Alysha Antonino, a vocaist and Scotts Valley native, is featured on Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Wii as a singer in a recent video game. Julia Fredenburg/For the Press-BannerScotts Valley recording artist Alysha Antonino is featured on Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Wii as a singer in the recent video game “Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore.”
Antonino, who has been singing for as long as she can remember, voiced Celine Dion’s hit song from “Titanic,” “My Heart Will Go On,” and “Too Little, Too Late” by pop artist JoJo for the karaoke video game released Feb. 6.
“It was really crazy,” Antonino said. “I usually want to sing songs all the way through.”
The producers used only portions of the songs to make them more singable for the “average Joe” by cutting out some of the more difficult parts.
The dark-haired songstress, now in her early 20s, first hit the big time by singing “Dreams” for the “Pokemon 2000” movie soundtrack eight years ago.
Before her CD debut, Antonino’s performances in Kids on Broadway and encouragement from Ben Jammin, a well-known Santa Cruz performing arts teacher, helped her break out of her childhood shyness.
Since then, she has worked with award-winning producers David Foster and Rodney Jerkins, among others. Locally, Antonino has collaborated with musicians Ken Kraft and Ockerman.
Now, she has reached a crossroads in her young career.
She is learning acoustic guitar, which she picked up 1½ years ago, and is beginning to write her own songs, something new for her.
“It’s a good challenge for me, expanding my musicianship,” Antonino said.
In the past year, she has dabbled in singing rock, pop and even country music as a way to figure out what’s next.
“Especially for songwriting, country is a great genre,” she said. “It’s so in-depth.”
Antonino’s all-time favorite is Celine Dion; however, Janis Joplin and Aerosmith were influential for her, too.
A recent challenge has been finding a band to sing for. Antonino has hooked up with San Jose-based New Day and plans to start performing with the group soon.
She also hopes to take the stage in Santa Cruz, and she’s been in contact recently with venues Moe’s Alley and The Catalyst.
Alysha is not the only Antonino with musical talent. Her younger brother, Stefan, is an accomplished bassist, and her younger sister, Lauren, is writing songs of her own.
Antonino is looking to sign with a label and record a new CD, but she has run into obstacles.
“Labels are not putting money into artists,” she said. “(Independent) labels are probably your best bet.”
She has finished a recording project with the lead singer from Santana and will head to the California Special Olympics winter games in March to perform at the opening ceremonies.
For information: www.alyshafanclub.com.
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Alysha / Blog
Alysha Antonino_Vocalist "Encore American Idol Encore"
Alysha Antonino, a vocaist and Scotts Valley native, is featured on Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Wii as a singer in a recent video game. Julia Fredenburg/For the Press-BannerScotts Valley recording artist Alysha Antonino is featured on Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Wii as a singer in the recent video game “Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore.” Antonino, who has been singing for as long as she can remember, voiced Celine Dion’s hit song from “Titanic,” “My Heart Will Go On,” and “Too Little, Too Late” by pop artist JoJo for the karaoke video game released Feb. 6. “It was really crazy,” Antonino said. “I usually want to sing songs all the way through.” The producers used only portions of the songs to make them more singable for the “average Joe” by cutting out some of the more difficult parts. The dark-haired songstress, now in her early 20s, first hit the big time by singing “Dreams” for the “Pokemon 2000” movie soundtrack eight years ago. Before her CD debut, Antonino’s performances in Kids on Broadway and encouragement from Ben Jammin, a well-known Santa Cruz performing arts teacher, helped her break out of her childhood shyness. Since then, she has worked with award-winning producers David Foster and Rodney Jerkins, among others. Locally, Antonino has collaborated with musicians Ken Kraft and Ockerman. Now, she has reached a crossroads in her young career. She is learning acoustic guitar, which she picked up 1½ years ago, and is beginning to write her own songs, something new for her. “It’s a good challenge for me, expanding my musicianship,” Antonino said. In the past year, she has dabbled in singing rock, pop and even country music as a way to figure out what’s next. “Especially for songwriting, country is a great genre,” she said. “It’s so in-depth.” Antonino’s all-time favorite is Celine Dion; however, Janis Joplin and Aerosmith were influential for her, too. A recent challenge has been finding a band to sing for. Antonino has hooked up with San Jose-based New Day and plans to start performing with the group soon. She also hopes to take the stage in Santa Cruz, and she’s been in contact recently with venues Moe’s Alley and The Catalyst. Alysha is not the only Antonino with musical talent. Her younger brother, Stefan, is an accomplished bassist, and her younger sister, Lauren, is writing songs of her own. Antonino is looking to sign with a label and record a new CD, but she has run into obstacles. “Labels are not putting money into artists,” she said. “(Independent) labels are probably your best bet.” She has finished a recording project with the lead singer from Santana and will head to the California Special Olympics winter games in March to perform at the opening ceremonies. For information: www.alyshafanclub.com.
Reply