NIKA LEANDRA'S BOOKS

Please only males for stardom  Hi everyone! Just the other day we were watching a brief concert of a heart throb and teenage star. Neither one liked what we were seeing and listening to, but hundreds if not thousands of teenagers did - 99% of whom were female. This seems to be the norm especially on this continent. My husband keeps telling me that quite naturally girls vote for guys rather than girls, and that there's nothing one can do about it. Really? The reason why this is gradually rubbing me the wrong way is such that we are both entertainers ourselves, and I have been witnessing quite some rejection over the years. Neither have I ever been taken seriously here, nor have I ever stood a realistic chance to win in a singing contest due to the fact that I am female, and the males rooting for me are just marginal percentage wise. My significant other, on the other hand, will always be dealt better cards regardless of his vocal performance. As a female Elvis singer I certainly set the bar for myself high enough as to become eligible to even enter international contests which means, I would never want to display myself as a spoof of bad taste or choice. I was working hard on my vocals for many years, and in fact I became that good at it that I would knock two thirds of the competitors out of the water, as people often put it. Nevertheless, I was never going to ever reach the finals, let alone achieve more. Six years ago, I returned to Canada where I had competed a few times before already. It really looked as if I was finally going to make it among the ten best that time, but nobody saw coming what was happening next. There was one spot left to complete the list of that year's finalists, but instead of putting my name there, the judges decided to take in a mentally handicapped kid of 19 or 20 who could not even hold a simple tune! I was furious, but this was only the beginning of a series of humiliations which was quite contrary to what I had experienced in Europe.
I am seriously made believe that I should count my blessings and be happy that I am given the privilege to sing along with my partner as without him I would still be nothing. Fantastic indeed! Through the years I have had the pleasure to meet and talk to a few 'wickedly' talented female singers, and you know what, they all said the same. The technically worst singer will always be considered better than the best female singer as long as he is a he! Time and time again, this pattern has recurred on talent shows like American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc. Brilliant female singers often cannot hold a candle to their male colleagues for reasons that have nothing to do with judging the contestans' vocal abilities. Girls vote for male singers primarily because of their looks, charms and sex- appeal. Thus females with good or even better voices are most unlikely to ever score high enough to ultimately enjoy the lime- light the same way male singers usually do.
I am just an average and fading singer who has reached the end of a long and thorny road, but there are thousands of highly gifted female singers out there that are hoping and dreaming of a singing career. Many, no most of them will never make it, I'm afraid because superficiality is the nature of this game. And this is truly a shame!