Segerstrom Center for the Arts presented its first center talent competition for OC Center Stage this summer. More than 120 people submitted entries for the contest and eventually it came down to 12.

The finalists competed for a $1,000 prize. Each contestant had about six minutes to impress the audience and shared something special when they performed on the Argyros Stage. 

(Nick Koon)

Three of the finalists were Irvine residents, and included funk band Undecided Future (2nd Runner-Up), 11-year-old singer Ayn Liu (1st Runner-Up) and ukulele vocalist Saveena Patel (Top 5) who sang her original hit “Wonderland.” Patel wrote this song to cope with stress while working on college applications and the song helped her gravitate to a peaceful mindset. “I just took my skateboard and my ukulele and I skated off to a random place and I wanted to let my emotions out,” she said. “So I just started to write this song and my stress started to go away. It was my escape.”

Saveena Patel (Segerstrom)

Patel, a 17-year-old who started writing music when she was 9 years old, always felt a passion for performing in front of an audience because it pushes her out of her comfort zone and lets her vulnerability connect with others. “You get to reveal all your emotions to people that may not know you on stage and it’s very vulnerable because I’m talking about a very personal topic, but other people may interpret it differently because the lyrics are very open. So performing, especially at Segerstrom, where there are so many other talented people and we all get to share our love of the arts together, I think it’s such an incredible experience.”

Liu, a sixth grader at Westpark Elementary, has been singing for several years. She said she started singing around the time she began talking and eventually made her way to playing the guitar and ukulele. With her impeccable voice and unique stature, audiences were bound to get a kick out of her. “I want them to feel my love of music because I want to share that with everyone,” she said. “I want them to feel happy and liking my music.”

According to singer’s father, Jeff Liu, his daughter picked up her musical talent all on her own. He has no idea where she got it from, but he couldn’t be more proud of his child for making it to Segerstrom.

Undecided Future (Segerstrom)

Nick Stone, who does keyboards and vocals for Undecided Future, played an original song for their time on stage. Stone is no stranger to Segerstrom ⁠— he saw a lot of shows with his parents there and he was one of the theater’s volunteers. Now that he’s an official performer there, he and the rest of the band were humbled to put on a show that audiences would remember. “The goal would be to have everyone on their feet and dancing like maniacs. We’re playing a super upbeat song, super fun, funky type jam,” Stone said before his performance. “We just want people to have fun.”

The other finalists were 3LH, Chapis, NUAGE, Miguel Pulido, Jaelle, SK x KM, Kelela Rose Dance, Snappy Tappers and Leilani Benton. The night was hosted by sports host Dameion Lucky Smith.

This contest was started by Jason Holland, vice president, community engagement. “There is so much incredible talent right here in Orange County,” Holland said in a press release. “At Segerstrom Center for the Arts we are committed to working with and supporting local artists. We want them staying in Orange County; living, working and creating in our community. It brings value to our cities, it attracts businesses and it brings us all together! OC Center Stage is another forum for us to shine a light on the diverse wealth of artists in our area and will hopefully serve to inspire and propel these artists further toward their goals.”

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