And That's what You Really missed with Jenna.
And Kevin an iHeartRadio podcast.
Welcome to and That's what You Really miss Podcasts. This is a very special episode, yes, featuring two of our winners from the Karaoke Knockout competition.
You texted me a couple months or like almost a year ago, I feel like about possibly doing something with this two incredible organizations. And I was like, yes, whatever you need, So why don't you tell us about Yes, these two incredible organizations, and that led to our guests being on the show today.
Yes, okay, So I.
Work with.
This organization called Help Us Adopt. It's a New York based organization. It's a five to one C three so nonprofit, but they work internationally domestically, they work through Foster Care and it's a grant program that actually helps couples and or individuals just with the cost of adoption by awarding them grants up to like thirty thousand dollars.
Ye, so expensive.
It's so expensive to adopt. And this is amazing. And the founder, Becky who Becky Fawcett, who I've connected with for many, many years, obviously because adoption is very close to my heart we have just always, you know, kept in contact and collaborated together in any way we can. And she has two adopted children, so she's amazing. The work she does is really incredible. Check them out. It's
help us Adopt dot org. But then Colossal came in, this really colossal organization, and they teamed up with help us Adopt to help them raise more funds obviously for the grants for these families to bring children into their family.
A Colossal was like, let's do this really cool competition where we're gonna do It's gonna be karaoke because obviously you are ugly person and it has to do musical And they came up with this really cool idea and there were submissions from around the world clearly, and people had, you know, their friends and family and social media followers vote and then the finalists got to come to la if they didn't live here, and Kevin and I went to the venue and we watched them all perform and
got to choose the winner no pressure. They were two winners. One was based on more technical vocal ability and one was more performance based.
Through that whole thing, we found out that day that they raised over nine hundred thousand dollars.
Incredible. When they told me what they were like projecting to raise, I was like, wow, I don't know, yah, good luck yeah yeah, but no, really incredible they do. They do amazing work and it's one of the biggest raises that Help Us Adopt has ever benefited from. And it's just it's so great. So we had such a fun time watching these performers, you know, give it they're all and also doing this for a great cause. So with all of that said, we have the winners here today. Who do we have Kevin?
We have Megan Alba Dress and we have Rache Sanchez, both respective winners for the different categories. They're both very talented, saying very different songs. Everybody that like, we just want to say thank you to everyone that participated, that put their name in the ring, and then those who made it to the LA to the final eight, because it takes so much gut sticked up there and perform and they did it and everyone was so remarkable and so good.
But these two were our picks for the winners. Here are Rashe and Meghan.
I want to hear from both of you how you heard about the contest and how what it was like like getting into the top eight.
So I actually saw something pop up on Facebook about it, and my first thoughts was, Okay, this sounds like a scam. But I was like, I'm going to sign up just just for you know, to do it. And I remember when it first started, I thought I wasn't going to advance, And honestly, the first two rounds weren't weren't that hard to get through. But when it came down to like the last round, I remember me and this other girl were just neck and neck, neck and neck, and my
parents actually bowling a bowling league. So they had the people at the front desk announced like three or four times, Hey you guys vote boat boat boat boat. It's like the last hour boat boat boat, And I swear like the last two minutes. I bumped into first and I was just watching.
The amazing And did you how many times did you have to record a video of you singing? Was it just the same video that you submitted with or did you have to do multiple videos?
So I think the videos were I don't know if they were a requirements or not, but I was. I posted a few different videos on Facebook and a few on like my Instagram stories and stuff, and that's that's pretty much how I got the boats and everything.
Okay, all right, Meg, and I want to hear about that about your experience as well, and then we're coming back to you, Riche, because I want to know about your background and music. Okay, Megan, tell us about your experience.
So I saw it pop up on like as an Instagram ad, like for at least a month, like for a little while, and I was just like, oh, that's like that sounds cool, but that's like not a real thing. So I always scrolled past it until I was like, Okay, what if it is a real thing. So I just signed up just in case. I thought it would be fun since.
I got got by the Instagram ads.
Yeah, god every time. So yeah, I ended up joining in, and like Richet said, the first couple of rounds were pretty easy and it started getting gradually a lot more stressful. But yeah, and it was super neck and neck too.
