M'town Teen Ends on High Note in Freehold Idol

A Middletown resident has done it again. She's wowed Freehold Idol contestant judges and crooned her way to the final round of the local singing contest.

Freehold Idol fans gathered in front of the Hall of Records building Wednesday to watch 11 performers compete to move on to the final round of the competition.

However, judges Joe Orlando, Lee Ottman and Neal Girandola could only choose three crooners to advance in the competition. Middletown's Kaeleigh Spreen, 13, came out on top of the 10- to 14-year-old age group with a soulful performance of blues song “Hurt So Bad.”

Pemberton resident Mikayla Lucarano, 17, took the 15 to 22 age group with the song “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical Les Miserables. In the 23 and above age group, 27-year-old Ocean Township resident Nicole Epps’ rendition of “Mercy on Me” proved to be the judges’ favorite.

Other contestants included a Port Monmouth resident and seven others:

• Mike Castiglia, 20, of Manalapan, singing his original song “Embrace Forever.”
• Emily DeLia, 10, of East Windsor, performing “Touch the Sky,” a song she wrote for the victims of the tsunami in Japan.
• Victoria Michaels, 15, of Monmouth Beach, singing “Rolling in the Deep.”
• Danielle Eldridge, 26, of Port Monmouth, holding her own with a rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
• Sam Cooper, 15, of Marlboro, performing “Let Me Love You.”
• Lauren Carter, 12, of Freehold Township, returned to this season’s competition for a second time with the song “Jar of Hearts.”
• BJ Adams, 42, of Manalapan, got the crowd moving with his performance of “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love.”
• Nicole Govel, 14, of Marlboro, sang “Love the Way You Lie (Part 2)” while playing the ukulele.

The three winners will move on to the final round, which will be held Wednesday, Aug. 17 and Wednesday, Aug. 24.

The first place winner in each age group will receive $500 and recording time at the Monmouth Academy of Musical Arts; the second place winner will receive $250; and the third place winner will receive $100.