Reaching for her brass ring

Alexis Ureña tries out for “American Idol”

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HURON — Having the courage to reach for that brass ring when life shows it to you is an internal struggle. A classic. Man against himself.
Or, in the case of 17-year-old Huron High School senior Alexis Ureña, a battle to overcome her natural shyness to pursue a passion.
This past week, Ureña took a major step forward when she stood in front of judges at a tryout for the television show “American Idol.” If you have attended an HHS volleyball game, you have likely seen Ureña pancaking on the floor from her position as a defensive specialist. And, you also probably heard her sing the National Anthem before the teams took to the floor.
“I think the first time I did the anthem was before the Breast Cancer Awareness game last year,” the soft-spoken teenager says. Just doing that was quite an accomplishment for her.
“I used to be really, really shy,” she says with a tentative grin. “I wasn’t really comfortable having people looking at me while I was singing and such, but gradually I have become more comfortable with it.”
With dozens of performances at sporting events, different school activities and more, Ureña has continually sung the anthem better and better.
“I get support from my mom,” she says. “She really likes to listen to me sing. And Mrs. Petersen helped me with a lot of positive encouragement.”
Mrs. Petersen is Laura Petersen, who was, through this spring, the vocal music director at the high school. “She talked to me about being a great singer and encouraging me to work at showing myself more and more,” Ureña said. Ureña was an alternate for All-State Chorus last year as an alto, and will be in this year’s mass choir.
Petersen, who is now the elementary music teacher in the Harrisburg School District said that Ureña has natural talent that is not even close to being tapped. Yet.
“I have had the pleasure of working with many, many talented kids,” Petersen said via telephone. “Alexis is just bursting with talent. She may be the most naturally talented student I’ve had. She can do so much with her voice...and she does it so naturally.”
Ureña said that while her parents, Juan and Jessica Ureña, are very supportive, they are not outwardly musical. “American Idol was kind of Mom’s idea,” Ureña said. “Well, Mrs. Petersen kind of started the ball rolling.”
Petersen said that she had seen a notice on Facebook and shared it with Ureña. “It was kind of a ‘You should think about this,’ sort of thing,” Petersen said. When the notice of the tryouts in Omaha came up again, Petersen dangled the challenge again.
So, Ureña took a deep breath and signed up.
She traveled with her parents to Omaha, where the American Idol bus was parked near the Lewis and Clark Landing. It was easy to find, she said. There was a really, really, really long line of people.
“It was kind of overwhelming, to see all those people,” Ureña said. “But it was so cool to stand in line and hear people singing or playing guitar to get ready.”
Eventually, she was escorted into one of four tents, where she performed “Leave me Lonely,” made popular by Ariana Grande.

“It was hard,” she said. “My heart was beating so fast and I was kind of nervous.”
Also, as the performances were outdoors, in tents, Ureña sang while three others were doing the same thing. Which is difficult to do.
While Ureña said she felt really good with her performance, she and the other performers in her group were called in and got the same message.
“The producer said we all had great voices but that we wouldn’t be asked to move on,” Ureña said. “I was kind of disappointed, but it was something that I wanted to do and that I accomplished, just being there.”
Ureña said that she enjoys listening to and singing along with powerful women who have powerful voices. She’s got a big voice herself; don’t be fooled by her slight 5-foot, 2-inch frame. There is substantial power there.
“I like Ariana Grande, Alicia Keyes and Adele a lot,” she said. “They are such strong women and strong singers.”
She is considering singing in college, but is unsure about whether that is where her path leads right now. Radiology may be her main interest, but, “If the school has a solid music department, I would certainly give it a try.”
Petersen said that Ureña could benefit from some college-level instruction and teaching. “She could, but singing classical-type music isn’t really her strength. She has such a soulful voice, like an Alicia Keyes, and does a fabulous job on songs that are kind of bluesy, you know? And she moves well too.”
Petersen said that at last year’s Pops Concert, Ureña and another student took on the job of choreographing the finale, a tribute to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
“Most of the choreography was taken from the video, but let me tell you, that girl can really move. And she does it so naturally as well. I am so proud of her for taking a shot at American Idol!”
Ureña will be back on stage tonight, competing to be the next Dakota Star at the State Fair, with a Whitney Houston song.
And then?
“I don’t know,” she says with a shy smile. “There are American Idol tryouts in Fargo and in Rapid City,” she said. “Mom is urging me to try again. Maybe the first time was the tough one and I have that behind me now. Maybe the next time will be my time.”