Karla Mayer April 2014 Singer Spotlight

 

Congratulations to Karla Mayer from Santa Rosa on winning our April 2014 AE Singer Spotlight.  AE gave her a $30 dollar karaoke gift card, either to purchase new music or pay for a monthly karaoke supscription to acess thousands of songs.  Also, she has automatically entered into our Singer Spotlight Of The Year.

 

The winner of the Singer Spotlight Of The Year will receive a $100 karaoke gift card and numerous gift certificates from all of our venues that we host karaoke at.  Winners will be randomly picked by AE Karaoke owner Dennis Anderson and our team of Hosts.

We interviewed Karla and wanted everyone to get to know one of our karaoke customers/singers on what her thoughts on karaoke, her winning and just about her.

(AE) Tell us a little about yourself?

(Karla) Well, my name is Karla Mayer. I was born in Somoto, Nicaragua in 1970 to a very musical & creative family. My mom is 1 of 7 kids. On her side of the family, I have 2 uncles that r very famous in Central America & Europe. They r both folk singers. The son to 1 of those uncles, is a well known salsa musicians named Luis Enrique, who lived a time with us when he was a struggling musicians. Since then he has won 2 Grammy's!! So proud of him. Been singing since i was a little girl. I always loved entertaining people. Me & my brother would put on shows with dancing & singing routine & charge 25 cents to neighborhood kids to come see r "show"!  For some reason I got real shy at about 14yrs old, & now got anxiety at the thought of singing for an audience. In my 30's i decided to try being in R&B band. The hurdle was goin to be conquering my horrific stage frieght. (I know...ME? Stage fright.) I succeeded & had some great expiriences while in that band. Would love to get into a rock band within the next year. I gotta sing some everyday, in order to b happy!

(AE) Where is your favorite place or places to sing karaoke?

(Karla) My favorite spots to do karaoke right now are: Thursdays at Quincey's in RP and Greenhouse on Fridays, in Sebastopol...but I had such an Awesome time at Spancky's on Tuesday in Cotati, that that may turn into a fav spot real soon!

(AE) When did you start singing karaoke?

(Karla) I started singing karaoke around 2009-2010. I have noticed improvement in my singing, from all the practice i've gotten in the last 4-5 yrs.

(AE) What are you going to do with your gift card, buy new karaoke music and/or put it towards karaoke subscription?
(Karla) I think I'm going to buy new karaoke music wirh the gift card i won. There r some songs I'd like to do that r on the more obscure side, so those will be the kinda songs I'll be buying. EXaMPLE: Alice in Chains-Got Me Wrong.

(AE) How does singing make you feel?

(Karla) Singing makes me feel a range of emotions that vary, depending on my mood, & depending on the song I'm singing. I'm not much into fluffy, bubble gum music...i want music to evoke emotions from me. If a song/lyrics/music can make me FEEL somthing, anything, It has done it's job, wether that means a song making me cry in saddness or a song making me feel happy & energetic. I just want to be touched, affected by the music i listen to & sing.

(AE) How often (days) do you sing karaoke in a week?
(Karla) Well it tends to vary, but i would say a minimum of 2 days a week & a max of like 4-5 days a week that i get out to sing karaoke.

(AE) How many hours do you sing karaoke in any given night?
(Karla) Well, I personally like to get to my karaoke spot about an hour before it starts, so i can find a table to sit at, which is very important to me, because of my other hobby...high heeled shoes. I collect them & had well over 100 pairs of heels when i counted them a few years ago. So I gotta be able to give my feet a break in between singing & dancing.. I usually stay till end or almost end of show. So roughly I'd say i spend about 4 hrs at karaoke.

(AE) What is your most favorite moment singing karaoke?
(Karla) Wow! I couldnt possibly narrow it down to 1 moment. A couple that come to mind would be: singing "U Oughta Know" by alanis morrisette on stage, at Ritas, feeling totally ON (Cuz i have nights that i'm more ON than others) with a livley crowd thats getting into the song, my good frenz r there supporting me & having a great time... And last but not least, with my wild & crazy friend, Fiona, working the stripper pole like a pro, making the crowd feel truly entertained! Other great moments involve me rocking the hell outta a song, just really feeling it, & receiving a compliment from someone who i feel is talented & whose opinion i value. Some kind, sincere words of encouragement or flattery can really make my night! And. Then theres the night that I dedicated & sang a love song to my love, Jon Wax. The song was "Head Over Feet" (I think it's called) by Alanis Morrisette. Super romantic song, & that was the 1st & only time i dedicated a song to the man in my life.

(AE) What is your least favorite moment singing karaoke?
(Karla) My least favorite moment in karaoke would be... Waiting for my turn!!! Lol.

(AE) What determines where you go to sing karaoke?
(Karla) A few things come into play for me. 1st off i'm not driving at this time, so right off the bat its gotta be not too far, & a place my frenz go to as well, cuz that is who i ride with alot of the time. It's VERY IMPORTANT that the sound system be a good one that's going to flatter my voice...not make me sound worse than i actually am. Dennis, i love the system u have. It supports my voice (& everyone elses) & the sound is clear, not muddled.

(AE) If you could make your karaoke venue better, what would that be?
(Karla) Where ever i happen to be singing, its always a real plus if u have the option to order some good food if ur hungry. Also, drink specials r nice, or consistently affordable prices for drinks works too. Little extras that i like r things like having a stage to sing on, enough tables to go around, cordless mic,& friendly staff.

(AE) Additional comments:
(Karla) Just want to add that karaoke is my favorite hobby. Some people r on a bowling league or a pool league... I sing. I believe singing is very therapeutic. Im more mentally healthy when i can sing often. It's an important release for me. I could not imagine going through life, with out music or singing! It's a part of me! Thank God for karaoke. Keep up the exellent work, Dennis!! Long live KARAOKE!!

 

Congratulations Karla and enjoy your gift from AE Karaoke.