A show that I have been recently taken with is called The Voice. It’s kind of like American Idol except it’s a million times better.

Celebrities Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton are given the task of putting together the best team possible for competition between vocal artists from around the country.

Thousands of people go up to perform, and their talent simply blows me away. The things that these people can do with their voices and the emotions that they bring are astounding.

With ʻAha Mele coming up right around the corner, I thought that this show was perfect for getting me excited to sing. One of the contestants gave a beautiful performance in a whole different language that highlighted how big his voice is. When asked why he chose that song, he said, “I’ve spent my life trying to shrink my voice down for everyone else, but tonight, I wanted to sing something that was just me.” How amazing is that?

The theme for this year’s song competition is unification. This means that when the big night hits, we are going to come together as classes, and as a school. It’s like the movie we watched One Voice. (So many vocal shows going on!)

I want everyone to sing for the look on the audience’s faces when we sing our songs, to see their eyes fill with tears and watch them serenaded by beautiful sound.

We all have a big voice inside us. I think that we are so afraid of what will happen when we let it go that we, like the guy on The Voice, try to shrink it down so that we don’t stand out too much. That way we don’t get picked on, we don’t get noticed, and we can just slide by.

I’m right, aren’t I?

But, that’s not what singing is about. Singing is about letting all your insecurities go and enjoying the feeling of creating music. It’s about relishing the exhilaration of being a part of something bigger than yourself and representing your culture through the intricate beauty of the notes on the page. It’s about telling the lyrical story of your ancestors and family.

Hawaiians had songs for everything. That’s what we did every day of our lives; we sang songs about anything.  Our ancestors were songsters and songstresses, and they enchanted people with their medleys.

I know that each and every one of you can sing. You have “the voice.” So, don’t be afraid to give it your all this song fest! I look forward to crying at each and every performance!