Herndon Resident Debuts Talent on ABC’s ‘Karaoke Battle USA’

Reality television and talent competition shows have dominated the airwaves for the past decade. "American Idol" and "America’s Got Talent" have been fan-favorites in the singing genre and now "Karaoke Battle USA" is competing against those top-rated hits. Herndon's own Emily Anderson, 27, made the cut on the ABC show and will be seen showcasing her vocal skills to millions of viewers this Friday night in hopes of reaching the finals and a shot at a recording contract.

The George Mason University student and Unisys executive assistant won the mandatory regional final held in Woodbridge this summer to advance in the competition where she sang on stage for the camera in New York City. She faced more than 50 other performers on the show hosted by N’SYNC’s Joey Fatone, which was taped at Gramercy Theatre in July.

“There were tons of good performers there. Out of 55 people I had to go first. They call you through and you walk over with Joey Fatone,” she said. “It was so awesome and I was out on this giant stage with cameras everywhere. I felt like a princess and a celebrity all weekend long and they treated us all so graciously.”

The show will have both a male and a female winner who will win record deals and travel to Ireland for the Karaoke World Championship, which will air as "Karaoke Battle USA’s" season finale. The new TV star admits she loves to ham it up when performing and when the lights hit the stage Anderson came out ready to rock.

“I wore this white outfit with a black hat, black cane and black long eyelashes on one eye like in ‘A Clockwork Orange,’” she said. “I did a lot of ridiculous rolling around on the ground and silliness. It was quite a spectacle but none the less, that’s my style of karaoke and I have to be true to myself.”

Anderson first heard about the competition from a colleague and immediately rushed to find out which venue she needed to sign up at to audition. Virginia alone had seven rounds of un-taped qualifiers for contestants to advance to New York. But Emily did not have to travel far. Champps in Reston became her first stop toward stardom where she defeated dozens of opponents to win the qualifier. She then moved on to the Water’s Edge in Woodbridge and took down 16 other karaoke specialists to win the region and earn a ticket to the “Big Apple” for a shot at fame. Anderson believes karaoke has a stigma attached to it but feel the ABC show will help solve the problem.

“I’m really lucky to be a part of such a progressive show that is giving karaoke an opportunity to get rid of a negative reputation it has developed over the years,” Anderson said. “The reason why it got such a bad wrap for a long time is because so many think of people singing bad songs, loudly, with bad equipment in a bar, drinking.”

Despite its current reputation, Anderson says she has sung karaoke for years and enjoys every minute on stage. The Wakefield High alum grew up in a multi-cultural family in which music played a huge part. Her father was a singer in a cover band years ago, and she began listening to The Rolling Stones and The Beatles at an early age. Anderson was destined to love classic rock from birth, having been named after The Moody Blues’ hit "Emily’s Song."

“My mom is Japanese and my dad is Caucasian. They have been so supportive of me and anything I do,” she said. “I have the best of both worlds genetically and my Japanese culture is just as important as my American culture.”

Anderson’s experience on the show and her musical background inspired her to form a band recently called Pieces of Perfect. She is, of course, the lead singer and has two guitarists and a drummer, hoping to one day hit it big, performing original material with a mix of classic rock, reggae and 80s and 90s pop. She says she has some important goals she would like to achieve after the show is finished.

“I’m hoping to get some exposure and a more positive reputation for karaoke, get my band out there,” she said. “I’m really trying to get a name for myself in the music industry and make a move to get signed.”

The rookie series premiered just three weeks ago on August 12, and Anderson was featured in the opening montage. Maxim Magazine editor Joe Levy, karaoke champion Brian Scott and Wilson Phillips’ Carnie Wilson judge the performers on "Karaoke Battle USA" in similar fashion to the popular structure of "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent."

“It was so amazing to meet Carnie,” Anderson said. “Her dad, Brian Wilson wrote some of the best songs of all time and I couldn’t believe I was going to meet Carnie Wilson.”

Anderson’s episode will air at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2.