Stephanie Yanez - Anime Convention Personality of the Week - October 8, 2006
If
you ever couldn't help but sing in the shower or behind the wheel,
you'll understand this story. Anyone every compelled to make music for
its own sake will identify with Stephanie Yanez, and how she became a
two-time winner at Anime Expo. Just singing in groups or in bands
wasn't enough; she tried her luck in the Anime Expo karaoke contest in
2003 and won. The next year, that contest was effectively upgraded,
inspired by the American Idol TV series, to become the "Anime Idol"
contest. Yanez put in another entry and won the new contest in 2004,
making her one of the few people to win any sort of contest two years
in a row at the big convention. The double victories have drawn fresh
attention to her singing, and Yanez is likely to be found on a stage or
fronting a band at any number of conventions - and she's starting to show up on disc, too.
If
you ever couldn't help but sing in the shower or behind the wheel,
you'll understand this story. Anyone every compelled to make music for
its own sake will identify with Stephanie Yanez, and how she became a
two-time winner at Anime Expo. Just singing in groups or in bands
wasn't enough; she tried her luck in the Anime Expo karaoke contest in
2003 and won. The next year, that contest was effectively upgraded,
inspired by the American Idol TV series, to become the "Anime Idol"
contest. Yanez put in another entry and won the new contest in 2004,
making her one of the few people to win any sort of contest two years
in a row at the big convention. The double victories have drawn fresh
attention to her singing, and Yanez is likely to be found on a stage or
fronting a band at any number of conventions - and she's starting to 