From Romania to America: Bretan has ‘Got Talent’

Freshman Laura Bretan sings opera at the Homecoming Assembly on Sept. 23. It was her first performance in front of the Glenbrook North student body since her appearance on “America’s Got Talent.”  Photo by Chloe Carroll
Freshman Laura Bretan sings opera at the Homecoming Assembly on Sept. 23. It was her first performance in front of the Glenbrook North student body since her appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” Photo by Chloe Carroll

Bits of gold confetti burst out of the rafters, drifting around beaming freshman Laura Bretan. Her first live performance had just ended, culminating when judge Mel B hit the golden buzzer at the end of her audition, sending Bretan to the live audience performances of “America’s Got Talent.” Immediately, Bretan broke into tears.

“It’s one of those things where [everything is] so shocking that you don’t really know what you’re feeling,” said Bretan. “It’s excitement, happiness, and all these thoughts are going through your head, and it’s like, ‘Is that for me?’ Sometimes you wonder, ‘Is that actually for me? Is this a dream or something?’ I couldn’t believe that it was happening.”

Being on “America’s Got Talent” was not Bretan’s first time singing opera on a national stage. After the death of her grandfather, Bretan and her family flew to Romania for his funeral. Bretan’s grandfather had always wanted to see her on “Romania’s Got Talent,” so while in Romania she auditioned and continued on to win the show.

“I wanted to dedicate that experience to him,” said Bretan. “That’s the whole reason why I went.”

According to Bretan, two or three months after auditioning for “Romania’s Got Talent” and “America’s Got Talent,” she got a call inviting her onto “America’s Got Talent” for the televised auditions. She auditioned for the show several times before but had never been asked to participate, so she did not expect to be accepted.

Bretan would make it far past the audition stage, placing in the top 10. She said during her favorite performance, she wore a hot, heavy, LED-light-powered dress and gazed from the stage onto a dark audience that filled the auditorium. Red Xs and bright spotlights shone on her, adding to the heat of her dress.

Bretan said the production process behind “America’s Got Talent” was like a puzzle, with all the elements and people who are a part of the show making up the puzzle pieces.

“You need the lights, you need the dress, [you need] the hair stylist and makeup artists and, of course, you need the act,” said Bretan. “It was kind of crazy seeing everything come together.”

Bretan said mentors like judge Heidi Klum helped Bretan deal with the flurry of activity and short performance deadlines.

“Heidi, she sees me freaking out [during practice] and, like, trying to pull my hair out, and she comes to me and she’s like, ‘You know what? You forget about all this, and you just go with your head held high, walk out there and enjoy yourself,” said Bretan. “Do it, and don’t think about what you’re doing. Just do it.’”

Bretan said she was not disappointed when she did not place higher.

“I was actually really happy for all the contestants who made it into the top five,” said Bretan. “I wasn’t sad because we were all victorious.”

According to her vocal coach Nicoleta Roman, Bretan has received praise since her appearance on “America’s Got Talent.”

“There is not one single place on planet Earth that she did not receive a message from of encouragement, or compliments, or how she touched their hearts and made people cry tears of joy and happiness,” said Roman. “She just resonates with her audience and fans, which is incredible. That’s part of her special gift that she has from God.”

Along with positive feedback, Bretan said she has received criticism from older opera singers who have said Bretan is using her voice in an unnatural, damaging way because she is so young. Bretan said she is using her voice correctly and safely at the instruction of her professional teacher, so there will be no damage.

“It’s very unfortunate that people are criticizing a girl that’s still learning,” Bretan said.

According to Bretan, one of the best parts of her prominence is getting to meet her fans.

“It’s funny because I was walking down the Walk of Fame [in Hollywood], and I was wearing sunglasses and my hat, and somebody was like, ‘Oh my god! It’s Laura!’ and they [started] freaking out, and it was so funny,”  Bretan said.

According to freshman Francine Dadrass, Bretan also gets stopped at school.

“Going down these halls in GBN, I was walking with her, and a lot of people asked her to sign their foreheads and stomachs,” Dadrass said.

According to Dadrass, Bretan does not act differently since coming home despite her newfound fame.

