Young singer on track for stardom

If big things come in small packages, then there’s a giant on the shores of Rainy Lake.
No, not the Great Beaver, but a nine-year-old dynamo who has big plans for a career in show business . And based on the results of the Emo Grandstand Jam, those plans are right on track.
Within moments of taking the stage at the Emo racetrack on Canada Day, Katelyn Shortreed of Watten Township served notice she was a force to reckoned with in the not-too-distant future as she delivered her own rendition of “Miss Independent,” by Kelly Clarkson to a wildly enthusiastic crowd and a quartet of judges.
By the time she was finished, there was little doubt who the winner in the junior category (age 8-13) would be.
Even though she was the second youngest performer in the competition, she came through with a degree of poise and pizzaz that belied her tender years.
Of course, Katelyn is hardly new to the spotlight. In fact, that performance was just another show for her.
“I’ve been singing around the house since I was three,” she explained. “I started singing lessons with Rita Moorehouse when I was six,” she added, as though that was such a long time ago.
Perhaps for her, it was. That same year she entered the Rainy River Arts Festival and has been in it ever since. She also attended Renée Martin’s music camp last year, but decided to forego that experience this year so she could participate in other things.
The Grandstand Jam was her first opportunity to perform with a live band and although she admitted to being a bit nervous, that certainly wasn’t apparent to those in attendance. She said the band, a Fort Frances-based trio called Thinking of Pinky, made it easy for her to relax.
“They were really cool,” she said of Cliff Pidlubny, Dan Jones and Scott Downs—who arranged and played for all the performers in addition to playing their own selections during breaks in the entertainment.
Katelyn was pretty cool herself. Although some of the other performers were plagued by nerves to some degree, she sailed through her number like a seasoned pro. As a reward, she has been invited to perform two selections on an upcoming CD being put out by the Rainy River Agricultural Society to promote and finance next year’s jam.
She has already made her selections for that.
“I really like Michelle Branch’s ‘Are You Happy Now’ and I want to do ‘Miss Independent’ again,” she explained.
Singing isn’t the only thing in Katelyn’s life, however. She also plays the piano and is a fairly accomplished artist, with numerous pencil sketches in her repertoire. Her favourite subject seems to be the cartoon character Scooby-Doo since she has a book full of his likenesses.
A year ago, she began to take dance lessons and she feels dance will remain a large part of her life. The flexibility, discipline, and breath control she learned from dance are already paying off in her singing.
But there’s more to this girl than arts. She is still a typical northern Ontario kid with typical interests.
“I like outdoor stuff too—fishing, swimming and riding my bike,” she said. “I really like the Gameshow Network on TV too,” she added. And, of course, she is a huge fan of the Simpsons.
Does anything bother this cool customer? Yes, some things apparently do.
“I hate dock spiders,” she admitted. “I found one down by the lake and didn’t want to go into the water.” She also hates thunderstorms and getting up in the morning.
“I’m definitely a night person,” she acknowledged.
Since she will be entering Grade 5 at Robert Moore School in September, there isn’t much she can do about those early mornings and after that, there will be important choices to make. Katelyn has already given the future some thought and she is sure what she loves to do now will continue to be a part of her life at some level.
“I’d like to be a singer and a dancer,” she said. “I’ve already taken my first Royal Conservatory exam.”
She has also caught the eye of people across the river. Music teachers Genny and Jackie Guimond of International Falls have shown an interest in her since her performance in the Broadway on the Border production at the Baccus Auditorium earlier this year and she was a guest soloist at the Calvary Tabernacle here in Fort Frances.