At just 15 years old, ‘Showtime at the Apollo’ winner Cam Anthony hopes to add his own flavor to the music industry.
“I’m looking forward to a lot of people to hear my music and change the way people see the music industry right now,” said Anthony. “Give them the chance to hear something, you know, new and exciting.”
The young, radiant artist began singing when his mother overheard him humming along to a Folger’s Coffee commercial. At a mere 4 years old, Anthony’s uncanny talent already blew his mom away.
“My mom, she was like ‘oh, he can sing.’ So my dad, he started to train me and teach me how to use my voice and then I started singing at church,” added the emerging star. “At 11 years old, I put up my first YouTube video, and we woke up maybe two days later, and it was on fire.”
The online sensation continued to share his singing talents online until signing up to compete on Steve Harvey’s ‘Showtime at the Apollo.’ But before his time on the show, Anthony already dipped his toes into the realm of real-deal performance when he sang on ‘The Ellen Show’ at just 12 years old. He then transitioned to perform at the White House for both President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama about two years ago.
Anthony’s impressive experiences enabled him to feel a bit more comfortable in front of larger audiences, but could never take away the awe of performing on such a historic platform.
“Well the fact that it’s the Apollo, that’s a legendary stage. […] It’s not every day you get to perform on a stage that Michael Jackson performed on, so just the idea of that kind of had me nervous and excited for what’s to come,” added Anthony.
Anthony, whom is currently working on his first album, hopes that his friendships with fellow contestants Sarah Ikumu and Eli Hannon, who shares his love and admiration for esteemed musician Bruno Mars, last a lifetime and lead to potential, future collaborations.
“Bruno Mars […] has so much swag on the stage. He can just hold the stage for hours. And then his voice is crazy. He can dance his behind off, you know, he has the whole package and I think that’s something I aspire to be,” added Anthony.
Although the vibrant, emerging artist is still shaping out the first stepping-stones of his career, his wise-beyond-his-years disposition is undeniable. Anthony believes that patience for young artists is crucial for success in any field and for any dream worth dreaming.
“It takes a lot of time, and when you have patience, it takes a lot of stress off you because you’re not worried about certain things,” concluded Anthony. “Hard work is very important and if you get your mind, body and soul together, if you have that all in sync, you’ll go far.”
