My New Website

After singing for six years, I finally got around to creating my own website. Everyone has one these days, so why shouldn't I? And hopefully it will bring in some new work! So go to nicole-kelley.com to view my schedule, read my bio, hear my demo, and see photos of me performing!

Any Dream Will Do

Dave and I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Sunday with Emily and Mark. The cheese factor was pretty high, but I always enjoy seeing a show. (Wicked was next on our list, but was regrettably sold out the moment tickets went on sale.)

And it got me to thinking...

Why have I never done a musical? I've been singing and dancing all my life, and Lord knows I'm a little bit dramatic. So why haven't I put these skills together and to good use? In high school it wasn't cool to be associated with the drama kids, and being a cheerleader I'm pretty sure that's why I didn't get involved in the musical theater program. And in college I didn't sing as much, so I could focus on my dancing. Then I got into a career, and well, I just never found the time.

But there's nothing quite like the rush of performing to a live audience (although I also love doing studio recordings). I enjoy singing with my three bands and occasionally at church, and I think I would love to be in a musical. Preferrably as the star, but any part would do. A good friend of mine played the lead in Miss Saigon several times, and I always envied that experience just a little bit. I know the music for most of the popular shows, having seen quite a few live and owning the soundtrack for at least 20 more.

So I think I'm finally going to audition -- just for a local production. (After all, my resume is pretty unimpressive in this field. And I don't think I'm the touring type.) So stay tuned...

A Special Announcement for All Members of the Nicole Fan Club:

Yes, this is for all one of you...

I am a totally legitimate recording artist now. Sure I've had a CD out for nine months now. But with the software that is available today, anyone with a computer and a microphone can record their own CD. But I have one-upped the thousands of unsigned garage bands out there...

I am on iTunes.

It actually happened a few months ago, but I forgot to tell you. Sorry.

Anyway, if you want to listen to clips or buy the songs, just search for "Wartime Radio Revue." I sang on the "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" record.

Oh. And if you want the entire album, contact me. I can get it for you cheaper than buying all the individual songs on iTunes. Plus, you'll get the CD cover with my name in print. ;-)

Cheers!

Speechless

Well, voiceless, anyways. My vocal cords apparently have the stamina of a 13-year-old male virgin. I'm at a weeklong worship conference for church, and after two days of singing, I have absolutely no voice left. What's more, I have a voice lesson tomorrow with the best vocal coach. In all the world. The very man I've been dying to take a lesson from, even though I totally couldn't afford it, for over a year. Seth Riggs. And then, after a week of vocal overuse and the resulting fatigue, I have two gigs this weekend.

I shouldn't complain -- I'm fortunate to have so much work this month. Most musicians would love to have my schedule. But to do a show without a healthy voice is torture. Argh!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

My first-ever CD was released last Saturday. Of course, this very limited release is not expected by anyone to go platinum, or even gold for that matter. But I don't have to tell you, especially since most of you who read this haven't heard me shut up about it since I started recording it, that I was incredibly excited. And although it is highly unlikely to win any Grammys, or lead to great fame or fortune, and although I remain a star only inside my own mind, I feel so richly blessed to have so many opportunities to do something I love, and to actually get paid to do it!

So I've decided to use this post to dedicate this, my debut album, with overflowing gratitude first to God, for giving me this talent and the opportunities to discover and develop it. To my parents, for always believing in and supporting me. To Pete and Christi, for challenging me and teaching me how to constantly improve my voice. To Kara, for the countless hours spent together in our youth singing around the piano, and then for marrying Pete's son and having Emma, thereby allowing me this amazing opportunity. To Shannon, for getting me to sing again after the near atrophy of my vocal chords, even if it was at the Foxfire. To Shadd, for insisting that I sign your copy of the CD as if I was a big star. To T, J, D, J, J, J, and P, for being so patient and understanding of my schedule over the past year, even when it would conflict with our plans. To Gracie, for enduring many nights when mommy wasn't home. And to all of my friends and family who love me even when I use the word "gig". Cheers!

Overjoyed

I don't generally consider myself a star-struck kind of person. You know the type - the ones who get so excited upon encountering a celebrity that their voice reaches a pitch normally reserved for pre-teen girls. The ones who have an alarmingly sizeable collection of autographs and photos. The ones who you fear may turn out to be stalkers. Not usually my thing.

