a stage in Nashville auditioning for singers Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, just like her grandmother predicted.
"I was super interested in music since I was about four and I started writing my own music when I was 12. In 2018, I entered a singing competition in New York called Coast 2 Coast Live and I won first place," the New Jersey resident told Sunday Newsday in a phone interview. This win drew attention to what the then 13-year-old was capable of and paved the way for her grandmother's dream come true.
"After I won that competition, they (talent scouts) asked my parents if I wanted to audition for Idol."
Because of the covid19 pandemic, Champion said the initial part of the process was virtual.
"I just had to send in videos, did interviews on Zoom calls and I had to sing online. When I made it through that round, I went to Nashville to audition live before the judges."
[caption id="attachment_944421" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Sixteen-year-old Camryn Champion has earned herself a golden ticket to Hollywood and is preparing to wow the judges at the next round of the 20th season of American Idol. Photos courtesy Melissa Champion. -[/caption]
There, Champion put her heart and soul into her performance of Sam Smith's I'm Not the Only One. She said she chose that song because, apart from liking Smith's music, she felt the tone was good for her range.
"It was nerve wracking," she said about her turn in the spotlight and under heavy musical scrutiny.
"I was really nervous because I was the third person to audition out of the day one auditions and I was one of the younger contestants. The first girl who auditioned came out crying, making
