ION INDIE MAGAZINE August 2014, Volume 3 | Page 54

Here, PAULA ABDUL spoke up as the arena quieted down after the “swag” entrance of the Rock singer in
his socks and tight pants! “Excuse me,” Paula exclaimed, “Can you walk off the stage and walk like that one
more time?” Now THAT threw Kenny for a loop as he didn't expect that to happen! Yet he obliged Ms. Abdul
and spun around and repeated his entrance one more time--with an even greater response from the arena!
As he returned to the white taped “X” in the center of the stage—the crowd yelled out their rants, raves and
whistles--causing Kenny to blush a little.
Simon Cowell asked what Kenny was going to sing, and he stated “Weekend Rush”. Although the crowd
howled and cheered when he started to sing this original piece, Simon cut the tune after the first chorus and
asked for a second song to sing. Kenny stated he also had prepared a “rocked up” version of “Hot Stuff” by
DONNA SUMMER. I found this selection to be an interesting choice for a rocker, and sure enough, there
was a compelling reason for this selection--Kenny’s mother, also a singer, used to perform the song.
Says Kenny regarding his mother and her influence in his life, “My Mom tried to make her dream come true
by moving to California in 1983 where she worked in the City of San Francisco. My mother was an inspiration
in my life, working very hard with 3 jobs to support me--singing any chance she could get, I would observe
my Mother, in a packed house most of the time, sitting in with various styles of bands who had asked her to
sing a song or two. The earliest I remember my Mother singing was when she covered Donna Summer.”
And so, with Kenny poised with “Hot Stuff” in his vocal arsenal, Paula asked, “Can you hit Donna Summer’s
high notes?” Kenny said, “Yes--watch and listen!” Dancing across the stage, he began to sing--and the
Arena was on its feet once again, screaming and chanting out Kenny's name! The 2nd chorus was cut short-with Simon dramatically holding his ears--as if the piercing high notes were shattering his ear drums.
After Kenny's performance, the four judges gave their input. L.A. REID stated, “If you had started 25 years
ago, you would have already been a star.” Tears welled in Kenny's eyes as he received his first affirmative
vote from L.A. Reid. Next, NICOLE SCHERZINGER said that Kenny had a fantastic voice and gave the
second emphatic “Yes!” Paula, who seemed to be in disbelief at the vocal gymnastics this rocker had just
executed, gave Kenny his third enthusiastic “Yes!” Only Simon Cowell remained to weigh in. And Simon
said, “This is why I brought The X Factor to America--to find a singer such as Kenny to Rock our world.
Great job!” He then proceeded to give Kenny his fourth “Yes!” making it a clean sweep across the board.
This was met with a fifth “Yes!” in the form of a standing ovation by the arena as a stunned Kenny he walked
off the stage with a grateful wave!
Kenny then moved forward to “Singer’s Boot Camp” in Pasadena, CA, where 161 other acts made it out of
over 250,000 singers auditioning for this first “The X Factor” television show in America. And although
Kenny's journey ended soon afterward (he took a risk with a ZEPPELIN song instead of the “approved”
selection) and he values the experience garnered and the friendships he forg