TAKING CENTER STAGE With Michael Cagle

A Fun, Anything Goes One On One Interview Talk With Guests, Most Of Whom Are In The Performing and Creative Arts. We Will Talk About Their Beginnings. Their Inspirations. Their Dreams and Goals, As Well As Their Accomplishments. Guests Wil Have a A Chance To Display or Perform Their Talent, and They Will Also Talk About Topics and Events That Are Happening That Are Important To Them and The Audience Listening.

Today's Guest Is Incredible Singer, Drag Performer and KWC National Champion Michael Whitw

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gotta fine mine car.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Scar everything he hadn't seen Z.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Everything has its time.

Speaker 4 (00:22):
Show me your resign an anson, show you around, cast
it on the window sill.

Speaker 5 (00:30):
Children sit in the snow. Why do I have to see?
I don't fit in anywhere I go.

Speaker 6 (00:39):
Realize belong where they can arounber.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Eagles belong when they can line.

Speaker 5 (00:49):
I've got you bead with my spirit can be gott
a fat fire.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Uh the sky.

Speaker 4 (01:06):
Every Man has stage dreams, every man has a school.
People like the way trees have a sticking to their song.
Lennaclas have a lighted nightingales have this song.

Speaker 5 (01:22):
And don't you see I want my love to beat something.

Speaker 7 (01:25):
More than.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Rivers along where they can arouber.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Eagles along where.

Speaker 5 (01:35):
They care f. I've got you me where my spirit can.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Rise free, Gotta find b of the skys.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Destined instead of It's something small.

Speaker 7 (02:01):
But I'm rest.

Speaker 5 (02:03):
Hello everybody, and welcome to taking the enter stage with
Michael Kegle. I have to admit I made a serious
mistake and didn't realize that, uh, this incredible program does.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Military time.

Speaker 5 (02:23):
So some of you may have thought that I had
scheduled this at noon and not two o'clock, but I
am definitely at two o'clock on UH Fridays, and you
have reached taking center stages of Michael Cagle. I hope
that everybody can hear me. I haven't gotten any calls yet.

(02:45):
The number to call me is three four seven, threeh
eight eight seven four seven. And I first want to
give it acknowledgement to my incredible sponsor, who doesn't may
not want to admit he's sponsoring me right now because
I've made so many mistakes today.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
But I want to thank World Movement Enterprises.

Speaker 5 (03:05):
I am Indy, which is sponsoring this show for for
you to hear and hopefully everybody's able to get on.
I'm going to give you a number if you'd like
to call in. The number for calling in is three
four seven, threeh eight eight seven four seven. That is

(03:26):
three four seven, three eight eight seven four seven.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
And I'm very excited because I have a really good,
good friend of mine.

Speaker 5 (03:37):
Who's an amazing talent. And I know I say that
all the time, but I really have ridiculously talented friends.
I've been in the entertainment industry for a long long
time and I have accumulated and gained relationships with some

(03:59):
of the most incredibly talented people. I tons it's very
easy to stay humble because they are so absolutely amazing,
and any to.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
Let you know.

Speaker 5 (04:13):
My special guest today is he's a singer, he's a
drag performer. He is a previous karaoke World national champion.
My guest is going to be Michael White, and I'm very,
very very excited to talk to him. He's a great guy,

(04:34):
very inspirational, but not afraid to say what he feels
and how he feels. So I think it might be
a very good and fun episode to check in on.
Right now, I believe there is a time difference, and
he's actually three hours ahead of me.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
He's in Florida.

Speaker 5 (04:55):
And yes, we'll probably talk about the hurricane that hit
as well, because he was kind of in the center
of it. But there's a three hour time difference, and
I told him that I would try to vamp and
be entertaining for the next ten or fifteen minutes until

(05:17):
he's able to hop on. So I'm hoping he does
that and we can start our interview. But other than that,
anybody that would like to call, the number is three
four seven, three eight eight seven four seven.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
So let me make sure that I got this. Okay,
is everybody hearing me?

Speaker 5 (05:45):
Okay? Does anybody want to give me a call and chat? Hello?

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Anybody?

Speaker 5 (05:54):
Yeah, this is one of those times when you go,
oh wow, Yeah, I wish I had.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
More to say.

Speaker 5 (06:06):
So what I think I'll do, if if you don't mind,
is I'm going to play you a song that I
recorded a little bit ago. But it kind of is
my life story and I hope you like it. And
once again, the number is three four seven. Feel three

(06:26):
oh eight eight seven four seven. If you want to
give me a call, I'm gonna play some music until
we get our special guest in or until someone gives
me a call.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
So thank you much.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
I can almost see.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
That dream I'm dreaming.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
There's a voice inside in my head.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
Sand you'll never read. Check every step on Tag?

Speaker 4 (07:05):
Can everybody make thieves? That's with no direction. My faith
is shaken, and I gotta keep trying.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
Gotta keep mine had.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Always going to the other announce it.

Speaker 1 (07:30):
I'm always gonna want to make him boom, always gonna there.

Speaker 7 (07:35):
Enough to have a battle sometime.

Speaker 1 (07:37):
I'm gonna have it at about half half Tag gets
him eat about what's waiting on the other it it's
the cloud.

Speaker 8 (07:59):
The faith said, chit is on take.

Speaker 6 (08:03):
Care sometime I'm tacted down God numbering he happen not go.
But he's a mommacing I'm mother and the post just
gotta keep ball.

Speaker 9 (08:21):
And I got a bit struck, chesky pushy. No, he's
gonna need the fountain. What we're gonna wanna do you do?
Ahwa's gonna need up in battle.

Speaker 8 (08:42):
That's something I'm gonna have to.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Anytime I have that time, get there, eat about w
sweet gone the other time it's the g.

Speaker 5 (09:21):
Who's gonna be another now Away's gonna want to make
it now AWA's.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
Gonna be up there about such about a minute half
leen about half hap tad Get said, lead about one
week from together. So it's the club.

Speaker 8 (09:56):
See see my side, ge, Yes.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
That was yours truly with that.

Speaker 5 (10:33):
And I am getting a really confusing everybody that's trying
to call in, they're saying they're getting a busy's bignol.

Speaker 3 (10:44):
I I'm going to try to find out what is
going on with that?

Speaker 5 (10:53):
Uh So I am I'm not the most technical savvy person,
and I didn't ever think this would happen where I would, uh,
somebody would call on and they would they be getting
a businesy signal. I'm going to try to call him, said,

(11:14):
people have a businey signal.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
Yes, I know.

Speaker 5 (11:17):
I don't know why I'm getting I don't know why
there's a busney signal, but I'm going to try to
call my special guests on the phone now and see
if I can get him on.

Speaker 10 (11:35):
Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system.
Nine four one five one eight nine nine seven one
is not available at the tone. Please record your message.
When you finished recording, you may hang up or press.

Speaker 7 (12:01):
This.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
I I just I apologize.

Speaker 5 (12:04):
I'm freaking out right now, trying to stay live. And
is anybody able to hear me right now?

Speaker 2 (12:16):
This?

Speaker 3 (12:17):
I had everything set and then it went busy, and
so you can't hear me?

Speaker 11 (12:28):
Okay, great, Brandy is ah okay, Uh, I'm trying. I
apologize so much.

Speaker 5 (12:46):
This was not my plan. So all right, So I'm gonna.

Speaker 3 (12:55):
Play a random song.

Speaker 5 (12:57):
Right this is so I feel so terrible, you guys.
I don't know why.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
I have no understanding why it's uh not allowing me
to get cusha. Uh Collins, this is this is kind
of frustrating. I would play.

Speaker 5 (13:23):
Brandy's song right now if I had it, because I've
got Brandy on Chad, but she hasn't called in.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
Because yeah, she's just listening.

Speaker 5 (13:33):
And I thank her for that. But I at this point,
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm going
to try it one more time. Hello, Hey, I'm looking

(13:54):
for Michael White.

Speaker 7 (13:57):
You have finally found him. Oh hey.

Speaker 5 (14:05):
My god, oh oh, I I don't well, I have
no clue why it's you're you. You said you were
calling in and there was a business single and then
other people have been met with it.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Huh.

