Mamma Mia, Thia Megia!

Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert television watcher at all - in fact, I don't think I've ever truly followed a show beginning to finale. However, I do get on Youtube every once in a while to see what's fresh in the world (I'm too lazy to read newspapers or watch reporters drone haha).

Tonight, I came across this video after packing my brains out (the move is in t minus 30 hours!). The embed was disabled : (

I skipped through the sappy introduction and got straight to the singing. I got up to get some water and came back to hear this AMAZING voice blaring through my speakers. Confused, I took a look to make sure I was still on the same page and there she was, Thia Megia, singing her heart out. Her voice is so mature, I thought she must have been at least 18 or so. Then I scrolled back to the intro and discovered that she's only 14!? What was I doing at 14? Oh right, being angsty about high school.

Automatically, I thought of American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, who is my age (now 19). When I heard Jordin sing, I felt so inferior, so mediocre in comparison. This was the same thing all over again. She's 5 years younger than me, but her voice is a thousand times stronger. It's kind of sad to think that I'm getting old even at 19, but there is only more of this to come. The amount of insanely talented kids and young adults only grows larger, and I lag more and more behind. In all honesty though, even with training, I don't think I could ever be that good. That's just pure, raw talent right there.

However, I can't be dismayed at every ounce of young talent there is out there. It would be awfully depressing. I like to sing for fun. It's really relaxing and uplifting. When I went to church, my favourite part was actually singing hymns because it washed away all my worries and heart wounds. I've been told I have a natural second soprano range, which I probably inherited from my mother (she sang opera very well before she developed cancer). So, with loads of practice and proper training, I could have a respectable voice, but I think it'd take away the fun of mindlessly letting the music escape. Ignorance (or rather, "amateurity") is bliss! I often find that I excel when I approach learning with a can-do attitude, with no standard of "the right way to do it" vs "the wrong way" in my head. There are too many things in life to enjoy without some virtuoso telling you what floats their boat.

As I listened to the rest of Thia Megia's "There's Always Gonna Be Another Mountain" in awe, I realized that she looked like Filipino Miley Cyrus. Oh, duh. I did some Googling and saw what she was trying to show us: real un-diva-ized talent. (Sorry I'm not all hip and caught up on tweenager idol music!) I hope if she gains stardom and celebrity status, Thia can stay a dreaming down-to-earth girl unfazed by the interests of the media. Sorry to step on Miley, but this girl's got soul and deserves the limelight.

I'm a little dissatisfied that Hannah Montana monopolizes the position of today's young girls' role model. Her Disney Channel show sets up her cakewalk to stardom, though I'm not a fan of her voice at all. And what about those creepy back-up dancers on the show? The whole playing dress-up celebrity is confusing. Where's the competition? Five, ten years ago, there was a whole rainbow of pop sensations to choose from, some better influences than others, but at least we could pick our favourites. Nowadays it seems like it's Miley or bust.

Although, through this quarter finals song choice, I can tell her producers or crazy strategists are trying to set her up to be the new Miley (quite literally). Though Thia is young, I hope she can find the courage to fight against a minutely planned out rivalry and sings how she wants to. She has all the right vocal equipment, and the spirit, too.

You go, girl!