For Paris Bennett, music is a family affair

[felix]

For Paris Bennett, music is a family affair
The "American Idol" semifinalist got her singing start in a talented Twin Cities family, some of whom were performers with Sounds of Blackness.

Rohan Preston, Star Tribune

Last update: February 21, 2006 – 9:54 AM

"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell has a well-earned reputation as a snarky cynic who is merciless to the sad saps who audition before him. But Cowell was so bowled over recent telecasts of "Idol" by contestant Paris Bennett, 17, that he has been rendered nearly speechless.

"Unbelievable!" Cowell exclaimed after Bennett delivered in her soulful, sometimes saucy, voice. "Where have you been hiding?"

On Twin Cities' stages and in plain sight -- if you call that hiding.

Long before she became an "Idol" contender -- major national publications have predicted that she's the one to beat for the "Idol" title, and she'll appear Wednesday night with 11 other female singers -- Bennett impressed audiences here with her powerful voice and sweet personality.

She was featured in Penumbra Theatre's "Black Nativity" in 2004, sharing a song with Cameron Hughes, 15, another local phenom.

Bennett also appeared in "Once on This Island" at Children's Theatre Company. Perhaps her biggest role to date has been as Dorothy in "The Wiz" at Edina High School in fall 2003.

There, the drama teacher was so impressed with Bennett, he picked a show just so he could see her perform.

"Every year, I ask the students in my intro drama class to share an object, and when Paris came, she chose a song," said Tony Matthes, who has taught at Edina for nine years. "Paris sang a gospel song that she had done at her aunt's funeral. It just blew us away. It gave me an idea for our next school musical."

For Bennett, singing comes naturally. Both her mother, recording artist Jamecia Bennett, and her grandmother, powerhouse singer Ann Nesby, are former members of the Grammy-winning Twin Cities-based gospel choir Sounds of Blackness. Both Jamecia Bennett and Nesby have released solo recordings and both are well-known to such industry insiders as producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Local singer/performer Dennis Spears is a cousin.

If she inherited talent, Bennett, who did hip hop at jazz dance at Edina High School, has worked hard to hone it, said actor, singer and director T. Mychael Rambo.

Working to hone skills

"She comes from a family of music, where this gift is second nature, but she adds something different to what her mother and grandmother do," said Rambo, who has known Bennett since she was 6 or 7 and cast her two years ago in "Nativity."

"There's a charm and special sense of connection in her voice, a richness, innocence, honesty and depth. For a young woman her age, it's unparalleled. And it's nice that she's also humble and sincere."

Bennett, who moved to Fayetteville, Ga., south of Atlanta, in 2004, said that she is happy to have grown up in Minnesota under the tutelage of such mentors as "Nativity" directors Rambo and Lou Bellamy.

"I'm honored to know that they speak highly of me but I'm the one who's honored to have worked with them," Bennett said in a call from Hollywood. "It built me not just as a performer but as a person, my character."

"I'm a big concert-head, so going to shows at the Target Center was a big thing for me," said Bennett.

One of Bennett's favorite concerts was the one headlined by Usher and opening act Kanye West at the Target Center in September 2004.

"My mother did back-up work on [Usher's chart-topping album] 'Confessions,'" Bennett said. "I got to go backstage and meet them. That was really cool."

Much of her access was facilitated by her stepfather, Ned Abdul, a downtown developer who is head of Swervo Development. "He's not the only father that I know but he's the only one I speak highly of," she said.

Connections or competition

Now Bennett, who once shook pompoms as an Edina cheerleader, is playing on her biggest stage yet, a development that makes her family extremely nervous -- and tight-lipped. Citing a Fox TV contract that they do not want to jeopardize, they have refused to comment on where she will end up. (The interview with the "Idol" contestant was a tightly controlled affair with several people on the line.)

But we can glean that she's a top contender. And the family -- including her mother and grandmother -- has moved to Hollywood through at least May, according to a family member, to do all they can to support Bennett in her "Idol" tryout.

The question on many minds, though, is not where Bennett might go on "Idol," but whether someone with such a music-industry pedigree -- big-name producers and talent scouts already knew about her -- should be in the running at all. Isn't "Idol" for those with talent, but no serious connections, like single-mom Fantasia Barrino?

"That's a tough business, and that girl didn't get in there through her mama or grandmama or any connections," said Penumbra director Bellamy, slightly peeved by the question. "She has earned her way -- shoot."

Regardless of the outcome, Bennett will have a lot of memories. "Idol" judge Randy Jackson showed that he was impressed during one of her "Take Five" performances, when he spontaneously let out a "hmm," as if enjoying a great meal. And "Idol" judge Paula Abdul followed that with a gushing: "We feel blessed by your presence."

More and more people may begin to feel that way.

source:
http://www.startribune.com/457/story/259083.html --Message edité par felix le 2006-03-29 20:52:49--