New Years Eve - Newphoria

Kenz was invited to do a sing-a-long at UVU's New Years Eve Bash called 

NEWPHORIA!!

Pre-show... getting ready at Grandpa's house...

Waiting to go on...

Hollywood Week - Top 30

Hollywood Week - Final Judgement

We went to the Civic Center in Pasadena CA.

It was FREEZING! Parents sat in a make-shift room with curtains. The contestants sat in chairs waiting... Filming B roll... Ford commercials... Etc.
they waited & waited.

 

Kenz was one of the last to learn if she was in fact in the Top 30 (15 girls & 15 boys).

Once they called her name, a camera man asked her how she was feeling & who she was thinking about. Pure exhausted had set in & for the FIRST TIME she showed her emotions. She began to cry as she answered "I'm thinking about my mom". She calmed down in the elevator & then was pulled into another room where she was pressed for her feelings about the week & her mom. Again, her emotions surfaced. Finally, she walked into to see the judges- composed. The judges spoke to her for a bit but again brought up that she was thinking about her mom. She began to respond & through her tears she said "I just wanted to make my mom proud."

She came out of the elevator as I stood waiting with Ryan Seacrest. I could tell she'd been crying. She had her hands on her face as she said "I did it". I thought that was what she said but got nervous with her tears that maybe she said "I didn't." So after asking her, she giggled explained she was in deed in the Top 30 & we celebrated.

Hollywood Week Round 4

Hollywood Week - round 4: Solos

After getting in at 4:15 am, I woke Kenzie up at 4:45 am to get ready for roll call at 6 am. She immediately got hit up by Lev for an early morning interview:

Because of many different reasons, Kenzie planned to sing "Your Song" by Elton a John.  I was confused because I knew it wasn't her style but with all the obstacles she had... It was what was decided.

Kenzie's only rehearsal with the band did NOT go well. I thought she had forgotten the words but come to find out, the band was playing a different arrangement from the one she rehearsed with. I panicked & told her (through text messaging) to borrow a guitar & go back to her original plan. She didn't respond. So then I told her to explain when she gets on stage that she had planned to sing Breakeven but because of her idiot mother who broke her guitar... She was singing a sing she wasn't comfortable or familiar with... She responded to this text message with "mom. Stop. Texting. Me." I stopped.

When her name was called she walked on stage and told the judges she was. "Doing great. But she needed to do something really cheesy. ... I need to dedicate this song to my mom" she pointed up to the balcony where I was standing. I expected her to finish the dedication with "because she broke my guitar." But she didn't say that. Instead she pointed to me and said "Mom, this is Your Song." 

I learned something very important at that moment. I learned that Kenzie doesn't make excuses for her performances. She owns every decision she makes. 

Kenz sang Elton Johns "Your Song" with conviction & emotion. If you know kenz, you know it isn't her "style" but she made the decision to sing the song & wasn't going to blame anyone else for her performance. I was extremely proud of her.

Then they were divided into THREE ROOMS. A room for "nos" & two rooms of "maybes"

She had survived another round

Hollywood Week Round 3

Round 3 - Group Rounds:

 Kenzie's Group sang: Love Somebody Maroon 5

She survives and now it's time to pick a Solo song and WAIT for the vocal coach....

Practicing Breakeven (the script) for her solo round. Nervous about Guitar

 Interview at 2 AM - (Note sleeping contestants in the background)

Kenzie finally gets into the Vocal Coaches at 3 am but the Power goes out and they struggle to learn her version of Breakeven.  She switches to a song the Band knows and gets back to the room at 4:15am.  She has to be up by 4:45 am to be "camera ready" by 6 am.  

Hollywood Week Round 2

Round 2 - Rows of 10:

Kenz prepares to sing Can't Hold Us

Happy!!  She survives Round 2!!

And then I DROPPED HER GUITAR....

 

Hollywood Week Round 1

 Arriving for Hollywood Week.

Receiving Instructions and Boarding the Buses...

Singing on the Bus:

Waiting outside the Airplane Hanger...

Bus Ride to Hotel... she survived Round 1

View from Hotel: