CHARLOTTE — One American Idol hopeful is a Gastonia native who’s been steadily performing around the Charlotte area for four years.
Trace Casanova is a stage name, but his friends and family do in fact call him Trace.
“100% it’s a stage name,” he told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis. “It’s too good, right?”
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All throughout middle and high school, Casanova says all he wanted to do was go home and play guitar.
“Starting out as a young musician, it’s hard to get started, and it’s a lot of work,” he said. “How I grew up in Gastonia, everything’s a little bit of hard work, so you just put the hammer to the nail and get it done.”
His hard work has finally paid off. After two prior American Idol auditions, Trace snagged the coveted golden ticket after a lounge version of “Baby Got Back.”
“I was shaking in my saddle shoes,” Casanova said. “I wasn’t perfect in that audition, but as long as you’re smiling, having fun, that’s what counts.”
It’s a performance that stayed true to his crooner style and love of older music, and in Monday night’s episode, Trace says he continued to stay true to himself.
“I showed America who I authentically am, and I’m happy about that,” he said.
Regardless of what comes next on American Idol, Trace says he wants to keep performing and start producing his own music.
If you want to join Casanova and his friends to watch the show, there will be a watch party at The Rooster in Gastonia Monday night.
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