American Idol contestant goes from HOWARD BEACH TO HOLLYWOOD

As the popularity of “American Idol” has continued to increase during its six seasons, many hopefuls turn out every year to audition in an effort to get their shot at fame. Howard Beach resident Pia Toscano, 18, was one of those hopefuls, and was one of the select few to make it past the auditioning stage and on to Hollywood week.
Last August, Toscano decided to audition for “American Idol” when the show came to New York, marking the second time she had done so. The year before, she had gone to Las Vegas to audition in an attempt to get on the show as part of a last minute decision. Although Toscano said her initial audition experience was not a great one, she decided to try again last summer.
During her audition in front of infamous judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and guest judge Carole Bayer Sager, Toscano sang the Jackson 5 song “Who’s Loving You” and Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” This year, her performance earned her one of the show’s “golden tickets,” which meant she had made it through to Hollywood.
“I was in shock,” said Toscano, who lives with parents Pat and Jane and has an older sister, Kim. “It’s such a great feeling. That was probably the best feeling in the world.”
Of the 100,000 people who auditioned for the sixth season of “American Idol,” only 171 made it through to Hollywood, including about 114 young women.
During the first round of auditions in Hollywood week, contestants were divided into groups of six. Each had a chance to sing and then the group was lined up on stage and told whether they would be moving on to the next round.
When it was Toscano’s turn, she sang “One Moment in Time,” also a Houston song. Although she said she felt she did well with the song and was proud of herself, she did not advance to the next round.
However, Toscano said that she did learn a lot from her “American Idol” experience, including a great deal about herself, and also made many friends. She said that she has learned to enjoy herself more and how to use a different side of her voice.
“It was so much fun and it was such a blessing even just to make it to Hollywood,” Toscano said. She continued, “Now that I look at the whole experience, I’m so glad to be a part of it.”
Toscano has been singing since she was about five or six, and started dance school when she was two and a half. By the time she was 12, she was performing the National Anthem at her junior high school and eventually at games for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
“I was very much into performing,” she said.
When it came time for high school, Toscano knew that she wanted to attend a school where she could pursue music so she went to LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. She graduated from the school in 2006. Toscano said that when she first got to the school, she was very shy, but went on to audition for every show while perfecting her performance skills.
“LaGuardia for me was my best experience because I was performing every week,” Toscano said. “I started off as a very small fish in a very big pond.”
Toscano and other members of the school were part of a choir that sang with Josh Groban when he performed “You Raise Me Up” in New York venues such as Madison Square Garden, the PNC Bank Arts Center and Jones Beach. She was also one of the soloists to open up for the Bare Naked Ladies.
While at LaGuardia, Toscano realized how much she loved performing and that it was something she wanted to do professionally.
“The fact that you can put a smile on someone’s face just from singing or your music, that’s a really good feeling,” said Toscano, who also writes music.
Following her “American Idol” experiences, Toscano has been working on putting together a demo of her original music to take to record companies to pursue her goal of getting a deal. She also said that she wants to be a big part of her music and not have others writing for her.
Toscano will also be watching “American Idol” this season, rooting for Lakisha Jones, a 27-year-old from Fort Meade, Maryland.
“I think she’s the best talent that they have in the top 24,” said Toscano, who said she is already thinking about auditioning for the show next year. “She was just the sweetest thing and I think she deserves this more than anything.”
For more information on Toscano or to hear her music, visit www.myspace.com/piatoscano.