ASU's Got Talent first and second place winners, Mallie Pierson and Royland Robinson, share how they got into their talents of singing and rapping and what it was like to preform live on stage. ASU's Got Talent MC Jedd Greenhalgh said why he believes the crowd resonated so well with Pierson and Royland. Pierson and Royland ended by sharing some advice for live performers.
[0:00] Jedd Greenhalgh: ASU's Got Talent was an opportunity for eight really fantastic students to express themselves and just share with their community what's really special to them.
[0:14] Austin Villegas: ASU's Got Talent, the universities largest annual talent show, just concluded their competition. First place winner, singer Mallie Pierson, and second place winner, rapper Royland Robinson, shared how they got into their talents.
[0:28] Mallie Pierson: I just learned how to play the guitar just like a month and a half ago so I wasn't very confident in that. But I've been singing for forever so I was like 'if I mess it up I'll just bank on the vocals because I feel more comfortable with that.' My dad's a musician so ever since I was a little girl my dad would always play the guitar on Thursday nights so I just learned from him I guess.
[0:46] Royland Robinson: I got into rapping just through you know, family, playing music. In high school, I really found it was a way to express my emotions and the things that were going on in my life outside of class on a daily basis.
[1:06] Austin Villegas: Pierson and Robinson said that the hardest thing to overcome before a live performance was the nerves.
[1:12] Mallie Pierson: They make you learn to practice when you're nervous. I feel like whenever I'm practicing before performing in front of a lot of people I try to make myself nervous when I practice that way I know how to play through the nerves. Once I get going I feel like I kind of get into the zone, once I start performing I don't think about the nerves anymore, I'm just doing what I love to do.
[1:32] Royland Robinson: Performing up on stage, this moment was different because everything was more free and I was really able to express myself the best. I didn't really mess up as I do sometimes, you know I really felt free and open performing in front of ASU. It was just amazing.
[1:50] Austin Villegas: Jedd Greenhalgh, Event Coordinator and MC for ASU's Got Talent, expressed why he believed the audience resonated so well with Pierson and Robinson.
[1:59] Jedd Greenhalgh: I thought they were just super solid. Royland's backing track with all the vocals that were mixed in, specifically for his show was what I found particularly impressive about his. And then Mallie was just great all around. I think crowds resonate with an artist who understands what their why is, and I think they just shared a very honest part of their humanity and I think that, that just automatically related to everyone in the room.
[2:29] Austin Villegas: Pierson and Robinson both said they think the most important advice to give is to know your purpose before going up on stage.
[2:36] Mallie Pierson: I think definitely figure out what your message is and what you want to communicate to people. If you're working on music I think it's really important that you know why you're there like start with your intention and then go from there. If you're just making music to make it you're gonna run out real quick of your energy and your stamina. Whereas if you have a purpose for what you're creating you're gonna keep going for a long time.
[2:56] Royland Robinson: Inspire people to push beyond limits. I, myself, have always been put up against tough challenges and I learn to break down those barriers with music and inspiring others to achieve anything.
Reach the reporter at amville8@asu.edu or follow @AustinMVillegas on Twitter.
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