The night of Oct. 14, inside Chapman Auditorium in the McNair Science Building (MSB), was the second showcase for FMU’s Got Talent, hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB). About 275 people attended the event that night to spectate multiple talents by several students.
Only nine out of the 13 original performers from the first showcase had advanced to the second showcase. There were also two intermissions throughout the night, one featuring the FMU Patriot Cheerleading Squad and the other showcasing some of FMU’s fraternities.
Those performing at the second showcase were:
- Leticia Wilson
- Shawn McMichael
- Niklas Plath
- Nevaeh Gee
- Jr. Castellanos
- Cameron Evans
- Otto Parrott
- Xavies Easterling
- Julie Carter
All the performers changed their numbers and performances to showcase more of their talent through original pieces, remixes and other cover songs with choreographed routines. Some of the songs performed were well-known to the audience. For example, Leticia Wilson sang, “Part of Your World” from the Disney movie, “The Little Mermaid.” Otto Parrott also performed Reneé Rapp’s newly released song, “Why is She Still Here?” which, according to judge Ashley Henry, connected with her deeply. Shawn McMichael—who previously performed with Heelys during showcase—had decided to take it “back to the bayou” and performed without his Heelys to sing a slow-love song, “Never Knew I Needed” by Ne-Yo, featured in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog.”
Niklas Plath, biology major, who is also on the men’s tennis team, has been handling piano practice for the talent show and played another piano piece at the second showcase. “It’s always a special feeling, being backstage with the other performers and waiting for your turn is very exciting. You have to handle the nervousness, which gets better as you perform,” said Plath.
Plath also described how he became passionate with his instrument, “I have been playing since I was 6 years old. I took lessons with my sister once a week and later kept on going until I graduated high school,” said Plath. “In my freshman year … my teammates told me every freshman had to do the talent show … back then I wasn’t aware of the joke because they wrapped it up really well but I wasn’t having a problem since I knew I could play the piano.”
Cameron Evans, marketing major, reflects on his dance performance to a remixed song that he created. “I love producing songs in FL Studio Mobile and have been doing it since freshman year of high school,” said Evans.
FL Studio Mobile is a digital workplace used to create music. He used this platform during the showcase to produce his remixed piece that he performed with. According to Evans, his talent for showcase 1 was “purely” dancing, and for showcase 2, “I decided I’d pour both my body and mind into the performance by not only dancing, but producing a remix of the song I performed,” said Evans. “Every performer gets nervous, there’s no denying that … But then I’m out there, and everyone’s screaming, cheering, it all just kinda melts off and I just have fun.”
As the competition heats up, the contestants are considering what their grand finale act should be. Plath and Evans both give their advice to any students considering auditioning for next year’s talent show.
“My advice for any future performers is to find what makes you stand out from the rest of the pack. And it doesn’t have to be some sort of crazy act like juggling, flaming bowling pins or something. Find a genre that suits your style, or a song that can complement your singing voice,” said Evans.
“It’s definitely worth the experience to perform in front of people. I take piano much more seriously since I performed in the shows. I think sometimes we are unaware of or too humble with the talent we have so it’s a great experience to make for yourself and you also give entertainment to the audience,” said Plath.
The performers are feeling the anticipation rise as FMU’s Got Talent: The Grand Finale quickly approaches. All the performers are wondering who is going to make it to the next round. “At first I was worried about the judges, but it seems they’ve taken a liking to me, making it through two showcases with glowing reviews,” said Evans. Compared to the 320 spectators at the first showcase, CAB has encouraged students to keep attending their events.
The FMU’s Got Talent Showcase Grand Finale is scheduled to happen Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in Chapman Auditorium at the MSB. If any students attended the second showcase, CAB strongly encourages those to utilize the voting link for their favorite acts on CAB’s social media. For further information regarding the upcoming showcases, contact CAB advisor Dominik Khilji via email.