The audience watches as the contestants line up and a silence falls on the crowd. One by one, each winner is announced: third goes to junior Andrea Vigil, junior Rachel Rullo takes second, and then there is a slight pause. Emcee Nicolas Guerrero announces senior and fourth time Mac Idol contestant Naomi Bird won first. A smile fills up her face and her mind races to catch up with what she has just accomplished. She hugs the other winners and emcees as the crowd roars with applause.
“It’s still sinking in,” Bird said. “I swore that Final Cut was going to place, and I knew Rachel was going to place. There [were] several acts I [thought] should place too. So I was slightly surprised.”
Bird’s winning performance was 99 Red Balloons coupled with vocal looping technology that aided her in creating the music acapella style while remaining a solo act.
“I was obsessed with looping last year,” Bird said. “For Pop Show I actually got a vocal looper for around $200. It’s cool, and you make your own music.”
For winning first place, Bird received a $100 Northstar card. Consequently, Rullo was presented with a $75 Northstar card while Vigil accepted a $50 Northstar Card.
“I’m going to come back next year, and I’m excited [because] I get to vote now,” Bird said.
While this Mac Idol was Bird’s last, there are still individuals within the student population that have talents yet to be broadcast at Mac Idol, and talents that the audience enjoyed and will showcase again next year. Second place winner Rullo affirms that she will be on of the returning acts to try out again.
“I did it for fun,” Rullo said. “The whole time I wasn’t really thinking, ‘hey there’s places’, it was more [of] ten years from now I’m going to be looking back on this experience and I want to make sure I have a nice time.”
Rullo, whose choir experience stems from her participation in Community Bible Church’s Puresound, enjoyed being up on stage. She performed Make You Feel My Love with the accompaniment of an instrumental track, and received positive comments from one of the judges, Mr. Steve Davidson, while another judge, Ms. Marisol Muncy, said she enjoyed the song but didn’t think Rullo reached the depth.
“I fully agree with what Ms. Muncy said,” Rullo said. “I just picked the song because I like the transitions and the style but I haven’t really gone through anything like that.”
Despite the comment, Rullo was excited to win and spend the night with her family and friends.
“I’d like to thank Dr. Gaverick and all my friends,” Rullo said. “It was a lovely experience, and [I was] happy to be a part of it.”
