Budding Talent

For some odd reason, I've been infatuated (as have my tweens) with budding talent in pop culture. Maybe it is sheer "living the American Dream" fascination, the American Idol phenomenon... Lady Fate scanning the hordes of excellent singers, extending her manicured tips to one in a stadium of thousands to purr, "YOU, baby! I'm gonna make you a staaah!" (Maybe Lady Fate is also disguised as Ellen Degeneres, but with the voice of Eartha Kitt.)

I've found a few "shiny" young people that Lady Fate has pushed into my view, and thought I'd pay it forward by sharing with all you. Maybe someday you'll look back and say, "Shiny Monkey showed me her vid on YouTube AGES ago!"



Here are some "stahs" to watch (as we say in Bahstin) and critique with your tween:

DJ MTO/MTO Productions: Rockin' beatz.  Fascinating and imaginative grooves. Download 'em and get out the lava lamp. Great tunes to walk/run to.  Disclaimer: Mateus Almeida is the handsome son of a great friend, and I'm a fan.  He's not a tween by a long shot, but young enough and still undiscovered to make this list.

Charice Pempengco (Sunshine Corazon on Glee): OK, she is not undiscovered, but she's only 19 now, discovered as a tween in the Phillipines. She started to sing at 4, belted her voice out in contests starting at age 7 like the tween-oriented "Little Big Star", and then captured the world with her positive attitude and, of course, amazing voice. Here's Charice on the Ellen Show in 2007 when she was only 15. She was on Oprah promoting her CD "Note to God".  Just one of the good ones, I think.

Bianca Ryan, who performed famously on America's Got Talent at 11 years old. She floored me then, and floors me now.  The Philly girl is now singing in Vegas in a retro-style variety show, and wrote and recorded an original song she wrote for the Twilight saga.  Here's a clip of her on Philly's ch. 10 singing a song now available on iTunes called "In Your Head".

And a few less well-known but talented young stars: Zewdy (Keri Hilson), Maria Aragon (I'm gaga for her Lady Gaga), and Greyson Chance (amazing singer/songwriter/pianist and sixth grader, singing his own song on Ellen here).

OK, three more more famous kids if you've got more time and interest:

Jackie Evancho, most recent AGT talent and 2nd place winner, who brought the house down with opera singing that left you scratching your head and checking for lip synching.  She'll be 11 in April, and a face to watch as a crossover opera/pop star.  Pretty impressive for a elementary school kid.  Kind of reminds me of Connie Talbot back in '06 and Natalie Okri, British schoolgirl and superstar from Britain's Got Talent.  Crazy, scary talented for their ages.

I wish them all the shiny, happy stardom that they desire... and can manage.