Students
Singer leaves her ‘ American Idol ’ ambitions in Hollywood
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A
bit of encouragement from Mariah Carey helped CSUMB student Stevie Rae Stephens land a ticket to Hollywood .
Stephens , a 21-year-old senior from Livermore , auditioned for the prime-time hit program “ American Idol ” last summer in Long Beach , one of eight sites across the country where singers tried to earn a coveted “ golden ticket ” to the next round of competition .
“ Mariah ended up giving me a thumbs up offstage before my audition and that took some of the nerves away ,” Stephens said .
She was one of about 300 singers – half men , half women – who advanced to Hollywood . Those auditions were held in December , during finals week at CSUMB .
She survived a round of solo competition , which cut the field in half . The 75 remaining female singers were placed in groups of three or four , and given a short period of time to prepare an assigned song .
“ That was the hardest thing I ’ ve had to do , but it was the best part of the experience ,” she said .
“ You get your group ’ s song – ours was ‘ Go Your Own Way ’ by Fleetwood Mac – at 10 p . m . and you have to work on the harmony , lyrics and choreography by 6 a . m . If you get an hour of sleep , you ’ re lucky .”
She didn ’ t survive the cut to 20 , but has no regrets about the experience . “ They put a camera in your face and ask , ‘ How much do you want it ?,’ ” she said . “ I felt one-dimensional ; I ’ m not that . I ’ m more than just a singer .
“ I don ’ t think I was ready to give up my capstone presentation and commencement ,” which the show ’ s taping schedule would have required .
She ’ ll graduate in May with a degree in music recording technology and hopes to pursue a master ’ s degree in electronic music . Will she continue to perform ? “ Always .” Hear Stevie sing at csumb . edu / magazine .
– Joan Weiner