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In Hollywood, auditioning for American Idol, Jordyn Kane had to postpone her audition after getting sick. Adding insult to injury, the cameras captured and broadcast her in her moment of illness.

“I started throwing up, I thought it was food poisoning. The camera crew followed me into the bathroom and filmed me throwing up,” she said.

When Kane finally got to audition for the celebrity judges she was in no condition to sing and ended up getting cut. But despite not advancing in the competition, she was relieved to finally be able to go home.

“I hadn’t practiced so I sounded terrible. I knew I was going to get cut [but when I did] I got this sense of relief. I wanted to go home and throw up in my own toilet,” said Kane.

Before she turned 18, PCC student Jordyn Kane auditioned for American Idol, had one of her songs featured on an ABC Family television show and issued an EP on iTunes. Despite these accomplishments, don’t expect to catch her bragging about it to her classmates.

“I think being humble is important, I hate those stars that are cocky and arrogant,” said Kane.

Originally from Orlando, Florida, Kane had known the Los Angeles area well, having come here since the age of 12 for movie auditions. It was because of American Idol though that she discovered PCC. “When I tried out for American Idol in 2011 we filmed it here in Pasadena and that’s how I found PCC,” said Kane.

Even though she started performing professionally when she was 12, it was at the age of nine that she knew she wanted to be a performer after playing Dorothy in an elementary school production of The Wizard of Oz.

“[There’s] something about performing in front of people, just learning the lines and having fun with it. That’s when I realized performing was something I wanted to do,” said Kane.

Kane’s first major accomplishment came at the age of 14 when she released her first album, “U Can’t Stop Me,” on iTunes with help from producer Brad Cox, whom she met through Craigslist in Atlanta. It was also through Cox that she got her song “Terrified” to be played on the ABC Family show “The Lying Game”.

“Basically Brad put out the EP on iTunes and the song  became popular so he went to ABC Family and they called back saying the song was going to be on “The Lying Game”,” said Kane.

After the song was featured in the television program, Kane began to develop a larger fan base, which included fans from outside the country.  “We were watching it and it ended up being [played for] two and a half minutes. I started getting all these Tweets from people from Australia, New Zeeland, and England,” said Kane.

One of the highlights in Kane’s career was her experience on American Idol. To standout from the competition Kane decided to take a risk and rapped the song “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj for the producers instead of singing.

“There’s 3 rounds of producers before you get to the celebrity judges. I wanted to be unique so I rapped even though I don’t rap. They loved it. It was in the moment and I haven’t rapped since,” she said.

Kane says she enjoyed her experience on American Idol but afterwards could not work with any managers or try out for any reality shows for a year because she was under contract.

It was then that she decided to take her career into her own hands and not rely on television competitions to propel her forward.

“The overall experience was incredible, [but] after American Idol I decided I wanted to make my own career,” said Kane.

Keeping her songs relatable, Kane describes her musical sound as pop music with a country sound. She cited singers Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson as having a major influence on her music.

“You write what you feel, what you’ve been through,” said Kane.

Her high school experience was a rough one, which had a major impact on what she would come to write about. She was looked down on by some of her classmates because she did not drink or do drugs and was made fun of by others because she made music.

“I wouldn’t say I was bullied, no one understood what I was doing,” she said. “People looked down on me for not doing something illegal and people would also make fun of me because I made music. I think people thought I was conceited about it but I always tried not to talk about it.”

It was this experience, though, that helped influence not only her songwriting but also her as a person. She sees herself as both a performer and a role model for younger girls who might be going through similar experiences as her.

“I just know there’s 15-year-old girls in that same position I was,” Kane said. “I want to write songs that can help them. I also want to be a role model.”

Sharilyn Hernandez, communications, who has known Kane since childhood, described her as a good-hearted person who is trying to make a positive impact with her music.

“She is a very positive outgoing person and wants to make a difference through her singing by connecting with people through music,” Hernandez said. “She is a great role model for younger students. She’s done anti bullying events at elementary schools.”

Kane’s boyfriend, Ronald Mackenzie, who also acts as her guitar player, spoke of the joy he gets from performing with her.

“It’s fun being able to play music with your best friend. We play all kinds of music from pop to rock and country,” MacKenzie said.

Kane’s future goals go beyond just music. She not only hopes to be an accomplished musician but also an actress and one day write a book.

“Right now I’m focusing on acting, my singing is my thing but I’ll go out for readings,” she said. “I want to write a book one day about girls, it sounds cheesy but I just want to be someone people can look up to.”

Paul Ochoa
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