Q&A with Catherine Ochoa on Amateur Night at the Apollo

“I always wanted to be in the music industry,” says Catherine Ochoa on winning first prize in the opening installment of this year’s Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater on Feb. 1, marking the 78th year of the world’s original amateur competition.

Of El Salvadoran heritage and hailing from the Bronx, Ochoa began singing at age five. As her voice developed, she attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts (immortalized in the 1980 film Fame). Now 18, Ochoa is in her first year at Pace University studying music business while continuing to appear in live performances and competitions on and off campus.

In this exclusive interview, I spoke with Ochoa about her professional hopes and dreams, the process and preparation for a date at the Apollo, and her impromptu performance with Michael Buble.

How have things changed for you since your win?

I’ve participated in a lot of singing competitions, but none of them have ever been as big and as grand as Amateur Night at the Apollo, so I feel like personally, it’s an accomplishment for me because I got to share the stage that so many legendary artists have performed on, but also all my friends and my family were there to see me win, so it’s been one of the greatest prizes so far for me.

What sparked your interest in music?

I started singing since I was five. I had a kindergarten teacher who always played music with us. I started singing at my church; my mom put me in the school plays and acting. So after seeing that teacher of mine—her name is Miss Perkins and she used to play the piano—it really sparked me to pursue my interest, and I always knew that I had a gift and I wanted to share with everyone.

Do you play any musical instruments as well?

I play the piano and the guitar.

You started those around the same time, or did that come after the singing?

The piano I taught myself, when I was around 10. The guitar I just recently started last year when I took classes at my high school. And then from there I was messing around with guitar chords and making things up.

Who were your personal and musical influences growing up?

Personal, my mom. She’s always been a fighter and she’s taught me to pursue everything I can with determination that it’ll happen. Musical is Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Selena [Quintanilla-Pérez]—she’s a musical legend for me. It’s a lot of the divas in the music business, you know? (Laughs.)

Selena’s a great film.

I remember copying her dance moves and learning her songs and I was like, “I want to be up there one day.” Because I was very young when that movie came out.

What are some memorable Apollo moments to you?

I remember Michael Jackson being there—the Jackson 5. And also the great artists that have performed there as well. For me, I think Michael Jackson was the most memorable because he was such a legend. And it was just great to see him do his performance with the Jackson 5 and later on. He was the cutest, so that one.

Had you seen any shows at the Apollo prior to your appearance?

No, I actually haven’t. I just decided to try out to see what would happen and I got in, and I always wanted to sing at the Apollo but I never dreamed that I actually would.

It was your first time to go into the theater and stand on that stage?

Mm-hmm, it was the first time.

That must have been heart-pounding.

[Emphatically] I know, it was very interesting, because I didn’t know that people would actually boo you—I had heard, but I didn’t know that they would actually do it and not stop, like for some of the other contestants. Thankfully, it didn’t happen to me because I fought through it and I tried to let them know that I could sing. But it was interesting and it was a really memorable experience and I loved it. I thought it was great.

Are there any other shows you’ve seen in New York that really made an impression on you?

I’ve seen In the Heights on Broadway. I’ve seen a lot of Broadway musicals, and I also saw Michael Buble—I won tickets to see him sing, and I love him. I actually sang for him, too, and he was like, “Wow, you’ve really got something, you should definitely pursue it,” and I was like, “I will.” I’m going to sing with him one day.

How did you get a chance to sing for him?

I went to a meet and greet for his latest CD signing, and when I went up to get my CD signed I just started singing for him, and he just sang with me. I sang his song “Haven’t Met You Yet,” and he harmonized with me. I thought that was really cool.

Where have you performed before?

Since I went to the LaGuardia High School, I’ve performed at Carnegie Hall with courses, and we performed on the LaGuardia stage as well. We did a criminal justice event that was talking about abused victims, and I got to sing at one of the Brooklyn courthouses where they were doing that, so I had a solo. I also sang at the Iguana New York , which is run by Billy Shepard and Judi Jordan, and I started singing there when I was 12. That’s in the city at 54th Street and Broadway, and I’ve sang there for many years now.

Do you have a favorite performance out of all of those?

I think the ones at my high school were some of my favorites, especially our talent shows, because so many people have come from my high school, as well, including Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Aniston, and the crowd there is just so amazing and it always gets sold out, so it’s always a great feeling.

Tell us about the process for entering the Apollo’s Amateur Night.

I auditioned about two years ago when I was 16. I had just turned 16, and I actually didn’t make it through, and I saw one of my friends there from my high school as well, and she didn’t make it through, either. So I was like, “Oh, it’s okay.” And last year they passed by—I didn’t even mark it on my calendar. So this year I was like, “I have to audition.” So I got there extremely early, and I also decided to sing for the camera crew when they were walking by, so they have that first day with me singing “Fallin’.” It was really cold; I remember that. And then when I went in I got a little nervous, because I saw that you sing it literally in front of everyone—the producers and casting and all the other contestants. So I went up and then I just hoped for the best and thankfully I got through, and look—I won the first round.

