Alinka Chambers
 Age: 25 "I auditioned for Canadian Idol because I believe with all my heart that I was born to be a star. I have so much to offer the world, and the stage is my best friend." Alinka Chambers says she started to sing when she was five but everyone told her that she "sucked." So she retreated to the privacy of her bedroom where she practiced on her own. Then, at the age of 10, she was "discovered" by her brothers who asked her to sing a song out of the blue. They were "impressed and amazed," she says. "The day was one of the most memorable experiences of my life." Alinka, who comes from a closely-knit extended family with 10 siblings, belonged to a singing group in high school that played clubs, carnivals and fashion shows. While in university, Alinka received a nine-month contract to sing aboard a cruise ship in the Greek and Turkish islands. Now, she's an aspiring children's theatre producer and has started up her own theatre company called Infinity Arts Studio. Last summer, Alinka produced a show called "Born to Be a Star!" featuring kids aged four to eighteen. "If there's one thing I love, it's to see children shine," she says. Alinka says that one day she wants to be "one of the richest women in the world" and says her favourite book is 31 Reasons Why People Don't Receive Their Financial Freedom. She loves Avril Lavigne, Nicole Kidman, seafood and the colour pink. The song title that describes her best? Man, I Feel Like a Woman! "I love the feeling of being a girl!" she says.
Alinka's fun facts: Which musical act would you most like to see in concert? Janet or Michael Jackson
What has been the biggest accomplishment of your life? My biggest accomplishment was in the year of 2004 when I produced two shows. What are you the most proud of? Which item could you not live without? I cannot live without music. I think music is the essence of my being. Music takes me to another place every time I listen to it. Just thinking about the art of music brings chills to my spine. I love it... If music did not exist, then I wouldn't have a purpose because every single aspect of my calling involves the art of music. Life without music to me would have no meaning. What's been the best day of your life? The best day of my life was when my oldest brother Don realized that I could sing. I remember that day like it was yesterday. He was writing some songs and he just casually asked me to sing him a song so I did. This was the first time that he had ever heard me sing a tune. That was the best day of my life because I was so used to people telling me that I could not sing and I knew that on that particular day things would be different from then on. It was a childhood dream of mine to become a singer one day and now I am. If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be and why? The thing that has gotten me so far in this competition is all the boot camp training that my brothers, Robert and Don put me through in the previous years of my life. I have never had any professional training for singing, but the training that they gave me for free, was probably good enough. They taught me how to stay in tune, harmonize, focus, and create a stage for myself. In other words, 'stage presence'. Also, along with all the work that I put into every one of my performances during the boot camp week of Canadian Idol, I had a guardian angel watching over me. Also everyday, I would listen carefully to every instruction we received from the judges/producers, then I would go to my hotel room and work on the songs that we were given the for the next day. The next morning I would wake up early, practice, eat breakfast and make sure that I am in the lobby on time. Then when I got into the theatre, there was my guardian angel. As well, my mother is a very important ingredient in the reason for my success. She has been my rock, my shield, my everything. What will it take for you to become the Canadian Idol? Whose career path would you like to follow and why? A career path I would like follow would be of a very prominent man in Australia named, Peter Daniels. He's one of the richest men in the world who helped create many other Millionaires. He does motivational speeches all over the world and creates motivational packages that help to make ambitious people rich. What part of the Canadian Idol experience has surprised you the most? The thing that surprised me the most was how nice and friendly the staff at Canadian Idol were to all of us. It was unbelievable! I honestly thought that the people backstage for such a big show like this, would be so stressed out and focused that they wouldn't have time to be nice. But to my surprise, they were very compassionate and sensitive to everyone. When I first got there, a guy from the previous year of Canadian Idol said to me, "Oh Jen and Sarah are awesome!" and I thought to myself, "Well how do you know that?", because I didn't know that the staff interacted with us on such an intimate level, but now I know. Wow! That is something that I did not expect. What did you learn about yourself during the Top 100? I learned that, when you work hard and follow instructions, it really pays off. Just simple instructions like, "Get enough sleep" helped me a whole lot. I'm the kind of person that usually stays up until late hours of the night and if I did not hear the Canadian idol instructors say, "Get sleep", I probably would have blew my chances for the top 32. What was your reaction when you made the Top 32? I was so overwhelmed with excitement. I was surprised and happy at the same time. It felt like I was living in a dream. Before the judges came in to talk to us, I sat down and went over every single one of my performances. I thought of all the pros and cons on how I did within that week and weighed them. To get rid of my jitters, I had pleasant conversations with some of the competitors while trying to console some of the other competitors. Then when the judges finally came in and told us the good news, my heart almost flew out of my chest! My mother is the greatest inspiration of my life. Years ago I asked God to make me just like her, but I think I still have a way to go. She inspires me more than anyone else in this world. I always say to her, that it is impossible for her to be the way she is. She's too good. There is no one like her. She's the greatest person who ever lived. She is like an angel. Who has helped to make you the singer you are today? My two brothers, Don and Robert helped to make me the singer that I am today. They worked with me for years since I was young. They unknowingly prepared me for such a time as this. What song touches you the most? Why does it affect you so much? The song that touches me the most is this gospel song called, "Running Back To You" by a group named "Commissioned". I love this song because the writer put so much heart into it. The lyrics and the melody together, just grips me. The words are so powerful that every time I hear my uncle sing it, it makes me cry. (And I am not a cryer) Every time I hear this song it makes me overlook my life and check if I am or have been living right. What do you do to keep your nerves in check during the competition? I have never been able to keep my nerves totally in check. I am usually nervous. I mean when people watch me perform, to them I look very confident but the truth is, I am nervous. My nerves go up and down depending on the situation. I tried breathing techniques, it doesn't work. I tried laughing, it doesn't work. I also tried listening to music but that doesn't work either. I even tried to find my 'happy place' and that didn't cut it either. Conclusion? I'm not sure how to keep my nerves in check. How has this competition changed you? This competition has helped me to believe in myself a whole lot more. It has also helped me to realize more that dreams do come true even though my dreams haven't fully come true yet. But now I strongly believe that maybe one day it will happen.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? The words or phrases that I most overuse are, "Geese!" , "What ever!" , "Are you serious?" , "Life's rough" , and "Yeah right". |
