Wai'anae boy gets his dream
On Paul Robins' 12th birthday last month, one of Oprah Winfrey's producers knocked on his door in Wai'anae. "I'm here to make your wildest dream come true," she told him, as a camera crew and Tahitian dancers trailed behind her, promising Paul an appearance on "Oprah".
For a sixth-grade karaoke fan and would-be professional singer who dreamed of performing on Oprah's stage, life couldn't get much better - or so he thought. After producers heard a tape the Robins family sent the show a few months ago of Paul belting out some tunes, in response to Oprah's promise to fulfill the "wildest dreams" of some lucky fans, Paul was chosen. In preparation for his Oprah appearance, the show sent the 12-year-old and his parents, Roy and Laurie, to Los Angeles for a taping with a voice coach at Jim Henson Studio.
That's when Paul got another exquisite surprise: Mariah Carey, one of his singing idols, walked in to coach him herself. Paul has already earned other recognition in his pursuit of a singing career. He won a Tiny Tadani karaoke contest in 2002 and a competition last year at Don Ho's Island Grill. The sixth-grader has also performed for the governor and mayor. But this was a definite highlight.
"I want to be a singer and a gourmet chef," said Paul, who left Leihoku Elementary last month to be home-schooled at the time of his national debut. "That's, like, my main goals in life." Meeting Carey was "very fun for me," he said. "All the surprises were cool."
Paul also met "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson, and singer Josh Groban gave him a backstage pep talk before his appearance on Oprah. Tune in today to hear him sing karaoke-style to a Carey song for a national audience. "I was just in awe," Paul said. "I was so happy." (Honolulu Advertiser)
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