Superstar freshman seizes the stage

When the audience first saw freshman Nina Nelson step up to the microphone at Saratoga Idol on Nov. 29, they thought she was just an average contestant waiting for her few minutes of fame. However, as she began to sing Christina Aguilera’s “Mercy on Me,” everyone was blown away by her powerful voice.

Ten other contestants participated, and the three students with the highest number of votes from the audience advanced to the final round where they would sing a second song.

“I didn’t go there expecting anything so when they said I’d made it to the final round, I was like ‘What? Say that again?’” Nelson said. “So I was even more nervous the second time they made me sing. It was really surprising, and it was a really good feeling.”

Nelson sang “Hurt,” also by Christina Aguilera, one of her favorite artists, for the second round of Saratoga Idol.

In order to prepare for the competition, Nelson sang through her songs several times each day. She also has a routine to help her warm up before performances.

“For Saratoga Idol, I mostly jumped around and got all the nerves out; my heart was still beating really fast,” Nelson said. “But they had soundcheck two hours before so we got to run through our songs a couple times.”

However, Nelson still gets nervous before performances.

“I’m more nervous offstage than when I get onstage because usually when you’re onstage, you can’t see anything,” Nelson said. “In the McAfee, you’re lit up, and everyone else is pitch black so it’s like you’re just singing in an empty stage, and nothing really matters. And when everyone’s cheering you on, it encourages you a lot more to do things that you usually wouldn’t do.”

This year, as a new student from another district, Nelson decided to participate in Saratoga Idol as a way to meet new people and to introduce herself to the Saratoga community. She had lived in Union City and Los Angeles before moving to Saratoga. So far, she only has positive things to say about her new school.

“It’s really nice, everyone is really cool,” Nelson said. “I’m used to moving and it wasn’t that great the first time, but it’s gotten better. Everyone was really welcoming here, so it was really great.”

Aside from performing in Saratoga Idol, Nelson has also participated in singing competitions and performances such as “Fremont’s Got Talent” and “My Year in Hollywood,” which is a Broadway show.

Nelson has been singing since she was in kindergarten, and according to Nelson, it has become part of her identity.

“My mom used to be a voice teacher, my dad sings and so music just kind of runs in the family,” she said.

Singing is also a part of Nelson’s ideal future.

“If I can, I’m planning on pursuing music,” Nelson said. “I’m always singing, and there’s really not a time that I’m not, unless someone’s talking.”