Last Saturday, I had a gig with one of the bands I sing with. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a fundraiser for some private school in LA. Then, sometime around the third song of our first set, I noticed him. He sat at a table off to the side of the room. Dark glasses. Long braids. Unassuming, with a surprisingly small entourage. A bodyguard the size of what I can only imagine the abominable snowman would look like (only not quite as snowy white). Arguably one of the greatest musicians of our time. Stevie Wonder.

I had heard he might be there, but when reality set in and he was sitting before me, I froze. I never get nervous when I sing. I've met a few famous people in my life, and I always seem to hold it together pretty well. But this time it was different. Surely, he knows most of the songs we are playing. Surely, he will notice if I forget the lyrics or if I sing the slightest bit out of tune. Not usually things I worry about.

Despite all the self-induced pressure, I made it through the gig with only two minor mistakes. And he seemed to be enjoying the music, singing along and rolling his head the way he does. In the end, I was able to meet him and take a photograph. And I didn't turn into aforementioned psycho. He was kind, gracious, and surprisingly humble. It was a great honor to play for him, and an experience I will never forget.

'Tis the Season

Two weeks ago was the fateful American Idol-Season 4 audition. I stood, powerless before the panel of merciless judges, internally debating whether I actually wanted to go through with this whole thing. Always the cautious optimist, I was preparing myself mentally for the pangs of rejection, but still hoping for success and the promise of stardom. It’s funny how when you finally hear the judgment you have so long agonized over, you realize what you wanted all along.

You see, this dream ended almost as quickly as it had begun. But when I was eliminated after the second round, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, rather than feeling stripped of my lifelong dreams, I felt a calm sense of relief. I’m not going to lie – rejection is never fun. But I realized from the peace I felt that I was truly okay with the outcome. What struck me, though, wasn’t my reaction, but the reactions of the other 5,000 hopefuls. Most of them were crushed by the opinion of the three people who saw them at this one audition.

Watching them leave, dreams shattered and spirits broken, I felt incredibly fortunate that, although I may not have made it onto American Idol, I have a singing career waiting for me on my less-than-victorious return. And I realized that, cliché as it may sound, happiness is more about our perspective than our situation - you know, the whole "glass is half full" thing. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want or expect, but if we focus too much on the little things that sometimes don’t go our way, we miss out on the million other things that do.

And so, as autumn afternoons make way for winter nights, and visions of Thanksgiving turkeys and pumpkin pies dance in my head, I begin to think of the countless blessings in my life, most specifically those little things that we all too often take for granted.

Idol Dreams

Since I can remember, I’ve been singing and performing for whoever would watch and listen. Shannon and I can justify singing karaoke on pretty much any occasion, and I’ve been singing with three local bands for a little over a year. I truly love to sing, and I suppose on some level, I’ve dreamed of being a star for most of my life. But, like most fantasies, this dream may be better left in the reality that exists in my mind, rather than actually chased in life.

I have been persuaded by my girls at work (Shannon, Emily, Carolyn, and Mary Ann) to audition for American Idol. We are a bunch of reality show addicts – we watch even the worst of them (and if we miss one, Carolyn always has an update), and we have gone so far on occasion as to create betting pools for some of the favorites. Last season, American Idol made that list. So when they raised the maximum age this season, my “I’m too old” excuse was no longer valid, and I was promptly given the official rules and audition information by Emily. I couldn’t come up with a different excuse that would satisfy the girls, who, sensing my apprehension, insisted that I make a timeline and post it outside my cubicle so they could check my daily progress and make sure I don’t back out of the audition. So it looks like I’m going to do it.

You would think that I’d jump at the chance to more actively pursue a singing career, but I find myself having serious reservations. Rejection is hard to handle in any situation, but when it could be televised nationally, I just can’t imagine how I’ll deal with it. In fact, the pressure of being on television in general is hard to handle. I really enjoy my “day job”, and I already get to sing on the side, so I haven’t felt a need or strong desire to pursue a full-time singing gig. Not to mention that my participation in the show would be a logistical nightmare.

But despite those fears, which torment me in the night, I can’t disappoint the girls. So as the anxiously anticipated audition date draws nearer, the flutters of both excitement and nervousness intensify in my stomach.

And so begins the story of the star inside me who might just get her chance to break free…