Jessica Foster
Staff WriterForest Lakeís Danielle Mueller has hit the small screen.
A 2004 graduate of Forest Lake High School, Mueller is a competitor in KMWB 23ís Gimme the Mike Minnesota singing competition.
She will perform on (UHF channel 23 or cable channel 8) at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17. Singing ìI Hope You Danceî by Lee Ann Womack.
One of more than 450 who auditioned for the show at Brookdale Center in Brooklyn Center, she sang a 30 second snippet of ìAmazing Grace.î
A week later, Mueller was told she would be one of 30 contestants chosen for the show. Itís a bit of fate she will be performing. She got off work early that day and still she nearly missed the audition and had to show up in her all black uniform from Champps Americana in Maple Grove, where she works as a hostess.
She will be among six competitors seeking to move on after performing Tuesday night.
If judges select her, she automatically will move on to the finals later this month. If not, viewers can vote for her to move on as a wildcard finalist.
The winner of the competition will receive a custom built Ellis Drum Company drum set, a one-on-one instruction with Minnesota drumming legend Tim Ellis, a Yamaha ERG 121 guitar and amp, one month of instruction and up to 5 hours of recording time in studio, two song demos from the Institute of Production and Recording, a professionally produced music video from WB23 Productions, a $3000 pair of diamond earrings from Continental Diamonds and a 4 day/3 night trip for two to Los Angeles and a private backlot tour of the Warner Brothers Studios.
Pursuing career
Mueller is dedicated to pursuing a career in music. The young woman who lists Maroon 5, Sheryl Crowe, John Mayer and Christina Aguilera as her favorite artists, is giving herself a year to find success.
While she said she never will fully abandon music, ìIíll never give it up completely,î Mueller plans to enroll in college in one year if she has not progressed toward her dream.
She moved to the Uptown area of Minneapolis this summer and is looking to record a demo this fall.
She wants to work hard to earn her success. Judges in the Gimme the Mike Minnesota competition were producer/songwriter Shaun LaBelle, performer/voice teacher Krystal Banfield and Bobby Champion, director of the National Recording Artist ìExcelsior.î
While she was nervous, Mueller said she valued their comments.
ìI like to be critiqued by the judges. I was really interested in getting feedback from them on what I need to work on,î she said.
To vote
To vote for Mueller or any other contestant in Gimme the Mike Minnesota, visit www.rsvpizza.com and click on the Gimme the Mike Minnesota logo. Voting will be open for four days after the show.
ìEvery vote counts, and I appreciate anyone who votes for me,î Mueller said.
Top of Page
