A Big Brother & American Idol blend
A Houstonian takes his shot at being Mexico's next pop idol on La Academia
Garcia grew up in Monterrey, Mexico where he performed with the arts group,Groupo Escenico Musical Monterrey (GEMM).
For one year before moving the to U.S., Garcia sang at a bar in Queretaro,Mexico after leaving GEMM.
Now, Garcia is trying to follow the path Yuridia took to international stardom.Yuridia/Facebook
The sky outside of his friend's townhome hangs closer to our heads than it would anywhere else in the city. Dreams seem within reach here, in a labyrinth of miniature homes dwarfed by the neighboring Houston skyline.
Twenty-four-year-old Alejandro Canales Garcia, recently bested other Houston youths in a competition at Greenspoint Mall to win an audition on the reality TV show La Academia on AztecaTV. For those of you who don’t frequent Spanish-language television or haven’t seen the show, the production of La Academia is a mix between Big Brother and American Idol.
Garcia first leapt onto the stage in a Mexican adaptation of “Cats” in his hometown Monterrey, Mexico. This is his second year living in the United States, after moving from Mexico to seek a career in the performing arts. Adjusting was difficult for the social butterfly.
“I’m usually really good at adapting to new places,” Garcia says. “And it was also hard leaving my friends in Mexico.”
Frustration met Garcia on a daily basis at his cosmetology class his first year in Houston. Although Garcia says the majority of his classmates had Latino backgrounds, they would still mock his accent and inability to understand English at times. He switched to a Spanish version of the course later on, despite his hopes of swiftly assimilating into American culture.
Garcia realized he could not sacrifice his confidence for accommodation’s sake — his craft and education were too important for that. Now in preparation for the biggest opportunity of his life yet, Garcia vows that he won’t let anyone bring him down — emotionally, at least.
“I know I won’t feel bad about losing, as long as I know I did my best,” Garcia says.
If Garcia comes out the victor against the contestants representing various major U.S. cities, he’ll land a spot on the show and receive pop star-grooming from the best teachers in the Mexican music industry. Yuridia, who finished second on La Academia in 2005, turned into an international star. Yuridia reached No. 1 on the top-selling Mexican charts in 2007 with her third album.
Garcia believes La Academia could also take him to the top.
“Only those who risk great failures, are capable of great successes,” Garcia says.
Garcia is flying to Los Angeles Friday for his next audition. He says his musical role models include: Luis Fonsi, Yuri, Lolita Cortes and Idina Menzel.
Alejandro Canales Garcia records a little something for CultureMap:
