Local teen auditions for national television show
By Suzanne Schmidt
Staff Writer
LAND O’ LAKES — On the next season of America’s Got Talent, area residents might be able to follow one of their own.
Alyssa Bermudez, a junior at Sunlake High School, attended the initial interview for the show along with about 1,000 other people in Orlando a few weeks ago. She will find out if she made it to the next round where she will interview with the celebrity judges in March.
“I was watching TV when a commercial came on about season five,” Alyssa said. “If you wanted to be on you had to pre-register on-line. A couple months passed and it got to the point I thought they would never call. I got the e-mail and filled out the paperwork and got the audition date.”
The audition was at 8 a.m. Feb. 13. Alyssa and her mother Yolanda Bermudez stood in line for hours before seeing the judges.
“When they let us know she had an audition, I was so happy and excited,” Yolanda said. “She did such an awesome job. We are hoping she made it but either way, it was a great experience. We met a lot of people and she had a chance to perform in front of the cameras.”
In the holding room before going into the audition, Alyssa said she started to get nervous.
“They asked me to pretend I was practicing,” Alyssa said. “I had to sing and the cameras were right on me. I love being in front of cameras. The directors told me I was doing good and they liked me.”
Then the scary part of the day came with Alyssa’s audition.
“I had to wait with the others,” Alyssa said. “I felt so anxious. I just wanted to get in there. When we walked in, the room was dead silent. They call you up and you say your name, age and where you are from and then you have to sing acappella.”
Alyssa only had 90 seconds to make an impression on the judges with her song choice “I Turn To You” by Christina Aguilera.
In March or April, she will find out if she will be asked back to be on the show for the next round of judging.
“Whether I make it or not at least the whole experience was a lot of fun,” Alyssa said.
Alyssa has been in several school talent shows and even modeled for a while. She said she stopped because it took up too much of her time.
“I have been singing since I was little,” Bermudez said. “When I lived in New York I used to always sing, it drove my parents crazy. I like getting up in front of people and performing.”
This year she will perform in her school talent show March 12 at the school, 3023 Sunlake Blvd. The show starts at 7 p.m. and is open to the community.
“I will be doing the same routine I did for the audition,” Bermudez said. “I like to sing because I believe through singing I can express myself. I like to get out there and just do it. I put my heart and soul into it.”
Even though Alyssa loves to sing, she does not plan to make a career out of it. She will be studying law and maybe psychology when she goes to college.
“If it is meant for me to have a career it will happen,” Bermudez said. “I don’t think singing does much for the world and I want to be able to help people.”
With Alyssa’s personality and talent, Yolanda said she knows she will go far.
“Alyssa is a people person and very friendly,” Yolanda said. “One good thing about Alyssa is she is very confident. I know that whatever she wants to do we are there for and will support her.”
For more information about America’s Got Talent, visit www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent.