Totally.
I had that same experience. You're just like watching the timer and like in my family group chat and my mom's like contacting our family in Mexico and they're refreshing the page on their end over WhatsApp. It was like a whole thing. I only did one video because the videos were not mandatory. They were like weekly challenges more so like incentives for like like your social media followers to like see what you're doing and make them want
to vote. I should have done more, but I think I don't know.
I just worked. Yeah, I guess.
Yeah.
And Megan, what is your background in music? Like what?
Yeah?
I mean I told you to this.
Well, I was making Glee videos. That's directly what pulled me into this. If I wasn't like so heavily doing like Glee content at the time, I don't know if I would have been like so eager to jump on something like this.
She's a real gig of the week, you know, She's like a true.
Videos are very good, by the way, very so.
Oh my gosh, thank you. That's crazy. I mean, that's so crazy.
I thank you.
It's like crazy. But yeah, I mean I went to I graduated from Berkeley College of Music. So I've been doing music like my whole life, essentially singing and stuff like that. So yeah, that's pretty much my journey. I'm a producer, so I love like arranging vocals and stuff. That's how I got into Glee videos and started making them really like advanced.
So yeah, amazing, I'm Rishee. What about you? What's your musical background?
So fun fact, when I was like, I think it's like eight or nine whenever Lee first came out. The show choir part of Glee is what really sparked my interest in doing music more. And when I got to high school, they had a show choir, so I joined show choir. I had a solo part in one of the one of the songs we did. And after high school, I wasn't really sure like what to do if there
was any show choir things or you know. So I had found different competitions, so I started with state competitions, and then after that I was in an international compet petition in Las Veiga, or not Las Vegas, Lachland, Nevada. And then I saw the Karaoke Knockouts, so another competition, and I was like, Okay, if it's real, I'd like to do this. It sounds like a really cool opportunity.
So I did that, and now I'm actually going to be in a national competition in Las Vegas, Nevada in August, and if I advanced through there, I will be in a world competition in Finland. So I'm excited for that. Yeah, I'm so excited. So yeah, thank you?
Why sick?
Thank you?
How fun?
Jenna and I came into this like sort of intentionally, like not knowing too much about who was going to be singing. Yeah, and the the act that first of all, everybody was super super talented for real, everyone was very different and very talented. And I love that you two one and are so experienced, Yeah, because it fully showed where you both have these incredible sort of like musical backgrounds and resumes and love it. It seems like it's
such an important part of your life. And I think that's just that extra spark that you can see when somebody's performing.
Yeah, what was the experience of actually being in the finals? Like for you guys, were you nervous? It seemed like you guys are all pretty tight by the time we guys, we got there, but you had just met probably the night before, right, like tell us everything.
Well in just some context real quick for those.
Listening, Thank you.
You guys all got if you're not from LA, you all got brought into LA and you had to perform in this sort of hotel ballroom I think is a stretch. And it was a small issue room, conference room, and they set up a stage, and they set up a PA system and sort of like this a real karaoke system. And as anybody who's a performer, performing in a small thing like that is like my worst nightmare, and I
don't think anyone really loves that. It's almost easier, I know this sounds in saying to perform in like a full packed theater or an arena because you can't really see anybody. It was daylight, like you could see the sweat on everybody's mind, included like I don't know me, but you all got up there like it was nothing. And after each performance General Jenna and I were like, how are they doing this? Because it was so impressive and obviously you two, you know, were no exception to that.
It was incredible. So that was sort of the setup for everyone listening and you guys, like, what was your journey there? And I don't know if there was a rehearsal or you know, everything through your performance? What was that like?
So when we first got there, honestly, everything was like everything was just all in order, like getting there and everything hotel and everything, and I was super nervous to meet everybody because being in past competition, I had thought everybody was just kind of gonna be like, you know, against each other. But everybody was super nice. We were pretty much all like a little family, even that we only knew each other for like a day, and I
mean even the moms. All of the moms befriended each other on Facebook, and I've been in contact with some of the girls still. But I mean, other than that, Yeah, we did have a rehearsal, and I'm really glad that they did that so we could kind of see if we needed to just anything. So that was nice, and I was pretty nervous, but I rehearsed in the room before I actually had the hotel, like bring me tea kettle because I was having some allergies and stuff.