Speaker 5 (14:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (14:24):
It was like it was like a failed like it
would just failed, and it would it would say busy users,
busy users, busy and I'm like, okay.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
Uh, anyway, welcome. Uh we are alive that I know,
and we are being heard, so.

Speaker 5 (14:38):
That is I guess the important thing is we're on
the air and we're kind of live, and I guess
people if they want to, uh, they can uh hit
me up or hit you up on Facebook if they
if they're listening to this, and they can ask questions
or call. But uh, we're just gonna kind of get

(14:59):
a little chat going and uh, are you home or
are you still driving or what are you doing?

Speaker 7 (15:06):
I'm actually still driving home from work.

Speaker 5 (15:09):
Ah okay, so if we hear oh Jesus, then we'll
know what's not me.

Speaker 7 (15:15):
It's just traffic exactly.

Speaker 3 (15:18):
So how you doing, sir?

Speaker 7 (15:21):
I am good, you know, recovering from the hurricane. But
I am good. I'm good.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
You know.

Speaker 5 (15:28):
I mentioned that earlier on that that I didn't know
if we wanted to touch base with that, but I
it's so current and so uh.

Speaker 3 (15:41):
Whatever, what's on a lot of people's minds? Uh? Tell
tell everybody.

Speaker 5 (15:45):
First of all, everybody, I want to I want you
to welcome him so sorry because I I know him.
So it's just like I haven't even introduced him on
the phone today. And my special guest is an incredible
When I say incredible singer, I really mean that incredible
h he has Uh.

Speaker 3 (16:03):
He not only performs all.

Speaker 5 (16:04):
Over the area, uh in Florida, where he lives both
as both as a drag performer as well as a
I I don't know what I'd call you, kind of
an R and B specialist, you do kind of kind
of everything you kind of I think a little bit

(16:26):
of everything. And uh, about three years ago he was
the karaoke World Champion National Champion and I believe play
sixth in the world and that means like all over
the world. So that's outstanding. His name is Michael White,
and we're going to get to talk with him a
little bit. Uh, and I'm I'm hoping that we can

(16:49):
get to figure it out. Some people can call because
you're an interesting person to talk to and everybody loves you.

Speaker 7 (16:56):
Uh. But well, yeah, so I.

Speaker 5 (17:02):
Guess i'd really we can start with that. Uh, as
everybody knows that's listening. Uh, Florida got battered with one
hell of a hurricane. Uh and yeah, you were kind
of Then I started reading all the areas that were
hit and you were kind of right in the middle.
What what how close were you and what was that experience?

Speaker 9 (17:26):
Like?

Speaker 7 (17:28):
Well, so yeah, we were, we were. It actually went
right over I literally passed through us. We were we
were in the thick of it. As they say, I
live in Port Charlotte, and Port Charlotte was what we
weren't the hardest hit, I would say, I mean, we
have definitely got a lot of damage, a lot of

(17:49):
houses with roofs torn off, there's mobile park villages with
half the mobile park gone, power lines down. I mean,
the lineman have been so amazing. They've they've recovered at
a large part of what you know, our power and
our you know on our internet access and so on.

(18:10):
But there's still a lot of work to be done.
And thankfully my house survived the majority of the damage.
My fence got destroyed, but beyond that there really wasn't
anything major major. Thank god, our cars are fine. But
we've had you know, I've had neighbors who they've lost everything. Houses,

(18:32):
the ceilings caved in, the cars are destroyed. So you know,
it's it's it's really it's almost surreal because right now
I'm driving down the road and I'm looking at trees
that have been shopped because they were in the middle
of the road, you know what I mean. And then
like all the street signs are down. I remember, I
remember the day after the hurricane, there were we didn't

(18:54):
even we didn't even have stop lights, like every street
was the four ways stop so every before we thought, so, yeah,
it's surreal, like and and there was no lights. So
as yeah, it's been rough, but but I will say
It was great to see the community come together down here.

(19:14):
Greatest to see that. You know, FEMA was here on
the spot, like like the next day, Red Cross was here,
the National Guard came in, the Army came down as well.
It's been like all hands on deck and I love it.
I love seeing the camaraderie. I love seeing every everyone
putting aside the differences and saying, look, we're all in

(19:36):
this boat together. Let's let's let's all take a paddle
board and swim. So I loved it.

Speaker 5 (19:42):
Are they are they? Are they giving you or are
I should say, giving the community there estimated time of
when things will I obviously it's going to take probably
almost years probably to get over I didn't taking care
of But have they given you an estimate on when

(20:04):
things will be at least kind of workable and like
you were saying, like street lights and that kind of thing, or.

Speaker 7 (20:12):
So they said at least six to eight months before
like all the lights and stuff come back. But they're
projecting things like yeah, they're projecting like years because it
decimated a lot of the coastline where a lot of
are apparently are a lot of our tourism is generated from,

(20:34):
like the money that we get, or people who want
to go to they want to go to, you know,
to the beach, they want to go to all those
restaurants and all those and a lot of those restaurants
in those places got absolutely utterly destroyed.

Speaker 5 (20:48):
Oh, Brandy, you know Brandy Wine.

Speaker 3 (20:52):
You guys are friends. You guys know each other.

Speaker 5 (20:54):
She is road said, does does you know if Port
Charlotte High School is still okay? I went there to
school there for a bit.

Speaker 7 (21:04):
For Yeah, Hi, Brandy, Yes, Port Charlotte High School is
it is okay? It's I think it's in Point of
Gorda uh or is this Charlotte High School?

Speaker 5 (21:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (21:15):
I think for Port Raygle High School. My son goes
to Port Tillo High School and they they the students
have gone back. But the high schools were being used
as an up until now, just just this Monday, the
high schools were being used as shelters for people who
didn't have a place to go from the from the storm.
So they had to clear that out, but there was
some significant damage on some of the other high schools.

Speaker 5 (21:37):
Well, I look, I obviously I feel bad for everybody
that has gone through that.

Speaker 6 (21:42):
That is a.

Speaker 5 (21:44):
I I lived in Tennessee for about twenty months, and
we dealt withalt with we dealt with a.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
Lot of tornado warnings, and then.

Speaker 7 (21:57):
You were like, that's it, yeah, very much.

Speaker 5 (22:00):
Is well, there's there's there's a few reasons why we moved,
but that was one of them.

Speaker 10 (22:04):
Is it was.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
It was just weird because.

Speaker 5 (22:08):
You know, you never know when when Mother Nature is
going to say, let's see what they can handle, and
then you're just you you realize how vulnerable you are,
you know, because as as much as.

Speaker 3 (22:24):
You feel safe in your in your cars and your.

Speaker 5 (22:26):
Houses, it's like it all like you were like, and
I'm so grateful that you're okay, but like you said,
you have neighbors whose houses were you know, decimated, and
it could have very easily than yours. Yeah, yeah, but
so true.

Speaker 7 (22:42):
And you know, and I remember, like, so the night
of the hurricane, my wife and I sat in our
lunch we hunkered down in the laundry room, and my
son and my mother in law hunkered down in the
guest bathroom because there was no there's no windows. They're inside,
they're they're like inside of the home structure kind of room.
So it was you know, those are the safest places

(23:03):
that we could be. But but we're by the garage.
Our our our area was by the garage, and you
could hear the roar of the wind trying to beat
down the door. And it was just and we had
to be like that for six hours. And so to
sit there, and and we had to go ham radio
that we that we that we could wind up and
play just to kind of, you know, keep on the

(23:25):
radio to hear there's any emergencies, any kind of thing
that the police had to tell us, like whatever. But
it was, it was, it was. It was absolutely terrifying,
and it's an experience I never want to have to
have again.

Speaker 5 (23:39):
Did did you ever think about like hopping in the
car and going to another area or did you always
decide you were gonna just kind of hunker down and
and kind of go with what was happening.

Speaker 7 (23:57):
Well, I have a new job now, and I work
for this city of Northport. So because of my job,
I'm considered an essential employee and we are technically aren't
allowed to leave because we're considered the first responders for
any forgetting the government back up and running as fast
as possible, and and just getting making sure that you know,
essential services don't completely like just fall down and people

(24:19):
can't communicate with the police or the fire department and
that kind of thing. So part of my job as
working for that city is I managed the it for
like the fire department north you know, the police department,
city Hall and things like that. So yeah, so you
why I couldn't go Yeah, yeah, wow.

