Newman freshman Brooke Riley loves to sing. Recently, she took her love of music to a new level by entering a contest sponsored by LG — and she was chosen from thousands as a top 10 finalist.
Riley said it all started in October 2016 when a twitter post came through her feed mentioning a singing contest. This particular contest also involved one of her favorite singers, Shawn Mendes. She visited the Sing with LG website to read more about the rules.
The contest required contestants to download the Smule app on their smartphones and create a recorded video of themselves singing a karaoke-style duet with the artist. Mendes pre-recorded his portion of the song and provided it to Smule for use.
The winner of the contest, who will be chosen by the general public by popular vote, will receive an LG Home Entertainment System and have the chance to meet Mendes during one of his concerts which the winner will attend.
“I love Shawn Mendes,” said Riley. “I thought I’d give it a try. So I recorded it, did several takes, picked the best and sent it in.” Riley said she didn’t expect much of anything to come from the attempt, and even tried to forget about it so it didn’t sit on her mind so heavily.
When she received an e-mail a short while after, she was floored. “I dropped my phone — I was in awe!” she said.
That’s when Riley found out she was a top 10 finalist.
Riley said she is excited and honored, and if she isn’t chosen as the winner of the contest, she is happy to have been chosen as a top 10 finalist. She and the other finalists will receive a new LG V20 smartphone as a prize.
But the hope is still there. Riley said, “If I do win, it will mean so much to me. I love Shawn Mendes — his music really inspires me.”
Riley’s love for music began at a very young age and she said she sings whenever she gets the chance and loves singing at school or church.
She even had the chance recently to sing with “Girl Meets World” star Sabrina Carpenter. “I won a radio show contest — she was going to be at a local radio station before her show in Kansas City and my parents bought me tickets and VIP passes for my birthday.”
During the question and answer portion of her visit to the radio station, Carpenter sang “Happy Birthday” to Riley. And during the VIP party with the singer, she asked if she could sing a song with her, and Carpenter was happy to oblige.
Needless to say, Riley has had an exciting fall. She is looking forward to hearing the results of the LG contest and continuing her pursuit in music as well as a possible acting career.
When asked what Riley wants to do in the future, she replied, “I’m trying to follow God’s plan, listen to Him and do what He calls me to do. In my heart, I know spreading positivity and His message through music would be great. It would mean a lot to me to be able to get a positive message to others.”
