Teen singer headed to New York after winning contest
Erika David, 19, is off to New York this week for a recording session with Grammy-winning producer Bryan-Michael Cox after winning the Colgate MaxFresh Video Music Competition in May.
David, a junior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will record a new song written and produced by Cox called "I'm Feeling Fresh."
"It's an uptempo R&B/pop song," says David. "The song's pretty much about starting the day right and ties in with Colgate MaxFresh." She also will receive a fashion consultation and is scheduled to perform Dec. 12 at the Z100 Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York.
David beat out four other finalists to win the competition, which received more than 70,000 votes through MySpace.com and also was judged by Cox, Vibe magazine's editor-in-chief Danyel Smith and reggaeton singer Tito El Bambino.
"The other four finalists were really good. I didn't know I was going to win, I was shocked," David says. "My family was so surprised."
A resident of Las Vegas for six years, David learned of the music competition from a friend two days before the deadline to submit entries.
She quickly taped five copies of herself performing Alicia Keys' song "If I Ain't Got You" in time to make the deadline, but was not completely satisfied with the audition video she submitted.
"The video was not the one I wanted to send," says David, who felt her "voice was gone" by the final video take.
"I'm very picky and the worst critic is yourself," she adds.
More than 300 entrants submitted audition videos for the competition, which allowed entrants to select a song by music genre.
David selected Keys' song because she is familiar with it, having previously sung it while attending Sierra Vista High School.
An education major, David says she loves kids and would like to be a kindergarten teacher. However, there is one other career path she would like to explore.
"I love singing, it's my passion," says David, who grew up performing at family parties and talent shows and names Keys, Keisha Cole and Amy Winehouse as some of her favorite artists.
"I do hope to find good things with the prize that I get," she says. "If anything, I would want music to be my career."
To view David's winning entry online, visit www.myspace.com/colgatemaxfresh. To listen to her sing, go to www.myspace.com/erikadavidonline or watch her videos at www.youtube.com/user/ekaiann.
In other news:
* The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation raised $750,000 at the 24th annual Masquerade JDRF Hope Gala 2008 at The Venetian May 17. The funds, raised through live and silent auctions, will go toward Type 1 diabetes research.
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