Speaker 5 (24:40):
That yeah, I mean, that's hats off to you. I mean,
and I really mean that necessarily because uh, what the
you know, everything they were saying was that it was
going to be you know, the worst the worst storm
Florida scene, and it looks like it.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
Lived up to that.

Speaker 5 (25:00):
And to have been right and oh yeah, who do
we right in the center of that's just that's I'm
I really am grateful. Obviously, I'm sad for everybody who
did lose property and and died and you know, has
all of that to deal with in the next coming years.
But I'm really glad. I'm glad you're okay, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah.

(25:26):
So Michael is uh, aside from being a hurricane survivor,
I have right, Michael is an amazing singer. And for
those of you who who are in the in the

(25:46):
Florida area who have heard him. He's incredible. And I
would eventually like to hook up a link to some
of your music on this this uh uh this episode
so that people can hear you. And obviously when I

(26:06):
go to live where we're gonna do video very soon,
I'm gonna obviously bring you back in uh and maybe
have you sing for us and and work that out.

Speaker 3 (26:17):
But I wanted to kind of start at the beginning.

Speaker 7 (26:20):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
I can't imagine you never.

Speaker 5 (26:26):
Not singing, Like I feel like music is fine a
part of your life forever because you're just like you're
the type that just like breaks into a song. You're
like kind of like me, you just break into a
song as soon as it hits you in the head. Uh.
And So how how early on did music uh become

(26:47):
an important part in your life?

Speaker 7 (26:50):
I want to say as early as six years old.
I remember being wanting to be part of this children's
choir at church, and my grandmother was kind of against
it at first, and she finally let me do it,
and I just loved it, and I kind of like
it stuck with me, you know what I mean. I
was just it was something that I was thoroughly, and
I thoroughly enjoyed, and I was Honestly, I have to

(27:12):
say I was a tough kid. I was tough in
the sense that I was I was mousy, I was precocious,
I was curious about everything, and so music really helped
me stay centered and gave it kept my interest. I
wasn't add everywhere. It kept me focused, and so she

(27:34):
saw that and kind of kept me going with it.
So what did.

Speaker 5 (27:43):
What was it something that you were like, I really
enjoyed doing this, or hey, I think I might have
some skills, or.

Speaker 6 (27:52):
What was it?

Speaker 7 (27:53):
I didn't even that's that's that's so funny you say that,
because honestly, when I was younger, I didn't think I
was really that good. I just knew that I loved
what I heard and I wasn't. What's really funny, but
I think nobody really understood, was that I wasn't allowed
to listen to secular music. But I snucked. I would

(28:14):
sneak it, so I would. We had a radio in
the house, and I had a radio in my room,
and I'm going back to the days when you had
to take the tape player and record off the radio.
And so when my grandmother would be out shopping or whatever.
I would turn the radio part on and listen to
like Patti LaBelle and Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and all

(28:36):
those singers and Brian McKnight and Luther Vandress, and I
would record them on a tape player and then I
would take the tape out and then I would I
had like a little walkman, and so I would play
in my walk with so she didn't know out what
I was listening to in my walkman. And that's how
I kind of got away with listening to a lot
of the secular music. And then I got older, and

(28:56):
it was kind of like I went off and kind
of did my own thing. But I would imitate those sounds.
I would imitate those songs, and I would imitate the
way they would sing it, and I just I grew
to love that, that type of singing. And so that's
why I gravitate toward that even even now when I
when I listen to music, if I hear a singer
that sings like that, I just immediately A'm just like

(29:17):
blown away.

Speaker 5 (29:20):
Okay, all right, So I got a question for you.
What was his first performance in front of a crowd
that he remembers and did he know then that he
wanted to continue to perform?

Speaker 7 (29:35):
Okay, I can. I do remember it because it was
traumatizing for me, and it was ended up being a
good experience that I was the traumatized. The traumatis. The
traumatization for me was I was so terrified to sing
in front of people, because it's one thing to be
part of a group, it's another thing to be a soloist.

(29:55):
And so it was for third grade for miss missus
Chris's class, I'll never forget it, and she wanted to
do a talent show and I think it was like
the first one ever done at the school at that time.
And she said, everybody come up to the front and
do what you do best and then we're gonna pick
the people we want to do for the show. And

(30:15):
so a friend of mine in the class, my classmate,
said you need to go up there, and I was
like no, no, no, no no. And so he got
up and said, Miss Chris Michael can do a song.
And I was like, oh my god. So then I
got up there, and I mind you, it was third grade, right,
So I get up there and the only song I
knew at the time was reach Out in Touch by

(30:38):
Diana Ross. Reach Out somebody has that song, and so
that was the only one I knew, and she loved
it and she was like, oh my god, you have
to do that song. So then fast forward the day
of the show. My grandparents didn't know that I was
going to be part of this talent show. She they
just got the letter to come to an assembly. So

(31:02):
they show up to the assembly. I'm I'm, I'm coming
out of class. The teacher whisks me onto the stage
and she's like, okay, you're ready. I'm not ready for
what She's like, right, it's a show day, show day.
And I'm like, ah, by god, I start singing, and
I had no idea my grandparents are there. I start singing.
The lights are going down because the show is getting

(31:24):
ready to start, and I look and I see my
grandmother and I'm like, oh my god, my grandparents are here.

Speaker 3 (31:30):
Now.

Speaker 7 (31:30):
I'm literally my palms are sweating. I'm I'm, I'm profusely
sweating for my face. And my and my classmates were like,
don't worry, don't worry, calm down, and I'm over here hyperventilating,
like way you know, and the exhilaration of it though
at the end of all of that was like almost
like a drug for me, because it was like, Wow,

(31:53):
I do like this, this is this is something that
I think I would want to do, but I never
thought about it in a job sense back then. And
but as I grew older, I started just to look
at myself and say, am I an artist? Can I
be an artist? What would that? What does that look
like for me? And so that's that's something that a
conversation that I still struggle with to this day. I
still try to think of myself and say, what what

(32:15):
I look like? What what does that look like for me?
What does that mean? And that, But it helps me
understand who I want to be and what kind of
direction I want my music to go in. And it's
allowed me to take more direction and more control over
my sound, over my my my style, and that kind
of thing.

Speaker 5 (32:35):
That's a that's a really you know, that's a I
think anybody that there's you know, you're you kind of
know a lot of the same people that that I know,
and we are surrounded by ridiculous amounts of talent. And
it always amazes me though when and I'm trying to

(33:04):
figure out the nice way to say this without sounding
like a complete dick. But there's so many people that
believe that just because they're able to sing, they should
either a be entitled to step into quote a career

(33:28):
or feel like just because they sing.

Speaker 3 (33:31):
That there's no work to be done.

Speaker 5 (33:34):
And part of that work really is.

Speaker 3 (33:36):
And I'm connecting with you so much on that is.

Speaker 5 (33:41):
Finding out accepting who you are, what your limitations are,
what your strengths are, and then who you want to
be as an artist and what it is, what it
is that you want to bring, you know, because like
any good like any good singer or artists, we're inspired

(34:02):
by the works of other people, you know, and so uh,
you know, even within the group of friends that I have,
I'm inspired by so much talent.

Speaker 3 (34:15):
But there comes that moment when you have to look
and say, who is it that I want to be?
And there's a lot of people.

Speaker 5 (34:25):
That emulate themselves after somebody else, which doesn't allow them
to rise to be the best of them and right
I I you know, I and I struggle with that
myself for years and years because I hated.

Speaker 3 (34:46):
The way I sang. I still don't think I'm a
great singer.

Speaker 5 (34:50):
By by no stretch of the imagination do I think
I am a.

Speaker 3 (34:55):
I I You're so awesome.

Speaker 5 (34:57):
But I don't. I really don't, because I know where
I came from and what I wanted and what inspired me.
But I got to the point where I said, I've
got to try. I've got to stop trying to please
everybody by doing what I think they want to hear,

(35:18):
and just focus on who I am. And you know,
when when you realize there are people that hate Celine Dion,
or hate Whitney Houston, or hate you know what I'm saying,
then you're You're like, I'm in good company. I don't
have to be liked by everybody. They don't not everybody

(35:40):
asked to like what I do. But I've got to
be true to myself. I've got to be at so
I I mean, I just really connected with that, because
I think any good singer goes through that.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
What what can I bring? What can I bring to
the table that's me me that.

