Am I Wrong?
When Dylan was in first grade, he sang in the school talent show.
In second grade, he was the lion in The Lion and the Mouse, a twenty-minute extravaganza starring the entire second grade. Little Dylan had a solo.
Throughout elementary school, Dylan sang in school talent shows. Then he branched out: Dylan sang at the county fair’s talent show.
It was his first time performing outside of school, and his first competition. He didn’t win, but he got into the finals. Not bad for a ten-year-old kid competing against full-grown adults.
It was the beginning of a long streak for Dylan.
In sixth grade, he was almost selected to sing a solo at the Kennedy Center when the Children’s Chorus of Washington performed there. He came in second. On the night of the performance he had a fever of 102ยบ. Thank God Dylan didn’t have to sing.
In 9th grade, he started competing again. In his high school talent competition, Dylan got into the finals, but placed fourth. In tenth grade, he made it into the finals, but placed second. In eleventh grade, he made it into the finals as part of a duet, and placed second again.
He made it into the finals of the county talent show but didn’t win. The judge literally asked Dylan, “Was that a joke?” The kid sang his heart out and blew the roof off the place, and the judge said, “Was that a joke?” Who does that to a 15-year-old kid?
He didn’t sing in the county talent show finals again.
Instead, given his ability to sing opera, Dylan auditioned for a statewide classical competition during his junior year. He got Honorable Mention – the only vocalist in the state to get that award – but he didn’t win. This year, he auditioned again and didn’t even get Honorable Mention.
I know I am biased. But I think Dylan deserves to win sometimes.
So when he entered the school talent competition during his senior year of high school, it was his last chance to be recognized for his talent. I’m not saying there were no other talented acts performing, because there were. But the judges were expected to judge on Stage Presence, Interpretation and Technique – and Dylan nailed all three of those, in both of his performances.
Dylan sang “Never Enough” and “Hostage.” (Click on the titles to see the performances.)
Am I wrong? Are these not winning performances? Dylan even handled a horrific technical error – dead-center during his final song – like a pro.
But Dylan made it into the finals, and didn’t win. He placed third.
Officially now, Dylan can say he never placed first in a single singing competition.
Well, unless you count when he was nine and sang at his dad’s work event. Even the adults who competed “against” Dylan gave him a standing ovation – and he got a gift card!
I have to remember that win, since it was the only one. Even the lead role in Willy Wonka, a part that was designed for Dylan, was offered to another student. Fortunately, that student backed out and Dylan got the part.
My dad often reminds me that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. The part he leaves out is that he was only cut once. After that, Jordan became their star player.
Dylan’s been cut all four years.
Lady Gaga was bullied mercilessly in school. She specifically said, “I was never the winner. I was always the loser.” She finally got recognized – eventually – for her talent, winning an Academy Award this year. Lady Gaga turns 33 this month.
The secret, I guess, is to never give up.
To be fair, Dylan doesn’t even want to be famous. He just wants to make music.
But if he does become a professional singer – famous or not – he sure does have a good backstory.