Former 'AGT' contestant takes aim at 'American Idol' reboot
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 16, 2017 5:50 AM
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Kasey Vann of Grantham will be auditioning for the upcoming season of "American Idol" later this month in Charleston, S.C., where she had auditioned in February for "America's Got Talent." At the earlier audition she made it through the first round of competition.
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Kasey Vann of Grantham, a Southern Wayne High School junior, has been singing all her life and hopes to parlay that to a spot on 'American Idol.'
"American Idol" is returning to TV and a Grantham girl hopes to be one of the contestants.
Kasey Vann of Grantham is warming up her pipes to audition for the show later this month in Charleston, S.C.
The Southern Wayne High School junior has taken to social media to promote her effort, launching a public fan page on Facebook and hashtags TheNextIdol and KaseyVann on Twitter.
"We have actually posted on Facebook about me going because they (the show) look at social media to see how many 'likes' and 'shares,'" she said.
The sites are already picking up momentum, with more than 200 followers and lots of encouraging comments.
The 16-year-old has sung all her life -- at car shows, sporting events and talent shows at her schools.
"All my years at Grantham elementary and middle schools, I was in the chorus with Jaime Cox and now I'm in Saint Sound (at Southern Wayne) with her husband, Jason Cox," she said.
She was an ardent fan of the singing competition that was a TV staple since 2002.
North Carolina has fared well on the show, leading the pack for states represented in the winners' circle. It helped launch the careers of Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry and produced three winners -- Fantasia Barrino in 2004, Scott McCreery in 2011 and Caleb Johnson in 2014.
Goldsboro was also represented with a Top 10 finisher, Majesty Rose, who came in ninth place in 2014.
Then low ratings caught up with the show, ending its 15-year run on Fox network in April 2016.
Vann was crushed.
"I was really disappointed and bummed out that it was going off," she said. "The last episode was all these alumni. It was sad.
"I wanted to be a part of it."
She took a different route, trying out for "America's Got Talent" back in February, also in Charleston, S.C.
"I made it to the second round," she said.
She sang a pop song, "Undertow," but says she likes all types of music.
America's Got Talent attracts all sorts of acts, though, so she was especially pleased with the recent announcement that American Idol was being brought back to the small screen. It will air on ABC this season with popular host Ryan Seacrest at the helm.
"I think 'American Idol' is more singing that it is anything else," she said. "That's what I'm really strong on."
She has already submitted a video and signed all the release forms, and will head to Charleston on Aug. 25.
"They told me to have three songs prepared. I practiced for at least four," she said. "It's a lot of work."
While she wants to develop her own style, she says her voice is best suited to the country genre.
"Everybody says I sound like Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert," she said. "A lot of people tell me I would do more strongly in country and it represents my voice better for special things like this."
Song choice is a big part of the process. She said she is favoring "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson and "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood but may also include the pop song "Titanium" by Sia in her repertoire.
As the day of the audition draws closer, she said she is getting excited about the possibility of seeing her dreams come to fruition.
"I'm going to go with the potential of winning," she said. "It's kind of a steppingstone for me because I want to go into performing arts whenever I go into college," she said. "It would help on my resume.
"It's a steppingstone for me in general."
She said she is grateful for the backing of her hometown, which includes the Grantham Grange -- which she represented as fire princess last year and was recently named Grantham Grange Youth of the Year -- and her family. Her parents, Henry Vann and mom, Kim Holloman, a teacher at Grantham Middle School, have two other children, Mackenzie, 9, and Dylan, 7.
"My family is always telling me to do my best," Kasey said. "They tell me not to worry about others and what they think.
"I have a lot of supporters right now, because I have performed in front of a lot of people. I want to show them that I have got more, but the overall experience would also be amazing."