Redmond’s Got Talent showcases teens’ musical and juggling abilities | VIDEO

Published 10:23 am Friday, March 29, 2013

Last Friday brought the conclusion to the Old Fire House Teen Center’s (OFH) first-ever Redmond’s Got Talent (RGT) competition, naming Hunter Backlund the winner.

The Redmond High School (RHS) senior performed an original song he had written on the ukulele. As the competition winner, he received a $100 gift card to Redmond Town Center and will be performing on the main stage at this year’s Derby Days festival in July.

Backlund was one of five acts to perform last week. The other four contestants were Eric Klassen, Kendrick Griffin, Sierra Hutton and Kelley Koeppen. Music was the main talent on display with Griffin and Koeppen singing cover songs and playing guitar and Hutton singing a medley of songs. Klassen brought some variety to the show with his juggling act and won second place in the competition. Koeppen came in third and Griffin received the audience’s choice award.

At 12, Hutton of Tacoma was the youngest contestant. She said she entered RGT because it was a chance to perform, which she loves to do, and was “shocked and surprised” when she advanced to the finals.

“I don’t usually win too many things or get chosen for stuff, so each win or advancement is really cool and exciting,” she said.

All of the performers made it to the final competition after a number of elimination rounds that began with online video submissions. Twelve acts were selected from the initial pool with one alternate — Backlund, who filled in after someone backed out of the competition. The 12 performers shared the stage in the semifinal competition on March 8, where four were selected to move on to the finals.

Koeppen was eliminated in the first round but was selected in an online competition based on the number of “Likes” contestants’ auditions received on YouTube.

“I shared my video with some friends and family and it spread like wildfire,” the RHS junior said. “I ended up getting the most likes, with over 100 likes. It was so exciting to be voted back into the competition.”

Ken Wong, teen programs administrator for the City of Redmond, said performers were scored on audience response, originality, showmanship, technical ability and overall performance. He said the online voting process was a way to keep the audience more involved in the competition.

“The goal of this program was to showcase teen talent, get the audience involved in the process and celebrate the success,” Wong said.

He said RGT — which was sponsored by Redmond Town Center, REI and Redmond Yogurt Land — was also formed to give teens a public, safe and supportive place to show off their talents.

Koeppen agreed that the OFH is a supportive space.

“I was singing ‘She Will be Loved’ by Maroon 5 and I messed up around the middle of the song and stopped real quick and the entire crowd just starting cheering,” she said. “It made me feel so great to have all the support and I just kept singing my heart out.”

Griffin, a junior at RHS, has felt the love at the OFH, as well. She had performed at the teen center before and after learning about RGT, decided to enter because she has enjoyed her experiences so much.

“It’s always so much fun performing at the Fire House and I thought this would be another great opportunity to get experience on stage and perform in front of one of the most supportive audiences ever,” she said. “I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing experience and I’d like to thank all the people at the Fire House for putting this together. It was so much fun and an experience I will never forget.”