UNION — Brianna Cameron, 13, of Union, recently auditioned on “The Voice,” NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series. She wowed the panel with Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep Mountain High” during the blind auditions. Moving forward, she’ll be working with Kelly Clarkson on the show as the competition continues.
Just five years ago, Brianna began competing in her hometown of Union. At 8 years old, she sang Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” at Union’s Got Talent.
“The meaning [of the song] is so beautiful, and how us kids are the future,” she said.
When people say that someone talented was “born singing,” it’s truly literal in Brianna’s case. She said that at her christening, when she was just 6 months old, she was trying to sing a gospel song. Her mother said, “I think she’s trying to sing.”
After Brianna’s performance at Union’s Got Talent, she performed Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” again. This time it was at The Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Jennifer Hudson saw the performance and invited Brianna to be on her show. Brianna called Hudson “a beautiful person to be around.” She also wasn’t intimidated by Hudson, because Hudson treated her with much respect.
“In that time, God was really blessing me,” said Brianna. What followed was a tour across the country performing as Young Tina in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.”
Though Turner was from another generation, Brianna was familiar with her music. She said, “I knew Tina Turner. A family favorite, ‘Proud Mary,’ was played a lot.”
Brianna said all her friends have been so supportive of her dreams and they are so happy about her being on “The Voice.” When the competition is over, she wants to release an album or EP “for the world to see what else I have in store.” She also wants to be a vocal coach and give motivational speeches to students, sharing her story.
With all her successes, Brianna has had some disappointments too, but she said, “I take it as OK.” She said she learned that when one door closes, another is going to open.
The most challenging part of being a singer is all the genres of music and songs to choose from. Brianna said, “Every day I’m finding a song that’s blowing my mind.”
She also loves to write her own songs. She plays ukulele, guitar and piano.
“I write down lyrics,” she said. “I have a notebook. I’m writing down song titles and lyrics for possible songs.”
Juggling a career in music and finding time for schoolwork can sometimes be hard for Brianna. She said, “I’m a kid and I want to have fun.”
But she’s found a healthy balance. “I learned to prioritize things,” she said.
Her favorite subjects are social studies and English.
When Brianna has free time, she likes to draw and crochet. She also recently started doing her own nails. “I save money,” she said. “For every performance I can do my own nails.”
Brianna’s greatest inspiration is her mom. She said, “She is my biggest cheerleader. She’s a registered nurse. She’s following her dreams. I look up to her every day. She’s been doing so much for me. I know my mom really cares.”
The Union resident looks fondly at the town where she got her start performing. Her favorite part about Union is the people and the community. She said, “Everyone is so friendly and sweet.”
Follow Brianna on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/shiningstarbrianna/.
Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC
