Lucy Yadao, 24, of Lihu‘e was hoping to use an audition at the Fox TV’s “American Idol 3” TV show on O‘ahu as a stepping stone to reach her life’s dream — becoming a professional singer. It didn’t turn out
Lucy Yadao, 24, of Lihu‘e was hoping to use an audition at the Fox TV’s “American Idol 3” TV show on O‘ahu as a stepping stone to reach her life’s dream — becoming a professional singer.
It didn’t turn out that way, as she failed to make the first of three cuts this week to get to the finals, scheduled for today at the Sheraton Waikiki on O‘ahu.
Yadao contended a male judge held woman singers to a higher standard than he had for male contestants, hence her less-than-successful showing.
“I was told that I am a very good singer,” Yadao said. “But I was upset. He was making a personal choice (against her), when his job was just to see if a contestant could sing, not to see whether I was ready to compete or not.”
Yadao, who has been singing since she was 6 years old and has the range of voice between alto and soprano, felt she would have done well against her competition if she had moved forward to the second and third auditions.
Yadao said the experience will be an invaluable tool that will help her become a professional singer.
Yadao joined a handful of other Kaua‘i performers who competed in the week-long contests. How they fared was not known.
Yadao was one of 2,000 contestants who lined up at Aloha Stadium to give it their best to make it to the finals.
Singers who passed the last round Thursday will have a chance to perform before judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul this weekend.
The Fox television show made Hawai‘i its final stopover for auditions for its third season. Singers in New York, Los Angeles, Houston and San Francisco have already made the cut.
Yadao is an advertising representative with Kauai Publishing Co., the parent company of The Garden Island newspaper. Yadao was accompanied to the “American Idol” competition on O‘ahu by her mother, Debra Carveiro, of ‘Ele’ele.
She and her mother flew to Honolulu International Airport on Monday morning, Sept. 29, and arrived at Aloha Stadium at 9 a.m.
Yadao remained in line overnight to preserve her audition time, scheduled for 8 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Between Monday morning and her audition, Yadao and others got treated to an extravaganza by contest sponsors.
“There was 104.3 (radio station) and I-94 (radio) station that had set up booths, and played music. They had games and prizes, and they gave contestants a chance to sing for everybody,” Yadao said. “It was terrific.”
The contestants were treated to food offered from concession booths, dance competitions and entertainment via a big-screen television, Yadao said. Representatives from AT&T Wireless also promoted new camera phones, she said.
Miss Hawaii USA Alicia Michioka, who hails from Kaua‘i, was on hand to promote the wireless products, and offered personal advice to Kaua‘i contestants on how to win judges over, Yadao said.
“She told us to sing from your heart,” Yadao said. “She talked to me and my friends personally. I appreciated that.”
She said she has talent, and was not in awe of the 2,000 other competitors. She was not nervous when her turn came up to perform.
“I wasn’t nervous, because there wasn’t anything to be nervous about,” she said. “If anything, I was getting impatient because the waiting (for the auditions to be held) took so long.”
Yadao also said she wasn’t nervous because she has been singing and performing before audiences since she was 6 years old.
If other contestants weren’t unnerved by the competition, weather conditions may have affected their performances. Many competitors dealt with wilting heat and windless conditions as they waited in line at the Aloha Stadium.
While Yadao waited in line, she made friends with and received encouragement from another contestant, a Christina Chance, a 19-year-old Mainland competitor who is a music major in college.
“We stood in line and slept in line, and I sang for her,” Yadao said. “She said I had an original voice and felt I would go far. She heard me sing, and she was shocked to hear that I had not made it past the first audition.”
Before the auditions took place, 10 tents were set up on the football field, Yadao said. As the plan went, 15 to 20 people under each tent readied themselves to perform for the producers of the show and “American Idol” staffers, Yadao said.
For her number, Yadao chose a song she felt would illuminate her singing skills and talent, “The Rose,” popularized by actress and singer Beth Midler, who is a owner of some 1,600 acres in East Kaua‘i.
“It was the right song,” Yadao said. “I didn’t want a song that was too low or too high. I felt the song was just right in the middle. It was perfect for my voice.”
To her surprise, her performance was waved off about a minute into her song, Yadao said.
She said that she won’t be competing in next year’s “American Idol” competition because of the show’s age limit. She will be 25 next year, and the age limit for the contest is 24.
Yadao said she will look for other singing competitions that could help her singing career. “I can always try to do ‘Hawai‘i’ Stars at the Ala Moana Shopping Center (on O‘ahu), and there are others. I am not worried. I am going to reach my goal.”
Yadao said music and singing have been a part of her life for 18 years, and she has been part of a family that has been nurtured her singing.
“My grandmother, Clarissa Hosino, was a great influence on me personally, helping me with what I love,” Yadao said. Hosino is originally from Kaua‘i, is 57 years old, and now lives in Sacramento, Calif.
She said Hosino, Yadao’s mother and her “Auntie Loddy” from Hanapepe all sing, and encouraged her to sing.
“My family is musically inclined,” Yadao said. “I used to sing with my cousins when we were young. Her cousins, Danissa Querido and Napono Querido, are from Kaua‘i and now live in Murrieta, Calif.
“Our parents encouraged us to enter singing competitions because it was fun,” Yadao said.
Yadao took their encouraging words to heart. She recalled she participated in a talent show at Kaua‘i High School with two other girls, and won second place. In 1997, she sang the song “The Rose” for students during an event.
After graduating from high school that year, Yadao competed in the Miss Kaua‘i Pageant in 1997 and 1998.
She was second runner-up in the 1997 contest, and sang the song “Superwoman,” and was third runner-up in 1998, and sang “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song for the movie “Titanic,” which was popularized by singer Celine Dion.
In the mid-1990s, she participated in a talent show at Kukui Grove Center. For that event, she sang “Hero,” a song popularized by Mariah Carey.
Yadao acknowledged she hasn’t put more time in pursuit of her singing career, but it is for a good reason. She is the mother of two children, and wants to spend time with them.
“Right now I have to take care of them,” she said. “When they grow up more, I can pursue my dream.”
Aside from her children, Yadao said singing will remain the focus of her life. In 1 1/2 years, she said she and her family plan to buy recording equipment to produce her first CD.
“Singing is my passion,” she said. “And the ‘American Idol’ thing won’t hold me back. I always wanted to be a singer. That is my life’s goal.”
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at lchang@pulitzer.net of 245-3681 (ext. 225).