Speaker 5 (36:03):
I feel.

Speaker 3 (36:05):
I need to share. You know, and you know someone
And because I gotta.

Speaker 5 (36:10):
Say, for someone that sings as well as you do,
you're ridiculously humble.

Speaker 7 (36:19):
Oh you are.

Speaker 5 (36:22):
I mean, you can sing your face off, and its
like and the first time I ever heard you sing,
I reached out to you to help you in a
contest quite a few years ago, and you'd never done
it before. And let me tell you, I didn't get
to work with you but maybe an hour or two.

(36:45):
But then when I saw you on stage, my mind
was blown. And for someone that didn't had never participated
and competed like that, you ended up with.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
Like second place.

Speaker 7 (37:02):
Yeah, I mean like you just came out of nowhere.
But it's like, huh, who what?

Speaker 3 (37:08):
Who is this guy?

Speaker 5 (37:09):
And you and you opened your mouth and just like
ate that stage up and you I remember very vividly
in the scores you had the second highest score of
any of the performers that how seriously, you had the
second highest score, like yeah, And so.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
It was not a shock to me that you came
back the next year and won the whole thing.

Speaker 5 (37:39):
But but during that entire time, you never came across
as someone that felt like they deserved it, or they
were entitled, or.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
That you were special. You just came there with the
love of what you did.

Speaker 5 (38:04):
And that strikes me with every one of your performances
that I've seen, either live or the ones that you
share on video. You don't come across as this arrogant singer.
You come across as someone that knows their stuff, but
you're not entitled. It's just really it's really inspiring.

Speaker 7 (38:29):
Well thank you that really that that one was my heart.
Thank you so much for that. But yeah, I'm I'm
really honestly, I love music. I'm in love with music,
and I'm in love with any anyone or anything that's
connected to music in any genre, any shapeway or fashion.
And I feel like music, to me is something that

(38:50):
should be shared. It should be it should be admired,
it should be celebrated, it should be challenged, it should
be pushed to be as creative and as expressive as
it can be, as passionate as it needs to be.
I don't want to I don't ever want to limit
myself because of myself, Like I don't want to limit

(39:12):
what I could have experienced just because of my attitude
or because I, you know, didn't like a person or
didn't like a situation. I try my best. I'm I'm
I'm human and I have flaws, but I try, I try,
I try, my best, to to do the to do
the best I can, and and even when I fall down,

(39:32):
I'm not afraid to say, you know what, that was
my bad. You know, I messed that up, and I
look I missed out on that chance. But yeah, I'm I'm, I'm,
I'm really I'm blown away that that really made my day.
Thank you so much for that.

Speaker 5 (39:46):
No, it really, it really is true, because you know,
it's a gift. You know, some people, some people are
born into it, like they just open their mouths at
a young age and you go wow, you know. And
then there are people there you know that that there
are people that have worked their life for it, you know,
and spent years going to school and learning and honing

(40:10):
their craft. And but at the end of the day,
it's still it's still more of a gift and a
blessing that you have than something that is worth getting
arrogant and cocky about it. I guess is the thing is,

(40:30):
you know, because I try to stay as humble as possible, uh,
because I realize that in the scheme of things, I'm
just an entertainer. I'm just a singer, and there are
people that are that are trailblazing in so many areas
that of of importance that I'm grateful for what I

(40:54):
do and I wouldn't trade it. But there's no reason
to be arrogant about it because it's the end of
the day. It's a gift to get that can be
taken away as the drop of a hat. Absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So what does Michael White want to do with his music?
I mean, you have you do? You do variety of shows? Uh,

(41:19):
give give us, tell us, tell us about some of
the shows that you do now, uh in the in
the area that you're at.

Speaker 7 (41:30):
While I was doing I just finished doing wrapping up
a monthly drag show, which was a live singing drag
queen's kind of variety extravaganza that I did once a month.

Speaker 9 (41:43):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (41:44):
And now I'm I am just focusing on I had
to stop back so I could focus on the music
again because it was I was finding myself. So doing
the shows, what I found was I was getting involved
in a lot of areas that I didn't need to
be involved in. Like I was getting involved in like
the lighting, who's gonna who's gonna be the servers, the staff,

(42:04):
the bartenders, the you know, the lighting persons, the stage director,
like I had to hire everybody and had to run
the whole thing, and it became to be overwhelming. And
now I'm not focusing on what it is I love
to do, which was music. So I took I took
a step back from all that to say, Okay, you
know what, it's time to get back to the music.
And that's what I'm working on now. What I'm working

(42:25):
on now is I also I was doing. I was
hosting karaoke shows simultaneously during you know, during the week,
so and and then I'm going to school full time.
So so tying all of that together with your day
job thirty hours a week, ever, it's a lot. Yeah,
exactly like sleep with your dad, sleeping your dad, you know.

(42:48):
But so so that's what I do. That's what I
was doing. So now I just I just finished getting
some some music together. I'm working with a friend of
mine who's now she's currently living I believe I think
she's in Calli in Kelly now, but because she's heading
back over Florida. She's a dear friend of mine that
I've worked with for a long time. She's a penist

(43:10):
and she's a great songwriter, and I and I really
vibe with her, and our songwriting styles are very similar.
And I might say she's an amazing keyboarders. She's an
amazing keyboardist. So that's Patty Patty Adams. So I'm gonna
work with her on some stuff and hopefully get this
this album together. And I'm working with a friend of mine.

(43:31):
I think you know him too, Tom Tom and Heyne
on some stuff. I got two songs with me. Yeah,
So where I'm working with a bunch of bunch of
different people to get this compilated album together to be
able to start putting it out because the stuff I'm
working on is really, really, really sensational, and I think
it deserves to be heard. I don't care if it
makes any money, but this needs to be heard.

Speaker 3 (43:55):
Do do you Do you like the songwriting process and
what is it?

Speaker 7 (43:58):
What is it like for you?

Speaker 2 (44:01):
So?

Speaker 7 (44:02):
Yes, I mean, but songwriting for me, it's it's never
a sure thing, right So for me songwriting, I can
be inspired one day and then the next day I'm
just like burnt out. Or I can be inspired one
day and then I'm inspired for three songs, or that
day I just have that one song in me. It

(44:24):
just depends and in the variation for me is exhausting
because I don't know what what that day I will
wake up, what what, what's gonna come out or what
I'm gonna be inspired by. And but when it happens,
it's magical. And that's the part I love. It's getting
to that magic. And every songwriter go ahead, no.

Speaker 3 (44:45):
No, no, go ahead, every song every songwriter.

Speaker 7 (44:47):
What every songwriter knows what I'm talking about. That magic
is just it's just when the song basically like tumbles
out of you and the lyrics just tumble out of you,
and it's just like, oh, this is what I've been
trying to say for the longest time. I didn't realize
this is what I wanted to say. Or sometimes for me,
the music can dictate to me what it wants me

(45:09):
to say. I know that sounds weird, but like it'll
it'll give me a vibe and then I'll ride that
kind of wave, that wavelength in a way and I'll
be like, Okay, this this is a chill vibe. This
is it it's giving it's giving me. We're in a
lounge and I'm looking over and that's why I started
designing this whole this whole music video in my head,

(45:31):
and sometimes that'll that'll initiate the kind of writing process
for me or you know, and then there's other times
where the writing comes first.

Speaker 5 (45:39):
So it all depends what kind of what what lane
of music do you write? And do you write where
there certain style in your head, you know?

Speaker 7 (45:50):
Or is it.

Speaker 5 (45:53):
That's a good question.

