Thousands of hopefuls from around the Palmetto State lined up to audition for the first round of American Idol in Columbia Monday. Registration began at 7am, but a line had already begun to wrap around the building by 6am. Auditions at 9am placed these brave and hopeful vocalists on stage to perform for a judge, trying for their shot at stardom. Sadly, less than 100 would make it through.
Among those chosen was a Clarendon resident, Jake McElveen, 22, from New Zion, who will attend the next level of competition in Nashville.A bartender in Lake City, he was surprised to have made it past the first round.
“There were so many incredibly talented people there,” said McElveen. “I honestly can’t believe they picked me. It was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. They put us into a room with hundreds of other people auditioning, then had us sing in groups of four. After each of us had finished, they called us up to let us know if we were through to the next round or not. If so, you got a golden ticket and walked into what they called the ‘winners circle’. It was surreal.” McElveen has been singing in theatre and church choirs since he was a kid, but never alone until recently.
“I never really thought I had that great of a voice,” he laughed. “I was more of a background singer.”
20-year-old Kingstree native Kalifa Wilson was also chosen to advance to the Nashville tryouts. Wilson, who goes by the stage name “Kai The Singer”, is no stranger to American Idol. Last year, she was just shy of being in the top 20 on the show. When asked how it feels to be returning to the competition, Wilson said that she feels more comfortable with the entire process this year.
“Now that I’ve made it to the top 40, I’m confident I can make it farther this time around,” she said. Wilson is a performer at heart and has been singing her entire life. “I’m a musician, and its kind of my job. I’ve been singing since I was young, but only started singing solo, without my siblings, when I was 15 or 16,” said Wilson.
Both singers are eagerly awaiting an email from the executive producers. During Monday’s audition, videos of the singers in the winner’s circle were sent off to see if they were accepted into the Nashville auditions. If all goes well in Nashville, they will stand before the judges in Savannah, GA. This is where they will give it their all in front of the judges; Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. If they impress the judges in Savannah, you may see some familiar faces on your TV this coming spring.
