Hopeful Hailee

Talented teen with a big voice
tried out for reality stardom.

Marielle Temkin

Special to the Jewish News

S

tanding out among more than
5,000 people sounds like an
impossible task, but local teen
Hailee Halprin wanted to give her voice a
chance to shine on July 21 at Ford Field
when the mega-hit reality show American
Idol held auditions in Detroit.
At 16, Halprin was among the youngest
of the contestants, though she has been
singing since she was young. She decided
to audition because she had "watched the
show when I was little and always looked
up to the people who auditioned, and I
thought it was a great opportunity for
people to get discovered and pursue their
dreams:'
So what song does someone sing when
they hope to be discovered?
"I sang Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back:"
Halprin said. "I thought it was a good way
to represent Motown and thought the pro-
ducers would be surprised by someone my

Mary Beth and
ailee Halprin at

age singing it.
"The whole audition process was inter-
esting and nerve-wracking: she said. "It
was way different than I thought it was
going to be"
There were two rounds of the audition
process, and the first round had contestants
go up to a table of producers in groups of
four.
"We sang for the producers, and then
they would deliberate. If they wanted you to
sing again, you would, and then they would
give you a yes or no: she said.
Unfortunately, Halprin did not make it to
the second round of the audition process,
but she saw the silver lining.
"I look at it as even though I didn't make
it past the next round, it was a lot of good
positive exposure for me and my music,"
she said. "I got good feedback and can
use this as publicity for hopeful upcoming
career opportunities.
"Overall, it was a really great experience
even though I didn't advance. I defmitely
want to audition again if I'm eligible next
year:'

Her mom, Mary Beth, said, "The young-
est you can be to audition is 15, and she
went up against people who were 28, 29, 30,
so the competition was pretty widespread.
For someone who hasn't had any profes-
sional training, I was proud of how she's
held her own:'
There is a chance that Halprin could be
seen on the show when it premiers in mid-
January.
"After I was leaving the auditions, I
walked through the hall and they inter-
viewed me about my experience and how I
felt. I hope that goes on the show because
I think I had a pretty good take on my
experience, even though I did not make it
through: she said.
So, what's next for the motivated teen?
"I'm planning to get into a recording
studio in the next few months to record a
single, and I'm looking to get a vocal coach

soon. Definitely looking for new ways to
get myself out there and get my name out:
Halprin said.
She also performs every Friday in Royal
Oak at a venue called Goldfish Tea. At
Berkley High School, Halprin is on the year-
book staff, sings in a show choir and takes
part in her school's drama club. Her family
attends Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park.
Ultimately, she said, "I do want to do
something involving music as a career. I
think it's something that has helped me
through a lot of tough situations I've gone
through, and it's something I want to pur-
sue and help other people my age. I want
to be a positive influence on kids who
don't necessarily have the best in their life:'
Want to judge Hailee Halprin's voice for
yourself? Check out her YouTube chan-
nel featuring covers and original songs at
www.youtube.com/hj3697 .

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