Published: July 18, 2008 08:54 pm            

Roche named Huntsville Superstar

During this year’s Huntsville Superstar competition, contest winner Bethany Roche was living a life not unlike that of Superman.

On the weekdays, Roche lived the life of the typical, mild-mannered college student, attending summer school classes at Texas A&M University in College Station.

As a senior marketing major, Roche had to take the classes very seriously, as they were some of the last she would take before her anticipated December graduation.

Then, on Saturday, she transformed into a bubbly, impressive performer and Huntsville Superstar competitor.

As she stepped onto the Old Town Theatre stage to imitate famous artists like Whitney Houston and Martina McBride, Roche had to leave everything behind except her love for singing and her boldest conviction.

“This was a very stressful but very exciting period in my life,” she said. “The Huntsville Superstar competition consumed the last six weeks of my life, but I started school about halfway into the competition. There were times when I almost had to put school to the side because I wanted to focus on singing.

“Every week, I’d be in classes, and then every weekend, I’d come home and sing in a round of Huntsville Superstar. Then, on Sundays, I’d have to pick out my music for the next week before heading back to school.”

Roche obviously gave the last several weeks her all, because she walked away with the “2008 Huntsville Superstar” title, $1,000 and a recording opportunity.

“This is the first time I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone when it comes to singing — I usually just sing solos in church,” she said. “This competition really challenged me to not just sing and sound good but also to entertain and come out of my shell at the same time.

“I was definitely nervous, especially at the last show, but I must have done something right.”



A long road

Roche’s experience as a church choir member was her first taste of singing on stage, and performance was something she grew to love with age.

“Even from the first time I ever sang, it just started to become a normal thing for me,” she said. “Now, when I’m up there and I have that microphone in my hand, I don’t know — it’s just like all the nerves leave me and I feel like singing becomes a part of me.

“It really feels like singing was what I was born to do.”

Without a lack of confidence or experience singing in public, Roche tried out for the 2008 Huntsville Superstar competition and was chosen to participate.

On June 21, she performed the LeAnn Rimes version of “Lovesick Blues” during the first of four competitions.

“The song I sang at the first show was a good song that fit my voice very well, and I was confident that it would get me through to the next round,” she said. “But, after I sang, the judges told me they couldn’t hear me over the music, and they weren’t sure I had hit all of the high notes.

“I made sure to take care of that problem before the second show.”

The third show was the hardest for Roche; since she had chosen to perform Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” she was very apprehensive about her performance.

“Just getting up there to imitate one of the greatest singers of all time was very intimidating,” she said. “I knew at that point it was all or nothing, and I had to pull it out and just do it.”

Based on the judges’ responses, Roche knew she had managed to pull it off.

“Everyone absolutely loved the song,” she said. “The judges literally said it was flawless, and that I had done the same thing that Whitney Houston and Celine Dion do when they do their best. That was a really big encouragement to me.”



Fateful night

On July 12, Roche experienced very little of the apprehension she had felt while performing the Whitney Houston selection.

Her two songs for the night – LeAnn Rimes’ “Your Cheating Heart” and Selena’s “Dreaming of You” – were also songs which she felt showed off the best parts of her voice.

Of course, that was for the judges to decide.

“On the last night, we actually just sang right through the first half of the show, because the judges didn’t comment on our first songs,” Roche said. “I was very relaxed when I went up there to sing that last song. I felt confident, and I knew it was a song people were familiar with.”

As it turned out, judge Pat Camfield said Roche was the “complete package” with a bubbly personality and consistent talent.

“Another judge, Weldon Wallace, asked me what I wanted to do in my life,” Roche said. “When I told him I wanted to sing, he said it wasn’t a matter of if I would be a singer, but when I would be.

“Needless to say, I was very excited.”

After the judges gave Roche their remarks, it was time for the audience and the judges to cast their votes for the top three winners.

“Before the winners were announced, I definitely had my picks for the top three spots, because there was a lot of fierce competition,” she said. “I have a soft, quiet voice as compared to some of the loud, boisterous voices around me, so I wasn’t sure how I would stand up to them. I knew I was good enough, but I was definitely unsure toward the end.”

When the results came back, and Roche had been named 2008 Huntsville Superstar, she said she was nothing short of overjoyed.

“I was excited and very relieved at the same time,” she said. “I was excited, of course, but at the same time, I was very relieved because it had been such a long few weeks of singing and impressing judges.”

Back to reality

After the excitement of the Huntsville Superstar competition was over, Roche still had school to think about.

In fact, she had a test to study for which was scheduled for the Monday after the final competition.

“I didn’t get home on the night after the contest until around 3 a.m., and I had to study all day Sunday for a test that Monday,” she said. “It was funny, because my dad kept teasing me about being Cinderella and not being at the ball anymore. I had to go back to reality pretty quick.”

Even though she is back in her classes on a full-time basis, Roche still has her recording opportunity and her $1,000 in prize money to think about.

“I’m really excited to see what the future will hold with my music,” she said. “I don’t know who I’m going to be sending a demo to or anything, but this is a really important first step for me.

“As far as the $1,000, I’ll probably save a lot of it, but I think I’ll throw a pair of shoes in there, too. I have to reward myself somehow, right?”

        

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