Getting ready to rock

Deirdre Newman

COSTA MESA -- Bedecked in patriotic red, white and blue BrandiJo

Kistler belted out a soulful rendition of “America the Beautiful,” a song

that takes full advantage of her soulful, bluesy style.

BrandiJo is a vocal tour de force, whose range and poise belies her

mere 11 years. On Saturday, she performed with her dancers -- the Bubble

Gum Kids -- at the Orange County fairgrounds, in preparation for a show

at Edwards Air Force Base later this month. The show is for the children

of soldiers currently fighting in Afghanistan.

The Newport Beach resident was invited to perform at the base because

she and her dancers personify every child’s dream, said Marsi Roberson,

producer of Animal Crackers Entertainment.

“They’re just so fresh and the fact that they’re not polished makes

them like any kid who wants to be a performer,” Roberson said.

While her dancers may be called the Bubble Gum Kids, BrandiJo’s voice

is as rich as tiramisu. She has been singing and performing since she was

4, when she spontaneously got up to do karaoke and blew the audience

away.

Saturday was the first time she performed with her new group, which

will soon be changing its name from The Bubble Gum Kids to Rock Candy,

reflecting BrandiJo’s diverse repertoire of light pop songs and emotional

ballads.

In addition to “America the Beautiful,” some of the other songs

BrandiJo sang at the fairgrounds included “Proud Mary”, “I Want to Be

Bad”, “SuperGirl” and “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” by the Andrews

sisters, who also used to tour military bases.

BrandiJo said she has a surefire way of choosing which ballads she

will sing.

“My mom and her friend come over and if they cry, we know it’s good,”

she said.

She also has a successful technique for infusing her songs with

emotion.

“When I sing bluesy songs, I think about my grandmother who died,”

BrandiJo said. “For the lighter ones, I think about what the song means

and transform it into something meaningful to me.”

Many of the people who heard BrandiJo sing at the fairgrounds were

moved by the experience.

Amanda Jones said BrandiJo’s singing took her breath away.

“Her voice does not belong in her body,” Jones said. “It seems to come

from somewhere else like something is going through her.”

And Fred Hernandez was impressed with the young singer’s potential.

“By the time she’s 18, she’ll be killing it,” Hernandez said. “Most

singers have to struggle with shyness and timidity, but she doesn’t have

a problem with that.”

-- Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .