DMV Idol

Saturday was nothing short of amazing! A good friend of mine, fellow TRDC member, and future business mogul Raymond Alston, along with fellow entrepreneur Alita Melosa, hosted the first ever DMV Idol. Held in Silver Spring, Maryland at the Silver Spring Civic Center – DMV Idol brought out phenomenal talent from the tri-state area.

I arrived early on the scene and watched as TRDC members, TRDC affiliates, and close family and friends brought Raymond and Alita’s dreams to life. People were lined up from 12 until doors opened at 2 for their shot at being the DMV idol. I glanced over the crowd and watched as people were talking among themselves, practicing their pitch, and shaking from the reality of the magnitude of the opportunity. Once 2 o’clock came around it was showtime.

All in all, it was a smooth and easy process: performers in, critical commentary shared by judges, and contestants escorted out. I was able to sit in on the judging process and I can honestly say it was an overwhelming experience. Youth as young as 16 and women/men as old as 30: sharing their stories, expressing what winning the idol would mean to them, and displaying their God-given talent – all before a panel of six.

I had a chance to ask the judges what they thought in between auditions and here is what they had to say –

Alita Melosa: “We are so excited! We are getting a lot of good talent. Of course, it is difficult to tell some of these people no because we hear some of their touching stories – but we are able to really show what the DMV has to offer talent wise.”

[Alita, as mentioned before, is a graphic designer, creative director, and brand consultant. Based in Baltimore, MD, Alita connects with people from all over and has an entrepreneurial spirit like no other. To connect with her please email alitamelosa@massivemotivesmedia.com.]

Taylor Love: “It has been amazing, the women have been really killing it! I’m really surprised by all the talent we have here in the DMV. I am honored to be here and humbled to be apart of the judging panel. I do not have a favorite so far and I am reserving my judgement until the very end. But, the women are really being amazing today!”

[To catch the Taylor Love tune in to Listen Vision Live every Saturday: ListenVisionLive.com – you won’t be disappointed.]

Tonya K: “It is going well, we have some really great singers – male and female – good talent here. I do have a favorite…a young man who raps he has that energy and not just the energy but that voice that works. When people walk through that door – I am looking for them to wow me.”

Kimberly D: “It has been a great experience. It wasn’t what I expected at all. There is a lot of great talent and it has been more ‘yes’ than ‘no’ – which is the part that I did not expect. It has been a little hard to tell people no because the talent has been so great.

When people walk through that door, I am looking for someone to own what ever is coming out of their mouth. They have to be confident in what they do or they shouldn’t be here at all.”

The event was a major success for not only for those who coordinated it, but for the contestants as well. Shout out to TRDC and to the DMV for showing up and showing out.