The stage had never been bigger for Ravenna rising junior Cheyanne Foster at the second annual Voice of Ravenna singing competition, but the Ravens’ junior still finished as the runner-up in her first public appearance on July 25 at the West Main Street Winery in downtown Ravenna.
“It was huge step, especially in front of a lot of people that I have never seen before and that is their first impression of me, so it made a big impact on just everything for me,” Foster told The Weekly Villager on Aug. 6. “It was a cool experience. I will never forget it.”
As part of the final 11 contestants that qualified for the public competition, Foster performed “Sometimes” by popstar Brittany Spears and “Gabriela” by all-girl singing group Katseye.
“I wanted to perform songs that were upbeat and could bring people together especially with Brittany Spears,” noted Foster. “I figured a lot of people would know her and I had a feeling that younger kids would be there too, and I expected a lot of them knew Katseye.”
Foster said that she gained confidence throughout the competition and by the time she had the chance to sing her second song, she felt at ease.
“Being on stage feels like I am a different person,” she added. “I gain more confidence in a way, and it is like I am more focused on performing instead of who is in front of me. I have been getting used to it.”
She said that the favorite part of her poor performance was the choreography during the final half of her second song.
Having performed as a member of Ravenna High School’s drama club for the past two years, Foster acknowledged that it was a different experience competing in the annual local singing competition.
She said that she had been in the audience for last year’s inaugural singing competition and was ready to seize her opportunity and become a contestant for the second season.
Having been interested in musical and theatrical performances since her childhood, Foster has put herself in front of an audience for the last two year since joining Ravenna’s Drama Club.
She has been a cast member in two plays and two musicals and after performing in front of the largest audience in her career, she is looking forward to continuing to grow as a live performer.
“I realized that I could do a lot and I am capable of whatever I put my mind up to so it gave me a confidence boost so I feel like in the future, with what I learned on that stage from all my supporters and the people backstage, I can put on better performances in the future and learn how to be secure within myself,” she said.
Foster describes herself as a naturally shy person so becoming a performer has allowed her to come out of her shell.
She added that it has not been easy to take the stage given her natural shyness but has found a different side of herself since she became a member of the Drama Club.
“It takes some overcoming of obstacles and the really rapid heartbeat that you develop and the shaking nerves but the more you are in front of people, the more it goes away,” Foster said. “I feel like especially when I am dancing, I just feel like a different person, I am more so connected with the music. I am focused on how I move my body and how I sing so that defeats the nerves a bit.”
She found her first public platform at the Voice of Ravenna and said that she is happy with the results.
“It helped that a lot of people noticed me and after the show people were complimenting me and after the show it felt amazing to be noticed,” she added.
Foster still has two more years of live productions to do with the Drama Club but has expressed an interest in pursuing a performing career once she graduates from Ravenna High School, whether it is in theatre study in college or becoming a professional performer immediately.
For now, Foster’s focus remains on the next production of the Ravenna Drama Club and has also expressed interest in participating once again in the Voice of Ravenna competition for in next year’s competition.