Speaker 7 (45:54):
I don't really, I don't know, like I don't really
have a style for say, I would say large part
of it is I write. I write to the music.
The music tends to mostly be not the new R

(46:14):
and B stuff. I'm not really a fan of it,
no shade, I'm just not. But I'm really afraid I'm
a fan of the old R and B, the neo soul.
I love the neo soul stuff like the India Aris
the music so child, that's my kind of vibe, you know.
I'm that kind of I'm a nineties kid, so I'm

(46:34):
really with the swvs I grew up around. That was
kind of the music I grew up around. And so
my my my writing sometimes can be a little dated,
you know what I'm saying, Or maybe the melody lines
I pick in my head are kind of like a
little you know, nineties vibe. But but what what's dope

(46:57):
about music is a lot of it is cyclical, where
there's a lot that kind of comes back around. So
I feel like the music landscape right now is like
the music landscape is starting to and thanks to Brutal Mars,
a lot of it's kind of coming back around again,
where a lot of the nineties you know, instruments and
sounds are coming back in style with you know, with

(47:18):
with his leader door leave it or open or leave
they leave the Yeah, leave it or open or whatever.
Song that kind of gave me that vibe, that nineties vibe,
which I think a lot of people were craving because
music was starting to just kind of all sound manufactured
the same. And the beautiful part about it is everybody
should have a have a fingerprint. They should have a
musical fingerprint, and you I should be able to go,

(47:42):
you know what that's Michael kay Go. I can tell
immediately before he even sings, by the way that music
that song came on, that's asked Michael Kaygo song, you
know you know, you know what I mean?

Speaker 5 (47:51):
M hm.

Speaker 7 (47:52):
And And that's and that's the vibe I want to
I want to kind of I want to and I'm
excited to hear.

Speaker 5 (48:00):
It because thank you. Yeah, I mean because I I
know that, you know, I know that as an artist,
you're you're. You don't normally saying even you know, obviously
doing covers you for the most part, when I've seen you, you.

Speaker 3 (48:23):
You definitely make the song your own.

Speaker 5 (48:26):
Where there's a lot of there's a lot of Michael whiteisms,
there's a lot of yeah, there's you know, and that's
cool because it's you know, I always look at I
always look at things like runs and stylization as if
it's authentic and it comes from a place where this

(48:50):
is just who this person is. I really like it.

Speaker 12 (48:54):
If someone does runs just to do runs, or stylizes
just a style, I don't necessarily like it because it
doesn't I'm always about authenticity and realness for someone.

Speaker 5 (49:08):
And like when you're singing that just is who you are.
You know, it's it's it's it's kind of cool because
you know, I've seen you do it with songs. I
would never have ever expected that that too way, and
it works, you know when you're saying this is the moment,

(49:30):
which is you know, pretty much the straightforward Broadway showstopper
kind of you know, straightforward, and when you say it,
I'm like, Wow, I don't know how this is going
to go because I know who you are as an
artist and you made the shit work really well. Like

(49:52):
I was like, in the world did he just do?
And why do I love it?

Speaker 7 (50:01):
It's your album?

Speaker 3 (50:03):
But it's true. I'm just like what, how does that?

Speaker 5 (50:06):
But it's because it's it's kind of who you are
and and because of that, people migrate at the end
of the day, people migrate to passion and authenticity more
than anything else. And it's like, that is I think

(50:29):
something that you bring in spades because I'm I. I
have three songs coming out this this holiday season that
I worked on and I kind of let some people
hear my take on Oh Holy Night, which is something
that I've always wanted to sing like forever and be

(50:50):
able to actually go in and and we did a
weird thing. I we did my vocal first before the
track was built, because I said, I don't want to
be I don't want to be handcuffed to a track.
I want the track to be built around me so
that I'm always singing what I want to sing. So

(51:10):
I did a rough you know, I literally did a
rough take of this is where I'm going to go
with the song and everything, and then the track was built.
But because it's just something that's so important to me
and I was so relaxed, the biggest I don't want
to say complaints because they were complaints, but people were shocked.

(51:31):
They were like, you stylized it so much at the
beginning and we weren't expecting that. And to me, I
never thought of it as being stylized because I was
so comfortable doing what I wanted to do with the
song and what was natural that I was like, I

(51:52):
don't know what you're I don't know what you're talking
I literally said that I don't know what you're talking about.

Speaker 3 (51:57):
I don't know what that means.

Speaker 5 (52:00):
Because they're like, they're like, well, you know, everybody goes, oh,
holy nice, you know, and I'm like, you know, I
think that's what I did, and they're like, no, go
play it and I and then it was like, oh,
holy nice, and they're like that well embellishment, and I'm like,

(52:21):
that's me, you know. That wasn't me trying to stylize it.
That's just I literally sang that song in that moment,
and that's what I get from you. Uh. Something that
I really respect and appreciate about you is I don't
think of you as a singer.

Speaker 3 (52:42):
Or even a good vocals. I think of you as
an artist.

Speaker 5 (52:47):
Because you you have a you do have a thumbprint
and a a signature that is really uniquely yours, and that,
to me is really exciting. I'm really excited to see
where your project goes because of that. If you know,

(53:10):
how do you take take that and put it onto
something that's new and in you know, enhance your brand,
right right?

Speaker 7 (53:22):
So yeah, I'm excited for it.

Speaker 3 (53:25):
Did you are you?

Speaker 5 (53:26):
Do you have any desire to do drag anymore?

Speaker 7 (53:30):
I do? I mean it's it's a lot of it's
a lot of work, as you know.

Speaker 3 (53:35):
Uh, I've never done it.

Speaker 7 (53:38):
No, no, no, I don't mean like you personally know,
but like, yeah, but I know that people like.

Speaker 5 (53:46):
Man, it takes me three hours to do my face and.

Speaker 7 (53:50):
I'm like, oh, yeah, I mean it does you know. Thankfully,
I've gotten to the point where I can be I
can beat a good mug and like for five minutes
and it's getting I'll be I'll be I'll be ready
an hour, hour and a half, I can be ready.
But but I think, you know, drag is something that

(54:15):
has to be fun. If it's not fun, then why
we're doing it? Because dragon's self expression. So drag, dragon
is supposed to be how you feel and how you
what what what you know? What persona you want to
give on any given day, and it should be real
for you and it should be fun for you. And
if it's not being fun, it's not being real, then
what are you doing? That's how I look at it.

(54:37):
And I come from the old school to drag, so
I I appreciate all kinds of drag, But for me,
if I'm going to get up in it, you know,
get up in guiche, I want to make sure that
I have a fun time with it. I'm not just
doing it for a check. I'm not just doing it
to just do it. I'm doing it because it empowers

(54:57):
me for that moment, it makes me feel stronger than
I I've ever felt before. And if it's not doing
that for me, then it doesn't serve me any purpose.

Speaker 5 (55:05):
So good, So follow up question to that, do you
feel like you can do you feel like you can
get away with more. Now your car, your drag was
Bianca or Blanca?

Speaker 7 (55:22):
Bianca?

Speaker 5 (55:23):
Bianca?

Speaker 7 (55:24):
Do you feel like you do?

Speaker 5 (55:27):
You feel like that character allows you to get away
with some things attitude wise that you wouldn't necessarily do
if you weren't Bianca.

Speaker 7 (55:43):
Well, you know, yes and no, I mean yes a
little bit. In a sense. For me, Bianca is not
She's sassy, but she's not that much more sassier than Michael.
She's a lot more flirtatious than Michael, like because very
flirtatious beyondcause you know, very you know, social butterfly, very

(56:04):
flirtatious is a you know, sexaholic, but you know, with
without without the sects. She she's that kind of girl.
And so yes, in a sense it does allow me
to be more less inhibited in kind of how I
approach people. I'm not afraid, as Beyonca to walk up

(56:27):
to somebody and be like, oh my god, I love
your blah blah blah blah, you know whatever. Fill in
the blank. But is it is its a is it
a huge departure from myself Michael as a social butterfly?
And you know, I love to party, I love to
hang out, and that kind of stuff. No, not not
so much. But it does empower me and does give me.

(56:49):
It does allow me to just be more authentic of myself,
I guess in a sense, and just that care, you know,
and just not care like do whatever, and just have
fun as long as I'm not hurt anybody, I'm just
having fun. Then I think this is what there's something
nothing wrong with it.

Speaker 5 (57:04):
What about artistically and vocally does does beyond gonna sing
songs that are different than what Michael would sing?

