Thirteen-year-old Sandra Castellanos felt the applause wash over her. She closed her eyes and heard the shouts of "SAN-DRA! SAN-DRA!" The reaction of the crowd to her rendition of Alicia Keyes’ "Fallin’ " left no doubt in Sandra’s mind that she had done well in the competition.
And the fact that she was onstage at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem made the experience even more meaningful.
Unfortunately, Castellanos didn’t win the Apollo Theater’s Talent Showcase Competition, held on Dec. 23. Castellanos wound up sharing fourth place with a little boy who danced to pre-recorded music. But she was glad for the experience, and she has been getting calls from industry professionals who heard about the performance.
A quietly self-confident young woman, Castellanos, a Union City resident, has been singing for "as long as I can remember."
"I was into dancing at first," she said last week. "I was a huge Michael Jackson fan and knew all his dance moves. I still know them. But then I started singing around the house, and everybody I knew encouraged me to try singing."
Castellanos started performing the National Anthem at local basketball games, Memorial Day Ceremonies and similar events. She has become somewhat of a local celebrity. Said Castellanos, "People know I sing." She said that her classmates at Columbus School in Union City ask her to sing all the time. " ‘Sandra, sing something,’ they’ll say to me."
Castellanos claims that she wasn’t nervous the first time she sang in front of an audience. "The first time was…probably when I was 10 years old. I sang at the Park Theater [in Union City]. I sang ‘Reflection’ by Christina Aguilera." She added, "My first time onstage felt good. I wasn’t nervous at all."
For those who are surprised at Castellanos’ seemingly cavalier attitude towards doing something that would freeze most people in place, Castellanos’ mentor, Union City Police Officer Octavio Orazco, summed it up this way: "She’s a natural. She feels she should be up there."
Being from Union City means a lot to Castellanos. "Oh definitely," she said. "I mean, I am growing up here. Even if I go somewhere else, I’ll always be from Union City. It means a lot to me."
Union City’s version of "Jenny from the Block"? Maybe. Castellanos also said that she absolutely wants to make a career out of the gift she’s been given.
"My dad and I used to drive past the Apollo Theater and he always said ‘you’re gonna be there one day,’ " she said, "and I was."
A little dispute
Still, there were some who were suspicious of the fact that Castellanos did not place higher in the competition.
"I was upset; I was crying," said Castellanos. "The whole place was shouting my name. I got more applause than anybody else."
There was a contingent of "Castellanos Supporters" on hand, but according to her mentor and sponsor Union City Police Officer Octavio Orazco, most of the people in the audience did not know Sandra and were simply reacting viscerally to her rousing performance.
Orazco suggested that something else was at work that night. "It was political," said Orazco. "After her performance they [competition officials] said they needed an ‘applause meter,’ but there was no such thing there. The performances weren’t being judged that way." Orazco added, "I’m not sure what happened backstage, but there was an incident – one of the officials wanted to know how old Sandra was and she didn’t want her age announced."
Castellanos said about the incident, "I just didn’t think it mattered how old I was. I didn’t feel like telling her."
If Castellanos had won the competition, she would have received $1,000 and a chance to meet with various record company executives to discuss a recording contract.
It may not matter anyway, as the young singer caught the ears and eyes of comedian Capone, who was the host of the event. She also has been contacted by various independent record companies. Clearly, Castellanos, who has all of high school ahead of her, has much time to become a singing sensation.