Jennifer Chia is a junior marketing and theatre major and the president of NSU’s first all-female a capella group, the Riff Tides. Singing is her passion, and with her story, she hopes to inspire readers to never give up on their dreams.
Singing has always been a big part of my life. Ever since I could talk, whatever came out of my mouth was a song. Growing up, I would take advantage of every singing opportunity I could, whether it was a choir in elementary school or the Bossa Nova Chorale at NSU.
After watching “American Idol” for about six seasons, I finally decided to try out. Driving to Orlando with my family, I was a 17-year-old with a big dream to make it on the show’s ninth season.
When I got there, I was excited and ready to go. I was prepared to sing “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. After waiting about eight hours to audition, it was finally my turn, and after only about five minutes, the one word I was surprised to hear was “no.”
My heart broke. How could something that came so easy to me be so hard to accomplish? The producers said to me and others, “Thanks, guys. Your voices aren’t quite there yet. Come back next year.” I realized I was going to have to work harder toward my goal of being on that “Idol” stage.
As the years passed, I continued to take advantage of every singing opportunity that came my way, and I discovered musical theatre, which became a huge part of my life. My high school experiences, including musicals and thespian competitions, led me to choose theatre as my major at NSU.
Since “Idol”, I have received countless no’s: “America’s Got Talent,” the first season of “The X Factor,” TV shows and commercials that involved singing, and even leads in musicals. I kept getting no’s.
They’re not lying when they say, “If you want to get big, you hear about a million no’s before you get a yes.” But I still didn’t give up. After looking up the auditions for all the big singing shows this past summer, I realized that none were coming to Florida. It was time to take a chance. I told my parents I was going to Georgia to audition for the 13th season of “American Idol.”
My father, who is very supportive of my singing, read that about 6,000 people show up to the first round and didn’t think it would be worth it. I gave my parents two options: come with me, or I’m going alone. That made them realize how serious I was.
The morning of the audition began on a good note. After singing at the hotel most of the night, I felt prepared and confident. I read that the producers wanted to see if applicants had a fan base back in their hometown. I went crazy on every social media network possible and with the help of my sorority Delta Phi Epsilon, along with my friends and family, #teamjenchia was born. More than 200 Tweets flooded Twitter and my headshot spread like wildfire.
The day of my second audition, I noticed that many of the producers were smiling at me and a couple seemed to know who I was thanks to #teamjenchia. One even said, “Hey you are blowing up our [Twitter] page. Good job.” If you typed “American Idol” on Facebook, I was the first person to pop up. It’s crazy how much social media can actually do. This gave me confidence for the competition.
About 4,000 people waited outside for the doors to open and the audition to start. I met some singers with the same dreams as mine. This led to sing-alongs and a lot of dancing. I finally got inside about six hours later.
The way the audition goes is nothing like it seems on TV. Aspiring contestants sit in a stadium where 10 booths are set up on the field. Each booth is separated by curtains and has two to three casting directors inside. You walk in groups of four, each person sings for 30 seconds, and the casting directors decide whether you are in or out. Only about 10 to 60 people from each audition state actually see the famous judges from the show.
It was finally my turn. I stepped up and sang. The judges talked behind their clipboards to make a decision. They told everyone else in my group, “Thank you, but come back next year.” My heart was racing as they called me up and said, “We’re putting you through to the next round.” My heart stopped.
Finally, after 22 years, I heard a “yes.” I grabbed my golden ticket and ran around the stadium, hearing the crowd cheer. After this, came loads of paperwork and contracts. I was not allowed to tell anyone but my closest friends and family.
Next, was the second round. The first round was in June, and the second was in November in Atlanta. Once I arrived to the second round, it got serious really quick. There were cameras everywhere. It was the real deal. There were only 200 of us and the level of talent in that room was incredible.
I never could have imagined an experience like that. With my dad by my side, I prepared to go in the room filled with casting directors. They had asked me to prepare three to five songs. For my first song, I sang “Stay” by Rihanna, mashed up with “Animal” by Mike Posner. The lady in the room stopped me and told me my voice wasn’t quite what they were looking for this year and my voice wasn’t ready yet but thank you.
Just like that, the dream was pulled away. I was destroyed. I asked if I could try another song but it was a no.
All in all, I learned that no matter how many no’s you hear, you can never give up on your dream. I will go back next year and I look forward to auditioning for other shows, like “The Voice.”
Getting to the top 200 from 4,000 people brought me one step closer to my dream. If you work hard, stay humble and don’t give up, your dream is closer than you think. Now that the show is on TV, I can see what I need to work on. I will strive for another chance to prove myself and everyone that dreams can become a reality with enough hard work and dedication.
I’m happy to say I appeared in online promotions and poster ads. I am humbled and happy for the experience I had and wouldn’t change a thing. I didn’t let the “no” consume me, because after the tears and sweat, I learned there is so much more I can work on that will make me a better singer. Look out next year “American Idol.” I am coming for you.