Speaker 7 (57:19):
I think, And this is the thing, this is something
I've been struggling with. That's a good question. I I
don't sing differently. I just sing as myself, but the
song choices are different, so I don't I don't know
where that comes from for me, and I have yet
to explore that. And that's and I've had conversations with
friends and and castmates about that because I always struggle with, well,

(57:41):
what am I going to say at the next show, like,
you know, because every show it's like you don't want
to do the same thing, and it's just someone like
every dractqueen doesn't want to wear the same outfit, you know,
back to back. We give it a couple of months
and wear it again. But for music, it's like and
then and my friends and my friends all always say,
just sing any song that is, you don't have to
just sing girl phones. And for some reason, I'm always

(58:03):
drawn to just doing a song sung by a female,
even though I'm not singing in a female voice when
I'm when I'm when I'm Bianca. And so I don't
know why that is.

Speaker 3 (58:17):
Well maybe I don't know.

Speaker 5 (58:18):
It could be that, like I said, Michael White is
a very good showman, but Michael White doesn't have a
big ego on stage, if that makes any sense.

Speaker 3 (58:32):
Where maybe I think Leanca can be Biana can be
be more of a diva, I guess.

Speaker 5 (58:38):
And it's more you know what I'm saying. Maybe it's yeah, yeah, yeah,
because you know the song, the songs that I've seen
you've done.

Speaker 3 (58:49):
Can you can you give him a sing?

Speaker 5 (58:51):
Oh yeah, I was gonna have him. A couple of
questions have come in for you, Uh is like a
job or just your passion? And who or what is
your biggest musical influence.

Speaker 7 (59:06):
Music is my passion that I want to be. I
want it to be something I can make money from
to support my family. But when you say something's a
job for me, it becomes like my you know, like
my grandmother used to always say to me, you should
find something in life that as long as you do it,

(59:27):
it's never worked. And that's how I want to look
at music. I want to look at music as something
that I can do for the rest of my life
that will never feel like work to me. And what
I'm trying to do is I'm trying to transition that
into I want to do I want to do music
for the rest of my life and make money doing it,
and then and and it also not feels just like work.

(59:48):
And now, as with anything, you got to work at
it to make it work. But I don't want it
to become a job. You know what I mean?

Speaker 5 (59:57):
Yeah, no, I do, you know, because I would say
the only time that I've ever felt like what I
was doing wasn't There wasn't aspects of it being a
job is when I was either touring or when I
was living in Vegas and doing you know, the showrooms

(01:00:19):
in the afternoons and evenings.

Speaker 3 (01:00:21):
It never felt like a job.

Speaker 5 (01:00:23):
Like never I woke up, I was excited, this is
what and it was because it was an extension of
who I was.

Speaker 7 (01:00:32):
So I because I was going to sing during.

Speaker 5 (01:00:35):
The day, regardless, you know, whether it was in my
living room or my studio, I was going to sing.
And if it's gonna be in front of eight hundred people,
then that's even better. So it never felt like it
never felt like it never felt like even a career,
except it sounded successful to say that, you know, well,

(01:00:57):
my career is I you know, But but it never.

Speaker 3 (01:01:01):
Felt like I was ever doing a job.

Speaker 5 (01:01:06):
And I think it's just because it's so much of
an extension of, honestly, of who we are. Because you're,
like I said, you're the time of person. I literally
see driving down the street and breaking into song, or
if you're at the supermarket, like a song pops in
your head, you just no, yeah, and you just do it,

(01:01:29):
you know.

Speaker 3 (01:01:30):
You you just do your thing, which is what I do.

Speaker 10 (01:01:33):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:01:33):
And it drives it drives my husband crazy because we'll
be like driving down the street and a song will
come on the radio and like, you know, I have
some big lungs at times, and yeah, he you know,
he gets so embarrassed, like he'll start rolling up the
windows and I'm like, what are you doing? And he's like, oh, well,

(01:01:55):
you know, it's kind of getting cold.

Speaker 3 (01:01:56):
But it's because he's.

Speaker 5 (01:01:57):
Like he's like, yeah, I'm like, no, you know, this
is who I am, and you know what, it might
make somebody. It might make somebody smile because I'm I'm
enjoying the song and you know what, somebody who might
look over and go, wow, that person is just like so,

(01:02:18):
you know, but I so if I feel like singing,
that's one thing you got to get used to hanging
around with me, because it don't matter if something buffs
on the radio in a mo or olive garden or
oh yeah, I'm thinking of that shit and I'm having
a good time with it, and you just have to

(01:02:39):
get used to it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:40):
That's that's who That's kind of.

Speaker 5 (01:02:41):
Who I am. You strike me the same way I
like you. Yeah, I really really honestly believe that, Like,
because music is so I think of I think of
music synonymously with your name.

Speaker 3 (01:02:58):
I really do.

Speaker 7 (01:02:59):
Oh wow, I really do.

Speaker 5 (01:03:01):
Like there are certain people that you know, there are
certain things that I associate with him, and to me,
music is like who you are. Like I can almost
imagine you, you know, breaking into a cadenza in the
middle of your sleep.

Speaker 7 (01:03:21):
All I couldn't tell you because I'm asleep, but.

Speaker 5 (01:03:24):
Maybe you've got so you've got new music coming, so
you got Do you have an estimated time of when
you're hoping to release some of your your new music.

Speaker 7 (01:03:39):
It's gonna definitely be after the New year, But I
don't have an sate time because I'm trying to get
my friend over here across country by next month. So
we're gonna be working on some stuff then, and I
don't know how much we'll get done depending on that.
So there's a lot of things, a lot of moving
pieces and parts, and then depending on how fast those
things go, that will determine when the albums come out.

(01:04:00):
So just pray for me.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
Of course.

Speaker 5 (01:04:08):
Now we have something in common, We have a lot
in common. Like that's the funny thing about it is
we literally have so much in common. One of the
common things that we had and I don't know, we
don't have to get super in depth in about it,
but we both had experience with America's Got talent.

Speaker 7 (01:04:32):
Yes, that was amazing, okay, So the experience was good
for you, Yes for me, it was amazing, Okay. I
I got the call to go. I went through months,

(01:04:53):
a couple of months of back and forth and getting
my stuff together for them, and they flew me out
and I performed on stage for Simon and Heidi and
Sophia Viagara and Howie Mandel and and it was scary
because the first when I initially went out, I had

(01:05:15):
him the white suit on that I had in Tokyo.
And in the middle of the song, Simon stopped the
music and I'm like, how about that. In my head,
I'm screaming, I'm like, oh God, no, oh God, not me, please,
like they don't embarrass me, just tell me, no one
let me walk off the stage. But he stopped the
music and said to me, do you know any other music?
He goes, you know what a matter of fact, I

(01:05:36):
think we want to put you. I want to put
you with a different song. He goes, I'm really interested
to hear you, but I want you to get rid
of that suit. And I said, okay. He goes, it's
just come back in some jeans and a shirt, and
I said okay. So they whisked me downstairs to the
producers down below, and then they're they're just throwing this
cheet of paper in front of me with like this

(01:05:57):
long list of songs like what do you know? What
do you know? Blah blah, bah blah. And then all
of a sudden, I'm getting ready to pick a song
and one of the pas comes down and he's like,
Simon wants Michael to sing Whitney Houston.

Speaker 5 (01:06:10):
What is it?

Speaker 7 (01:06:11):
Not run to you? But the other one not running anywhere?
What's the other one?

Speaker 6 (01:06:17):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (01:06:17):
I have nothing?

Speaker 5 (01:06:18):
From Bodyguard?

Speaker 7 (01:06:19):
I have nothing? So I said, are you serious? Oh
my god. Right, So now I'm terrified because I'm like, Okay,
I know the song, but really that okay? So immediately
the band gets together and they're like, okay, let's let's
grab you up, let's go. So that were they're working
through the music with me. They're trying to work out
we're finding the keys, YadA YadA, YadA, boom, we find it.

(01:06:41):
I have to wait another nine hours, I think, or
ten hours it was until the last to go on last,
because you know, they had to keep going with the show.
They had to keep airing this, they had to keep
taking the show. So I'm practicing, and I'm practicing, and
the practicing with my headphones on and my little phone
and I go up on stage in my jeans and
he's like, ah much backtime much battap and I'm like, okay, thanks.