Of that help too.
But yeah, I mean, other than that, after I started performing on stage, I loosened up, got comfortable, and I was really happy with my performance.
Yeah you should be. You were great.
Thank you really really great.
Yeah.
I was so impressed when you started singing because you were so shy and when you got up there and just like unleash I was like, Holy Molly, that the hell of a singer.
It was so cool and it was so shy.
That's the coolest though. It's it's so awesome.
Yeah, I was also.
Pretty nervous. I didn't I didn't have a plus one for a second because I just didn't think my mom would be able to make it. The Colossal team was so so helpful, and they flew out my mom like within like a day's notice. I found out that my mom would be able to come here. My mom just like dropped what she was doing. She's like, yes, I'm getting on that flight, And so that made me feel so much better. And also just because everyone else's moms were there, that would have sacked if my wasn't for me.
But yeah, the moms were awesome. Yeah, but the I was worried it was gonna I guess I feel the same way about competitions or Shay, Like I feel like everyone's like they're competing, so they have this sort of edge to them. I was worried about this like dance mom's situation that would unleash, But it actually was like really great, Like the cocktail party thing like the day before, I think just like really gave us a good chance to talk and like get to know each other, and
that was really, really, really fun. And then once you get to the actual competition, I was super nervous just because I don't know, you know, you have all this like family support and stuff, and not to say that, you know, it was just it was nerve wracking, but especially because I hadn't I don't really perform. I hadn't in a really long time. So and my song got changed last minut I didn't know what my song was
going to be until the night before. No I thought I thought it was going to be a oh God, oh Sherry by Steve Perry, and then I found out it was actually Hot and Cold by Katy Perry, which was one of the options that I put in, but they never I didn't get the confirmation of which song it was going to be, so I thought I got to choose and I didn't find out, And so everyone was talking like, oh yeah, I really wanted to do that d song, but they said I had to do
this one. I was like, they let me do what I wanted, and then they were like I asked, and I was like, oh my god, thank god, everyone's talking about that or else I wouldn't have known. So, like I was in my room, like I like came up with some like very light choreography that I could just like whip out, just because I felt like I had to go.
For the choreography thrown together thing.
I was like with hot and Gold, I can only go for crowd pleaser. Everyone else is singing these amazing songs. I was like, all right, I'm figuring out the dances. My mom was helping me in my hotel room. She's like, what if in the middle of the second part you take off the jacket and you're splinging it around like that and throw it off the stage. I'm like, okay, stage, Mom like she did? She?
I like.
She what it was like. I didn't even know she had that in her I was.
Like, wow, that's so cute.
It's awesome. Actually was giving me all these pointers. It was so much fun though, and everyone was. And then afterwards, I feel like everyone was all loosened up because it was like, oh, finally it's like over with and I was just.
Hang out all before.
Yes, then it was just fun. And then when we were doing karaoke, like after everyone felt was just like not nervous and like bringing their best too.
It was like it was really fun.
It was awesome.
I'm glad that the vibes were so good and it wasn't stage bombs and like dance moombs type situation because you just right, I think that it's safe to assume that that might be the default. And we could feel it that. There was so much love and support for everybody as soon as we walked through that room, which was very nice. It was nice to be able to like, it would be very different if everyone was on edge and like, I have to win this because look, you
guys were you were competing. The prize was ten thousand dollars and there were gonna be two winners and that's not a small amount of money. And so even in this joyful, you know, experience, and we're doing karaoke and it can seem light, it's sort of a serious situation on the other side of it, but everyone was just it was so nice. The air and there felt light. It felt good and celebratory, and it was so nice to get to watch you guys just sing your faces off.
Yeah, the feeling was very positive.
