Students gathered Wednesday night in the Barry Kaye Auditorium for the first ever Owl Idol hosted by Program Board to find FAU’s next rising star. Six contestants battled for a chance at having a song recorded for FAU’s Hoot/Wisdom’s next CompOWLation album.

Around 200 students showed up to hear students sing, support their friends and even scout new talent for Hoot/Wisdom.

A theater and commercial music major, as well as team manager for Hoot/Wisdom Recordings, Stephanie Mikel came out hoping to find new talent for the upcoming album adding, “I would love for them to contact me somehow.”

Following the American Idol esque format, the six student contestants were narrowed down to three by the second round.

Judging the students were commercial music major and President of Hoot/Wisdom Records Matt Smith, Associate Professor of Music Alejandro Sanchez, Dr. Rebecca Lautar, head of the music program, and Brenda Elison Henry, who is the coordinator for Administrative Services.

Even though the students possessed vocal potential, they still had a lot to learn in terms of performance and vocal techniques.

The event was started off by Iala Teresa-Calleja who performed her own rendition of the 80s classic “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar.  Being the first one to perform can be a bit difficult, but Teresa-Calleja’s energy covered up any sign of nerves, leaving judge Henry to say, “you have very good stage presence.”

Up next was Shanovi Kerr (aka Flo) who showcased her deep powerhouse vocals by covering Amy Winehouse’s song, “You Know I’m No Good.” Her performance easily earned her a place in the top three.

The third contestant was Kim Grocholl (aka Mick) who sang “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders. The song choice was a bit outdated, but the audience still got into it by waving their cell phones back and forth while beautiful stars appeared on stage in the background.

Fourth came Shallay Gordon who performed “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” by Lauryn Hill. Her version of the song was great as well as her ability to connect with the crowd.

“You have good vocals,” Henry said. “But I think a ballad would have brought that out.”

The last two performers of the first round were the highlight of the entire show. Michelle Dos walked on the stage with great confidence, clearly showcasing the qualities of someone who flawlessly represents the title of “Owl Idol.” She had the poise on stage of someone who had performed many times in front of an audience. Her voice had an old school feel to it with great emotion and interesting runs. The audience was left awestruck as they cheered for her showing how much they enjoyed her overall performance.

Jonathan Jackson closed out the first round with his own beat to sing along with. The timing and key of the track was a little off and lacked dynamics in instrumentation, which was the only downfall of Jackson’s performance. However, his voice was a pleasure to listen to and had a true soulful R&B/Pop sound like that of chart-topper Jason Derulo. Jackson unfortunately did not make the top three despite the crowds admiration of him.

Moving in to the final round was Grocholl, Kerr and Dos, each performing a final song of their choice.

After great deliberation among the four judges, Dos was named the winner of Owl Idol. Each contestant in the final three were then rewarded with beautiful trophies in the shape of a microphone.

Dos then showed what a kind person she is by bringing her competitor and friend, Kerr, up on stage to sing the winner’s final song to close out the night with Grocholl beat-boxing in the background. Dos’s smile after winning was just as visible on stage as the beautiful trophy she was holding.

When asking Dos if she was nervous about performing, she said “I get nervous like it’s the first time every time.”

The title of Owl Idol was well-deserved and Dos will record a song for CompOWLation Vol. 4 next year.

For anyone who has an interest in performing just like these brave competitors in Owl Idol, just remember, “always believe in yourself and don’t let people tell you you can’t,” said Dos.

Erica Morgan Hirsch was featured on Hoot/Wisdom Recordings CompOWLation Vol. 3.