Hampton singer performs on television talent show

A Hampton resident got her first taste of fame last week after appearing on Estrella TV's "Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento."

Stacey De La Cruz and her mother, Rozalba Zuviri, are big fans of the Spanish-language reality talent show. De La Cruz has always enjoyed singing herself, but never really thought that she could do it professionally.

Her mother thought otherwise.

Unbeknownst to De La Cruz, Zuviri called "Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento's" audition line on her behalf and applied her for a virtual audition. De La Cruz didn't find out about it until the audition was scheduled.

"I had two days to get ready for this audition," said De La Cruz.

De La Cruz went through the audition process in February and was told that it would take three to four weeks before they would hear back about being on the show. After nearly a month of wondering if she had made the cut, the producers finally called back with the good news.

"That was pretty exciting," said De La Cruz. "I was very nervous because it happened so fast."

The show flew De La Cruz and her mother out to Burbank, CA where they received a taste of the start treatment as De La Cruz prepared for her big television debut. Along with practicing her signing, De La Cruz also did photo shoots and interview rehearsals to get ready for the show.

"We had our own little trailer," said De La Cruz. "It was pretty cool."

De La Cruz also got to meet the other contestants for the show and was surprised at the range of people participating, from other amateurs to professional singers.

It wasn't all work though. De La Cruz and her mother got to spend some time in Hollywood for sight seeing, including a visit to the Hollywood Stars where she visited the star of Selena Quintanilla, the performer whose song De La Cruz would be singing for the show.

When it came time to perform, De La Cruz says that she started off well, but her nerves ultimately caught up with her.

In spite of this, the judges of the show were understanding, offering advice and encouragement to try again next season. While reality talent shows are often known for their harsh critics, De La Cruz was surprised at just how much of that is played up for the audience. Off-screen, even "the mean ones" were friendly and supportive to the burgeoning singers.

"They were nicer off-camera than they were on-camera," said De La Cruz. "Overall, it was a great experience. I felt like a little celebrity for the day."

De La Cruz is especially thankful to her mother, who pushed her into trying out for the contest.

"I love singing, but I never really thought I could go anywhere with it," said De La Cruz. "She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself."

Having gotten a taste of the spotlight, De La Cruz is determined to go back next year to see how far she can make it. In the meantime, she'll be practicing her stagecraft locally, singing at quinceaneras, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, church events, and anywhere else she can perform.

"I feel like being on the show really opened the door for me," said De La Cruz."