(01:07:06):
So then boom he goes. I want he goes, I
want you all to understand because you're a new crowd
that just came in. He has he only only had
a few hours to practice this song. Blah blah blah blah,
and off we go. So then the song goes, I
get into it. The crowd stands up mid song, I
almost are crying and I'm like, oh my god, Oh

(01:07:27):
my god. And then I finished this song and then
all four judges stand up and I'm literally almost the
tears and I'm like, no, here, ain't gonna catch me crying.
And I I finished the song and they sit down
and they're like, wow, that was amazing blah blah blah blah,
and Simon goes, I'm gonna remember you, and I'm like, oh,

(01:07:50):
thank you, thank you so much. Said that was incredible,
that was an incredible experience. I will I will always
cherish that moment for the rest of my life.

Speaker 3 (01:08:01):
That's awesome.

Speaker 5 (01:08:02):
I I got to tell you, that's all. My experience
was not as good.

Speaker 7 (01:08:09):
Oh no, oh no.

Speaker 5 (01:08:12):
I went through everything. I went through everything. I went
through literally five rounds of auditions. They sent me my
music release, my music release forms, the order I wanted
to do the songs, they confirmed my flight, sent me

(01:08:35):
my tickets. Uh, and literally on the day I was
to fly out to film, they called me and asked
if I would wait another year because they had had
three years of male singers that won in a row

(01:08:55):
and they didn't want to make They wanted to focus
on what they considered variety acts, and so they said,
they said, we don't control anything after you get in
front of the judges, so we want to know if
you would wait a year and just and we'll bring

(01:09:19):
you back. And of course my immediate response was, well,
I don't really care if I advance on the show
or not. I would just love the opportunity to perform
in front of the judges, and whatever happens happens. And
I said, whether I go on, whether I make it

(01:09:39):
or not. And they literally said to me, we have
to be honest with you. We know that if you
went in front of them, you would advance. You would advance. Yep,
they said, there's no doubt in my mind that if
you went in front of them, you would advance, and
we just you don't want to have.

Speaker 10 (01:10:03):
This.

Speaker 3 (01:10:03):
This is a blunt on its true.

Speaker 5 (01:10:04):
So I was there with plane tickets and reservations and
they waited till the day of to let me know.

Speaker 7 (01:10:14):
Wow, so that you know, so it They sent me
an email the next.

Speaker 3 (01:10:19):
Year and and I just said, I can't.

Speaker 5 (01:10:22):
I don't trust you. I don't want to put myself
through that again because it I you know, like I said,
I I don't. I it's not that I think I'm
a great singer. I feel like I know what I'm
doing on stage because I've got a lot of theater
experience and I've and I've been blessed to have been

(01:10:44):
able to perform in front of, uh, you know a
lot of people and do that. But I don't think
I'm a phenomenal singer. And to have to be crushed again,
I don't think I could have taken it, because I was.
I was devastated for like months, like I will, oh yeah,

(01:11:06):
it wiped me out well because I just I was
so close, you know, to something that I had wanted
to do so bad and I had beat I literally
had felt like I beat the odds and then to
be told I couldn't do it because they knew that
I would advance and they didn't want that to happen
this year. What I was just like, I couldn't grasp that,

(01:11:30):
you know.

Speaker 3 (01:11:31):
So yeah, it's.

Speaker 5 (01:11:34):
It's to show me is reous. You know what The
second thing is, you know, and you know it as
well as anybody. Yeah, it's all about perseverance and resilience.
You know. Sometimes you know, not everything you do is

(01:11:58):
going to be and you have to accept that and
not everybody is gonna like what you do. And that's
okay as well as long as you're doing what is
honest to you and you're continuing to try to get better,
you know. And I just I see that with you

(01:12:19):
because you know, uh, we, like I said, we met
and yeah, I won't get involved in a lot into
a lot of it, but you know we met through
a vocal competition that you kicked, got at.

Speaker 3 (01:12:35):
You really did, uh. I mean you literally came in
and within two years you you did everything.

Speaker 7 (01:12:42):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:12:42):
And there are people that you're fighting ten.

Speaker 3 (01:12:45):
Years later, you know.

Speaker 5 (01:12:47):
And I just because contents are a tough situation. You
have to have a really you have to have a
really thick skin and understand that not not every is
based on talent. You know, it's based on its baste
and the moment and the audience reaction. And if you

(01:13:10):
know the judges, you know are in a good mood.

Speaker 3 (01:13:13):
You know, there's so much that goes into that.

Speaker 5 (01:13:16):
And you just kept this. Really I watched you, especially
the year that you won that you just stayed focused
on the music.

Speaker 7 (01:13:29):
Like, yeah, that was I have to I have to
give a credit. I didn't mean to cut you off,
but I just got to give credit with credit due.
Miriam Kim was the sole person for me that took
my add self and was like, look, you know you've
got the chops, but you don't have is a focus

(01:13:51):
and you don't have the polished Let me just polish
this up for you and and go. And so we
sat and we worked week after week after week after
week after week for months and months and months leading
up to the contest, and then when the competition time came.
That's why for me it was easy to focus because
she had ingrained in me this this this momentum of

(01:14:12):
this is first, this is next, this is next, move
on to the next thing. This is what you're gonna
do you know, and you're be comfortable in where you're
gonna move, know what's gonna happen next. Don't try to
wing it because my you know, my whole life and
you know this as fingers. Sometimes we just get up
on stage and just do whatever comes natural. But as
a performer, you have to rehearse those things and anything

(01:14:34):
that happens additionally to that is you know, it is
icing on the cake. But you have to have that
foundational stuff. And so for me, I didn't have the
foundational stuff before I met her, and what happened was
she was able to give me all of the the
nuts and boats I needed to really push for it.
So I just take my hat off to her that
that really I love her to death and that for

(01:14:55):
that I would whatever be grateful.

Speaker 5 (01:14:58):
Yeah, it was, it was, It was really, it was
really really good to see because I that was one
thing that I did feel was so you know, what
was so awesome about you as a performer was not
only were you know, your runs and and and embellishments

(01:15:25):
natural feeling, a lot of your moves felt real as well,
like they didn't look like they didn't look like choreography.
You know, they looked like they looked like this is
this is done with a purpose, or this is felt
in the moment. And I really really respected that because

(01:15:49):
I I'm kind of weird that way. Is I have
a concept in my head of what I want to accomplish.
I because of my theater background, and I always approach
a song as a monologue. No matter what song it is,
making me last Dance or it can be bring him Home,

(01:16:10):
you know, it doesn't matter to me. I always treat
I always treat a song like a monologue. And so
therefore I'm like, what is the purpose of singing the song?
If I was on stage as a character, why am
I singing last last Dance? And so I don't try
to do things that are just quote fun, because then

(01:16:32):
I have a hard time figuring out I would have
to do a song saying this person is doing the song,
that's fun because he wants the audience to clap, and
so the purpose is to engage the audience. And that's
the kind of how I like I did my do
my approach on singing is because it would be hard.

(01:16:52):
I would be terrified to learn too much choreography in
my singing. It's kind of like why I play piano.
I play piano, but I don't when I perform. I
did in church, I mean not because I when I
lead worship and stuff, I bang the crap out of
those pianos. But I don't when I perform because I'm

(01:17:17):
so enrapped or captured by what I'm trying to do
vocally with the song.

Speaker 3 (01:17:24):
I don't. I would never be able to go, oh God,
I'm supposed to walk, I'm supposed.

Speaker 5 (01:17:28):
To walk over here.

Speaker 3 (01:17:29):
I just I'm one of those I actually is instinctual.

Speaker 7 (01:17:39):
No, yeah, I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:17:41):
Yeah, it just it was. But you are, I mean,
you are definitely someone.

Speaker 5 (01:17:48):
That I really encourage everyone to to check out, uh
because your music is great, your performances are great. But
you're always you know, you're real. I mean, you always
try to stay positive. That's one thing about you that
I that I really appreciate is you don't you know,

(01:18:10):
you don't get mixed up in a lot of the
the mere and the ship and that floats around and
and a lot of people get drawn into the drama,
which I think really impacts their their artistry eventually. But yeah,
you're always so you're always so positive and always so uplifting.