How did you prepare for your debut?

I practiced a lot. I practice about two hours every day. I have a lot of discipline when it comes to singing, because it’s an instrument that you have to keep training so that it can get better and better. I practiced about two hours with different songs and vocal warm-ups, and I worked on my stage presence. It’s really just about feeling the moment and having fun, so when I went onto the stage I knew I had to sing like it was my last time ever and just give the audience everything.

How do you rehearse for something like this if you don’t get to use the stage? Take us through your process.

What I do first is—I’m trained in opera; I just do my vocal warm-ups that we learned in class, and I also have my mom and my sister, I have two cats and they love hearing me sing; they literally sit in front of me and hear me when I’m singing, so they’re my audience. And once I finish my vocal warm-ups I practice by myself for about an hour—just the song and whether I’m hitting every note correctly and whether I’m capturing the right emotion, and I record myself whether it’s on my laptop or on my camcorder. And I go back and review it and see how I can improve for the next one. Then when I feel like I’m satisfied with it, I go on and show it to my mom and my sister and my mom gives me her critique on it, and then my sister lets me know what she thinks, so then from there we go on and we work. So that’s what I did to perform for the Apollo.

The song you picked was Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’.” How did you choose that song, and what does it mean to you?

I’ve always wanted to sing that song. Right now I haven’t been in love with someone to keep falling in and out of it, but I know how others could feel like that, because I have friends who keep falling in and out of love with their boyfriends, you know? We’re young. I always wanted to sing that song because I remember when it first came out everyone loved it, and I love Alicia Keys. It was a song that had that great vibe to it and had to have so much attitude, so I thought it was the perfect song to really debut at the Apollo as an artist and to show exactly what kind of music I like and what kind of singer I really am.

How satisfied were you with your performance?

I actually was pretty satisfied with it. I think what I would have done differently is just point to the people in the balcony and acknowledge them as well, because I think the audience should be a big part of the performance. I actually did not know there were so many people up there, but I’ll keep that in mind for the next performance. Vocally, I think I was very happy with what I did. I think it was great.

Something that surprised you when performing onstage to a full house at the Apollo was…

For me, what surprised me was when I hadn’t even started singing and they booed me (laughs). That was pretty surprising. I was like, “What?! I haven’t even opened my mouth. What are you people doing?” But then once I started singing, I was happy that they realized that I was there to win, you know? I was also very surprised at how amazing the band is—they’re just great. It’s the legendary Apollo Band, and they really worked with me to get my song exactly where they wanted it to be, and the arrangement. And also, how packed it was. I knew it would sell out, but I didn’t know it held that many people. So it was fun to have my first humongous crowd cheering.

You brought them back.

Yeah.

A saw a video of Lauryn Hill performing there, and she was 13 at the time. People are booing for the first half of it, and by the end they’re mesmerized.

I know! That’s why for people who get booed, it’s okay, because the most legendary artists—like Lauryn Hill, look at where she is now, and she got booed. So…

There’s no way you can’t prove yourself.

It helps you to grow; it’s a learning experience. I know I’ve gone on auditions for things and maybe I didn’t get it, but I know there’s something better in store.

What was it like watching Jennifer Holliday’s performance up close that night?

Oh my God, she brought me to church. That girl can sing. I admire her so much as one of the original Dreamgirls. And when she sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” she brought it down. It was amazing. I just love it when I can emotionally connect to what a singer is singing about, and she just completely emoted everything and gave me chills.

What happens next? When will you return to the Apollo for the next round?

I’ll be coming back to the Apollo February 29th at 7:30, and I will be singing “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston.

It seems like every show I’ve seen at the Apollo, there’s always a little bit of Whitney in there.

(Laughs.) Yeah, because everyone wants that great power ballad, you know?

Who would you most like to perform with?

Christina Aguilera or Alicia Keys, any one of those two.

What’s your dream?

My dream is to just be someone who’s able to share their talent with the world, just like Beyoncé, Justin Bieber and all those artists out there that have grown so much and get to touch different people with their music. I just want to have people relate to the same things I’m going through, and share my gift with everyone.

Any other messages you want to share as we wrap up?

Pursue any dream you have, and I hope a lot of people come in and tune in to the Apollo on February 29th and watch me perform and vote for me!

Amateur Night at the Apollo is held Wednesdays through Oct. 31. Catherine returns on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, click here. Visit Catherine’s YouTube channel at catheysings123 for performance videos. Visit the Apollo online at www.apollotheater.org.

Thoughts on this Q&A? Leave a comment below, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter.