Local girl wins chance to audition at American Idol
Vanessa Jeppsen, a 17-year-old Mountain Crest High School student, is headed to the Seattle, Wash., auditions for “American Idol” on Sept. 19, after winning a contest at the Cache Valley Mall this weekend.
The “So You Think You Can Sing” contest was held Saturday, Sept. 9, at the mall and was hosted by 94.5 VFX radio. Jeppsen’s prize includes travel and hotel accommodations, a “rock star makeover” in Logan and gift certificates.
“It was great, everyone was just trying to have a good time,” Jeppsen said. “Everyone was relaxed and supportive of everyone else. We all cheered for each other.”
Jeppsen’s winning performance was her rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” She will leave Sunday, Sept. 17, with hopes of making it onto the popular TV show and just “seeing what there is to see.”
“I love to travel anyway, so I’m just really grateful for this opportunity. I’m so excited,” she said.
“The following (for the finalists) was outrageous. These people already have a fan base,” said VFX disc jockey Wayne Thompson, also known as DJ Absolute. “We wish them all the best of luck.”
Thompson said proof of that following came when VFX had to rebuild their Web site, which crashed when 2,000 people tried to log on and vote simultaneously. This resulted in voting by telephone, which kept the line busy for an entire work day. Thompson estimated about 6,000 total votes.
The resulting talent contest was the main attraction of the Cache Valley Mall’s back-to-school event for teens. Several sponsors participated with contests, discounts and prizes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. It included a fashion show, Pepsi prize wheel and karaoke after the “So You Think You Can Sing” contest. Hosted by 94.9 VFX, this event featured everything from the Beach Boys to Britney Spears and amateur singers from all age groups.
The 10 finalists were Jeppsen, Alex Politis, Kydee Anderson, Josiah Smith, Shukria Jackson, Ashley Dean, Danny Pauni, Trevor White, Brooke Duffy-Bond and Valerie Harris. The finalists ranged in age from 16 to 27.
The contestants came from all over the Wasatch Front, including the Salt Lake Valley. There was even one contestant that was visiting from Orange County, Calif.
Finalists were selected by online voting through the radio stations Web site, utahsvfx.com.
The employees of the radio station finished the event with a rendition of “The Beat Goes On,” following Briar Finch, 5, who performed “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”