(01:18:33):
But you're real as well, like you're not afraid to
call shit out and say no, I'm gonna I'm gonna
end it right here by, you know. And I really,
you know, I really appreciate that because you need to,
especially in the business that we're going into. Yes you

(01:18:54):
have to have a thick skin, and yes you have
to be workable. And it's it's not about you know,
seeing how many bridges you can barn, But there's nothing
wrong with being honest and upfront and real and establishing
your boundaries. You know, this is this is what's This

(01:19:15):
is not what's acceptable.

Speaker 7 (01:19:17):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:19:17):
I I may be I may be performing I'm you
may see me like this, you may see me like
but this is the areas that are not that.

Speaker 3 (01:19:26):
That are my boundaries. And I won't cross them for you.

Speaker 5 (01:19:31):
Don't cross them for me, right, And I really like
that about you, you know, because I think everybody that
gets to know you and gets in your sphere of
you know, a circle of influence, knows that about you
is that you know, you do keep things real and
but you're still you still find a way at the

(01:19:54):
end of the day, which I can't do, but you
still find at the end of the day to make
it uplifting, you know. And sometimes I'm more like God zillah,
and if you get me to a certain then it's.

Speaker 7 (01:20:11):
Just burn all down, burn it all down. Yeah. And
I went through a really dark part of life many
many years ago, and I told myself, if I ever
come out of that, I will never do I will
never allow myself to get down there again. And recently,

(01:20:31):
you know, a few months back, I kind of was
starting to let myself go there and again, and I
was like no, and I had to. I literally had
to stop and just step back from everyone and everything,
even my wife, and just kind of step back and go,
wait a minute, I need a moment to recenter and
get myself back together because I was starting to get

(01:20:52):
too wrapped up in he said, she said, and the
baa baas, And I was, no, no, no, no, that's
not that's not me. That's not what I'm I'm about anymore.
And you know, you hear all the horror stories about
how amazing talents and amazing singers who allow themselves to
get caught up in the mundaneus of people's opinions, people's thoughts,

(01:21:19):
people's feelings about other things that have nothing to do
with you or your talent. And I didn't want to
be one of those, and I felt bad about that,
and I was like, you know what, maybe I just
need to take a step back from everything that I'm doing,
because what's happening is I'm beginning to allow those things
to distract me from the goal. And this is not
the goal, so he said, she said, stuff is not

(01:21:40):
the goal. But whatever I thought I wanted that wasn't
the goal, you know. So it's helped me a lot.
And so thank you for at least seeing that I'm
trying to stay positive, because a lot of them don't
think just because I'm positive, things ain't happened to me.
It's just things I don't look like what I've been through,
as they say.

Speaker 5 (01:22:01):
Well, and I want to touch base really quick because
you made a quick mention. Your wife is amazing. Uh,
thank you. She's a sweetheart. She's one million percent behind
your success, and she's just such a support. Like when

(01:22:23):
you're when you're gigging and you're doing whatever shows that
you do, she's either at them or she's promoting them
or and you can just tell that there's so much
strength and and and support coming from her.

Speaker 3 (01:22:42):
Uh, and that's got to be a you know.

Speaker 5 (01:22:45):
This is the road to success in show business is
never a one person job.

Speaker 3 (01:22:53):
It's it's multiple people.

Speaker 5 (01:22:55):
It's it's you, but then it's your support staff, it's you,
or it's your spouse, it's your you know, your family, Uh,
it's your adopted family that are the ones that actually
are so instrumental in helping you achieve your goals because

(01:23:16):
this kind of business will spit you out. There are
more rejections and we're sorry, not right now than there
are congratulations and we welcome you. And without having without
having that core of support of friends and family and spouse,

(01:23:38):
and I have to every time I've met your wife,
I've absolutely loved I loved her because not only was
she just sweet and kind, but you could just see
the amount of belief and support.

Speaker 7 (01:23:51):
She has in you in her eyes.

Speaker 8 (01:23:59):
She love me.

Speaker 3 (01:24:01):
Yes, all right, So I want you.

Speaker 5 (01:24:04):
I'm gonna put your ass on the spot. I know
we don't have a lot of music or anything, but
that's okay because you're an artist and I would love
for you to do something a cappella for me.

Speaker 7 (01:24:19):
Oh, my god, I'm gonna stab deck. You know what?
What do you like that I'm stabbing your neck? Later?
All right, I'm an beat you. Oh my god. Okay,
what do you want?

Speaker 10 (01:24:33):
What like?

Speaker 7 (01:24:34):
What do you want to hear?

Speaker 3 (01:24:34):
Anything? Look? Look anything you feel like?

Speaker 6 (01:24:38):
What?

Speaker 3 (01:24:39):
Whatever?

Speaker 5 (01:24:39):
Whatever, whatever you're feeling at this moment, just just give
us a great taste of this voice, ladies, in this
voice is amazing. So were you there?

Speaker 7 (01:24:53):
You?

Speaker 3 (01:24:54):
You better not fail?

Speaker 7 (01:24:57):
No pressure.

Speaker 2 (01:25:01):
God?

Speaker 7 (01:25:02):
All right, well, how about something inspirational? Let me see.

Speaker 5 (01:25:11):
Chatter.

Speaker 8 (01:25:15):
But I'm not bron care.

Speaker 7 (01:25:19):
Ooon dead, but time will hear heavy the load, the cross, A.

Speaker 1 (01:25:33):
Lonely the road I tried a dead.

Speaker 7 (01:25:41):
Yet deal.

Speaker 1 (01:25:44):
Proud never to give, they have a.

Speaker 7 (01:25:52):
Too give in against all lode. You're still.

Speaker 8 (01:26:00):
B I above the cloud.

Speaker 7 (01:26:06):
At times I feel low, You're still owd prise above
all my problems, above all my eyes can see now
when God is able to send on me to strengthen me.

Speaker 8 (01:26:32):
Still round, never a two gable.

Speaker 7 (01:26:40):
All, never two giving in against.

Speaker 8 (01:26:43):
All, Yet still.

Speaker 7 (01:26:53):
High at times, Yet still I need to know which
way to go. Yet still times off.

Speaker 8 (01:27:17):
Yet still oh.

Speaker 5 (01:27:32):
My god, you need to bubble those notes up and
sell them. So not bring them up or you put
that bubble or put it into a bubble.

Speaker 3 (01:27:44):
Bass so people can just relax.

Speaker 8 (01:27:47):
You betta, go hand now.

Speaker 5 (01:27:52):
Those runs that you you got it, And I thank
you for being such a good trooper, putting you on
the spotlight that man. If anybody can pull off and
acapella that slick and that clean it, it's gonna be you.
Oh that was really nice.

Speaker 3 (01:28:11):
Thank you so much for spending this spending this incredible
time with me.

Speaker 5 (01:28:18):
I really have appreciated it, and I do wish you
and your family the best, especially just getting back on
your feed, hoping your community gets better and you know,
and recovering from the hurricane, but definitely hoping that the
holidays and everything are good for you. I'm gonna be
hitting you back up. You're always a great, great guest.

(01:28:42):
There's so much being to talk about, and I will.

Speaker 3 (01:28:45):
Look forward to talking to you soon. Thank you so
much for being my guest, my friend.

Speaker 7 (01:28:52):
It was my honor, my friend.

Speaker 3 (01:28:55):
All right, thank you so much. Say I to the
wife and the sun for me.

Speaker 7 (01:29:01):
I will I will all right, sir, Bye bye doculator,
Bye bye, all right, everybody.

Speaker 6 (01:29:09):
That is it?

Speaker 5 (01:29:10):
That was your incredible guests. Michael White, thank you so much.
You are incredible vocally, as a person, as a guest,
You're just one of those wonderful, rare, incredible human beings.

Speaker 3 (01:29:23):
Thank you so much for World Movement Enterprises.

Speaker 5 (01:29:26):
I am Indie, Lamont Patterson, Olivia Stan, everybody at World Movement.
Thank you so much for sponsoring the show. We are
going to be gone in just a couple of seconds.
We'll be back next week and hope you guys pass
the word on about how fun this show is. Bye bye,
you ready