Read Online The Winner Takes It All (Love in L.A. Book 3) by Audrey Harte - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Audrey Harte
Tags: Contemporary
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her the best of luck. Erin hugged her hard and wished her the same, then turned to walk out on the stage.
As Erin introduced herself, saying she was originally from Hawaii and now lived in Los Angeles, Annie stopped breathing for a moment. From her spot backstage, she could only see part of the auditorium, but there were plenty enough people sitting out there to make her want to leave without saying a word. As the music started, she immediately recognized the song. Erin had chosen Back to Black by Amy Winehouse, and although she had only just started singing, so far she was killing it. Annie nodded with respect as her nervous level went up a notch and continued to grow as Erin sang on. The thundering applause that broke out when Erin finished her performance was intimidating.
After that, she didn’t have another moment left to think. A producer beckoned for her to come right up to the side of the curtain and wait for his signal to go onstage. As Annie stood there, all she could hear was her pounding heartbeat. Just breathe. Just breathe.
Then it was her turn and she was walking out to the center of the stage to where a microphone stand had been placed. The lights were blinding, and she could already feel the sweat beading on her forehead. As she pulled the mic from the stand to introduce herself, she told them her name and said she from Los Angeles. She saw and heard Casey’s crew at the same time as they jumped up and cheered with a loud roar for her. Delighted and mortified at the same time, Annie plastered a smile on her face and waved to them. To her relief the audience laughed, and she nodded slightly to the sound technician, indicating that she was ready for them to start her music.
It was a gutsy move, choosing a Mariah Casey song, but her instincts had told her that she needed to take a risk, and she felt that if she could pull this off and make the judges and fans love her, she was golden.
As the familiar beginning chords played, the auditorium went wild. Always Be My Baby was a classic and an almost guaranteed crowd pleaser, yet she thought it had enough range to satisfy the judges as well. The excitement from everyone sitting in the audience was palpable, and it flicked a switch in Annie. Gone were the nerves. Gone was the self-doubt. All that was left was a girl who loved to sing.
But she didn’t sing. She soared. Her voice skillfully maneuvered through the notes, flawlessly transitioning all the way up into Mariah’s famous high range with incredible ease. Annie forgot that she felt like throwing up only moments earlier. She forgot that she had never performed in front of an audience this large before. She forgot that she was just a karaoke amateur, and she sang her heart out like it was what she had been born to do. Anyone there could hear it and feel it. At one point, she started clapping in time with the music with her hands over her head. The audience joined in and clapped with her to the beat.
By the time she finished singing, the entire room was on their feet cheering and applauding. Tears streamed unchecked down her cheeks as Annie got caught up in the raw emotion of the moment. This was everything she had ever dreamed of. Only months earlier, she hadn’t believed it was possible. She felt like she was never going to go anywhere and that she would be stuck working an office job for the rest of her life. But no… she was going somewhere, and she did have something special. And for the first time, she was beginning to believe it.
As she looked out into the audience, her eyes locked with Casey’s as he stood there with a puffed out chest, beaming at her as he applauded along with the rest of the crowd. He looked so proud, and she realized how happy she was that he could be there, sharing this experience. He was her rock, and he knew exactly how to encourage and uplift her.
She joined Erin backstage, and they hugged and cried happy tears for each other, then made their way to the ladies’ room
As Erin introduced herself, saying she was originally from Hawaii and now lived in Los Angeles, Annie stopped breathing for a moment. From her spot backstage, she could only see part of the auditorium, but there were plenty enough people sitting out there to make her want to leave without saying a word. As the music started, she immediately recognized the song. Erin had chosen Back to Black by Amy Winehouse, and although she had only just started singing, so far she was killing it. Annie nodded with respect as her nervous level went up a notch and continued to grow as Erin sang on. The thundering applause that broke out when Erin finished her performance was intimidating.
After that, she didn’t have another moment left to think. A producer beckoned for her to come right up to the side of the curtain and wait for his signal to go onstage. As Annie stood there, all she could hear was her pounding heartbeat. Just breathe. Just breathe.
Then it was her turn and she was walking out to the center of the stage to where a microphone stand had been placed. The lights were blinding, and she could already feel the sweat beading on her forehead. As she pulled the mic from the stand to introduce herself, she told them her name and said she from Los Angeles. She saw and heard Casey’s crew at the same time as they jumped up and cheered with a loud roar for her. Delighted and mortified at the same time, Annie plastered a smile on her face and waved to them. To her relief the audience laughed, and she nodded slightly to the sound technician, indicating that she was ready for them to start her music.
It was a gutsy move, choosing a Mariah Casey song, but her instincts had told her that she needed to take a risk, and she felt that if she could pull this off and make the judges and fans love her, she was golden.
As the familiar beginning chords played, the auditorium went wild. Always Be My Baby was a classic and an almost guaranteed crowd pleaser, yet she thought it had enough range to satisfy the judges as well. The excitement from everyone sitting in the audience was palpable, and it flicked a switch in Annie. Gone were the nerves. Gone was the self-doubt. All that was left was a girl who loved to sing.
But she didn’t sing. She soared. Her voice skillfully maneuvered through the notes, flawlessly transitioning all the way up into Mariah’s famous high range with incredible ease. Annie forgot that she felt like throwing up only moments earlier. She forgot that she had never performed in front of an audience this large before. She forgot that she was just a karaoke amateur, and she sang her heart out like it was what she had been born to do. Anyone there could hear it and feel it. At one point, she started clapping in time with the music with her hands over her head. The audience joined in and clapped with her to the beat.
By the time she finished singing, the entire room was on their feet cheering and applauding. Tears streamed unchecked down her cheeks as Annie got caught up in the raw emotion of the moment. This was everything she had ever dreamed of. Only months earlier, she hadn’t believed it was possible. She felt like she was never going to go anywhere and that she would be stuck working an office job for the rest of her life. But no… she was going somewhere, and she did have something special. And for the first time, she was beginning to believe it.
As she looked out into the audience, her eyes locked with Casey’s as he stood there with a puffed out chest, beaming at her as he applauded along with the rest of the crowd. He looked so proud, and she realized how happy she was that he could be there, sharing this experience. He was her rock, and he knew exactly how to encourage and uplift her.
She joined Erin backstage, and they hugged and cried happy tears for each other, then made their way to the ladies’ room
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