Sometimes all it takes is being at the right place at the right time.
Nowadays, people are given the opportunity to be “discovered” a lot easier than before. With the rapid rise of competition shows and the social media takeover, you’d be hard-pressed not to come across some new talent.
Countless people upload videos of themselves showcasing their talents with the hopes of reaching somebody who will take notice and listen. Millions audition for competition talent shows like So You Think You Can Danceand America’s Got Talentfor the chance to perform in front of industry heavy-hitters.
In other words, anything is possible. But the most challenging part of the process is putting oneself out there.
Sometimes, however, others come to you.
That is what happened for Kayla Slone who, at 21-years-old, was recorded singing at her job as a Walmart cashier by a customer.
But Slone was very much like many Americans. She lived with her husband in Logan, West Virginia — in coal mining country. In fact, her husband is a coal miner and her grandfather was one as well.
Slone always dreamed of becoming a big country star. She and her brother scrapped their money together to record a homemade country album when she was just 15-years-old. Though very few heard the record, her dedication was clear.
That dream of turning her love of singing into a career became a reality in 2013 when the video of her singing at work went viral.
Her song of choice? A 1971 Dolly Parton classic, “Coat of Many Colors.”
In the video, her Walmart name tag hangs from around her neck and she holds a pen in her hands, that she, at times, fidgets with. However, if she is nervous, she does a pretty good job masking it. She does a heck of a job with the performance.
The video is a great example that you don’t need any equipment to garner attention. In cases like these, the talent speaks for itself. Just listen to that voice!
Because the video was so popular, she received attention from several news outlets and reporters, including Anderson Cooper and Diane Sawyer.
When ABC did a brief news segmenton her story, she mentioned that her dream was to perform at Grand Ole Opry.
The Grand Opry is a weekly American country music stage concert located in Nashville. It was founded in 1925 and is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history. In other words, being able to perform there would certainly be a leap in Slone’s quest to becoming a full-time country singer.
Her interview captured the attention of the Opry’s Vice President and General Manager at the time, Pete Fisher.
He reached out to her and invited her onto the stage to sing Loretta Lynn’s, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
Slone describes how she felt when she received the news.
“I had to sit down. My whole body just shut down,” she told West Virginia Press.
Fisher spoke to ABC and described why he asked Slone to perform on the legendary stage.
“We’re about putting smiles on people’s faces and making dreams come true.”
“…How the chips fall often times in the music industry can be very hard to predict, but it starts with a voice and a passion and we’re happy to give her a stage.”
Before the performance, she received a personal call from Loretta Lynn herself.
No pressure, right?
To no one’s surprise, Slone did an amazing job performing the song.
Her story proves that you never quite know when your opportunity is around the corner!
You can watch both of Slone’s videos below!
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