I will say when getting your song change or finding out what you were supposed to be doing the night before is crazy. But hot and Cold, I mean I think how we were judging too about like the two different categories where it wasn't necessarily about like a hot and cold has to be just the crowd pleaser. I
think it was. You can also it's hard to sing that song, yeah, yeah, or it's like I think we know as performers, it's like you know, a good gusta wind or something, and all of a sudden, I'm flat or my throat's dry and I'm not gonna hit any of these notes. It doesn't matter how hard or simple the song may seem. It's like being able to perform and dance and then also maintained the pitch through all of it, and like the breathing correctly and all the technique.
You both had such incredible technique, and like we were noticing that too, where it's like you both seem so professional, like this is clearly what they do. What went into picking an evanescent song, because I feel like when you came out and started doing they were like, oh, this is different, this is very different than what everybody else
is doing. And also, yeah, so hard to sing there's a couple people I remember, like growing up watching American Idol, and people would come out and do like Alicia Keys, and the judges would be like, it's really hard to do because her voice is so stinct. She's a very distinct style of singing. Evanescence is similarly similar. Yeah, exactly, yes, So what was that like? Is that like one of your go tos?
So actually that my first song choice was not Evanescence. It was actually Hurt by Christina Aguilera.
Oh cool, okay, even harder?
Exactly, great, great, great.
A few days before I found out what song I was doing, or a few days before the competition, they told me what song I was doing, and I honestly I had everything set to go for Hurt. I was so confident that that's the song I'm doing. I put in my song right away and it said you are doing call me when you're sober, and I was like, okay, And so I had to think of an outfit, idea, put that together, get my like performance going what I was gonna do, and I felt really good about it.
I mean, I've sang that song a lot, like in karaoke bars and stuff, and I've been told that it really suits my voice and that I sound pretty similar to Amy Lee. So I was like, okay, so well, I'm gonna just thank you. I was just hoping, like, Okay, I'm gonna be confident with this, give it my all and just see where it takes me. So I'm really glad that everything turned out good.
It did, I mean, it worked out. Your tone is very similar. So is hurt your go to karaoke song or is there another go to?
Usually it is, yeah, And actually my top three songs that I put in were my go to. I don't know if you saw like the karaoke knockout picture that they had of me with the microphone, but that was a performance for a different competition, and I was just for a heartbreaker by at a Tard That was my song choice if I didn't sing call Me when You're Sober.
Very good choices, all very different too.
Megan, wonder is your go to karaoke song?
You know that song by Hooty and the Blowfish that's like I don't want to be Ye. Actually it's like low key my go to song because I love to like it's always when I'm like out and I look good and I think it's funny to just like be like a cute looking girl go up on stage and just sell it in your best footing in the blow and so like it. I do love doing that. I also love a good like Grenade by Bruno Mars too, though.
Oh that's a good one.
Also not an easy song to sing, all.
Right, Oh my god, No, I don't know how he does it. I can barely do it.
You guys are wild picking, but I feel like that's the like magic of karaoke. I always try to pick a I always try to pick a song that it's like a slight challenge. Yeah, like, I don't know very well. I will never do this in normal life. Let me try what it's like. Oh, I did Disturb You by Rihanna once in the original key. It was like, oh, I don't have the range for this.
We all watched Glee. I think you have the range for that.
No, you weren't in that karaoke room, thank god, because it was rough.
Oh my gosh, that's what karaoke is supposed to be. Okay, it's not right.
I rap most of the time, to be honest, Oh you do rap a lot.
At least Glee Alicia, what did winning mean to you?
Honestly, it felt so good to win. But at the same time, I mean when my name was called, I was I was pretty shocked because everybody sounded so good, and I mean I wasn't all I was shocked. I honestly, everything didn't settle in for I would probably say for a couple of days, Like it was just really shocking to me because this has probably been a bigger competition since you know, the prize money was up there and with the trophy and everything too, So it felt really good.
I it was a really good opportunity, and I could say that I was one of the first to do that because I think this was their first ever knockout competition, So it was really cool.
Yeah, for sure. What about you, Megan, I was.
Equally just as shocked. I mean, yeah, everyone was so good. It really was so neck and neck. I genuinely had no idea who was gonna win, what I mean. And then when he pulled out, like the dollar bills flying them in the air, Young I roast to everyone in the audience, but dazzled head to toe the phone. I looked at my mom and I said, We're not going home with this prize money. So it was such a shock.
I like blacked out, like once I got on stage, I just just saw bright lights and even if there weren't bright lights, I was just like out of it and it didn't like hit me really until I like cash the check into my savings and I was like.
Oh, yeah, yeah, that's awesome. And we also have to know we have to ask, obviously, because this is a Glee podcast, Megan, what moved you to make or like, how did you start making these Glee videos?
Oh my god. It started as a joke, like I because there was one video I did that like I did like this acapella background music to like awkward Q scenes in sitcoms like Doo Do Do Do? And that, and then someone was like, okay, Glee music. And then another one of my friends my accommodated, oh my god,
do a Glee video. So then I did one Glee video and that was just like Quinn me imitating Quinn doing that Aretha Franklin song for the audition and like the Holy Trinity or just sounding like a complete choir of women.
Was like the whole joke.
And then I did like the Glee Entrances video and that one was really easy to do because that was just like quick pop songs. And then I did another one I couldn't help myself but add some harmonies, and then someone was like, wow, like a Taylor Swift episode would go crazy, and I was like, well, maybe I should do like individual like episodes as best as I can.
And then those started going like crazy, so I was like, oh my god, I have to keep doing this, and then like TikTok doesn't do the creator fund anymore, so like I stopped because I wasn't like getting like any money from it. And from the time I started was like it would take like I don't know, like first video took like an hour, yeah, and then like the last video, the Dojacat one was like a fifteen hour thing along with like the Weekend video. It took fifteen
hours to make. Wow everything by myself.
That was my next question, because they're so like detailed and thought out, they're so complex. They're very very good.
I mean usually I like can hear like what I'm going to do musically and like arrangement wise, it was it was when I started adding the warblers, like who why am I doing this? And that really put in so much work for me, but it was really fun. I like wish I had like time on my hands to like keep doing them as often as I would, But I am a planning like a chaperone episode and the episode amazing, it works.
Amazing, so much fun. Well, thank you guys so much, congratulations on winning the competition. And also I was so nice to like talk to you guys for more than five minutes after the competition. Right, good luck to you, Megan, good luck.
Thank you Jenna and Kevin so much. I like, just release a single and I just want to say.
Oh my god.
Money.
I wanted to like star artist project, so I released the song fresh out called this Love and the artist's name is shut Up Natalia. So everyone streamed this Love by shut Up Natalia.
That's it amazing. And Meghan, where can we find you on the Gram or wherever you are.
On Instagram? You can find me at Megan Alba dress and TikTok. You can find me at Demi DeVito or Megan alber dress too Perfect.
And Rache, what about you?
On Instagram? I'm under Riche Lynn r I s h a E l y n n E. And on TikTok. I am under my first and last name, Che Sanchez r I S H A E s A N C H easy.
I just want to say it was beautiful like circular moment for like like Rasche watching Glee growing up and then getting in the show choir and then getting in the Glee competition right and winning it and Megan, same thing with your tiktoks and like it's just it's really cool for us too to be a part of the whole circular journey. So thank you also for entering that competition.
That competition raised so much money for an incredible organization. Yes, and I know, like seeing that thing online, I don't know if I would have thought it was a scam either. Yeah, and so the fact that you took a chance, you put yourself out there, you have to get votes, and it ended up raising almost a million dollars. So thanks to you, guys, So thank you for even participating that to begin with, and thanks for letting us, thanks for coming on and talking to us about this whole journey.
Yeah, thank you guys, Thank you for having us.
Of course, good to see you, Good to see.
You guys, Good to see you guys.
Well, congratulations to Shane Meghan. It was really nice to connect with them again. I'm so glad you guys could take the time to come on the pod and tell us about your experience. Thanks for helping in raising close to a million dollars for help us adopt, and thank you to CLOSSL for having us and letting us be hosts and judges. I guess I don't know why we're qualified to do that, but we're not. Yes we are.
Yeah.
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the episode and.
That's what you really missed. See ya. Thanks for listening and follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod. Make sure to write us a review and leave us five stars. See you next time.