Bretan said she is just glad to have had such a great opportunity.

“All of the contestants from both ‘Got Talents’ were just so talented, and I was just so happy to participate in such a learning experience,” Bretan said.

She said that regardless of her “America’s Got Talent” success, she is still growing as a performer.

“I wouldn’t say [I’m a] professional opera singer because I’m working towards that,” said Bretan. “I still have a lot to learn.”

Bits of gold confetti explode out of the rafters, drifting around the beaming freshman Laura Bretan. Her first live performance had just ended, culminating when judge Mel B hit her golden buzzer, sending Bretan to the live semi-finals of “America’s Got Talent.” She broke into tears.

“It’s one of those things where [everything is] so shocking that you don’t really know what you’re feeling,” said Bretan. “It’s excitement, happiness, and all these thoughts are going through your head, and it’s like, ‘Is that for me?’ Sometimes you wonder, ‘Is that actually for me? Is this a dream or something?’ I couldn’t believe that it was happening.”

Being on “America’s Got Talent” was not Bretan’s first time opera-singing on a national stage. After the death of her grandfather, Bretan and her family flew to Romania for his funeral. Bretan’s grandfather had always wanted to see her on “Romania’s Got Talent,” so while in Romania she auditioned and continued on to win the show.

“I wanted to dedicate that experience to him,” said Bretan. “That’s the whole reason why I went.”

According to Bretan, two or three months after auditioning for “Romania’s Got Talent” and “America’s Got Talent,” she got a call inviting her onto “America’s Got Talent.” She had auditioned for the show several times before but had never been asked to participate, so she was not expecting to be accepted on the show.

“This year I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m auditioning again, and I’m not going to make it,’” said Bretan. “Then surprisingly we got phone calls from people looking for us … and it ended up being for ‘America’s Got Talent.’ It’s funny how my dreams came true.”

Bretan would make it far past the audition stage, placing in the top 10 finalists of the show. She said that during her favorite performance she wore a hot, heavy, LED-light-powered dress and gazed from the stage into dark, faceless audience that filled the auditorium from wall to wall. Nothing but red X’s and bright spotlights glared down on her, adding to the heat of her dress.

Bretan said the production process behind “America’s Got Talent” was like a puzzle, with all the elements and people who are a part of the show making up the puzzle pieces.

“You need the lights, you need the dress, [you need] the hair stylist and makeup artists and, of course, you need the act,” said Bretan. “It was kind of crazy seeing everything come together.”

After practicing in a large warehouse setting and private rooms, Bretan said it was shocking to see the hours of work that go into a two or three minute performance.

Mentors like judge Heidi Klum helped Bretan deal with the flurry of activity and short performance deadlines.

“Heidi, she sees me freaking out [during practice] and, like, trying to pull my hair out, and she comes to me and she’s like, ‘You know what? You forget about all this, and you just go with your head held high, walk out there and enjoy yourself,” said Bretan. “Do it, and don’t think about what you are doing. Just do it.’”

According to her vocal coach Nicoleta Roman, Bretan has received praise since reaching the finals of “America’s Got Talent.”

“There is not one single place on planet Earth that she did not receive a message from of encouragement, or compliments, or how she touched their hearts and made people cry tears of joy and happiness,” said Roman. “She just resonates with her audience and fans which is incredible. That’s part of her special gift that she has from God.”

Along with the positive feedback, Bretan said she has received criticism from older opera singers who have said Bretan is using her voice in an unnatural, potentially damaging way because she is so young. Bretan said she is using her voice correctly and safely at the instruction of her professional teacher, so there will be no damage.

“It’s very unfortunate that people are criticizing a girl that’s still learning,” Bretan said.

According to Bretan, one of the best parts of her newfound prominence is getting to meet her fans.

“It’s funny because I was walking down the Walk of Fame [in Hollywood], and I was wearing sunglasses and my hat, and somebody was like, ‘Oh my god! It’s Laura!” and they [started] freaking out, and it was so funny,”  Bretan said.

According to Freshman Francine Dadrass, Bretan also gets stopped at school.

“Going down these halls in GBN, I was walking with her, and a lot of people asked her to sign their foreheads and stomachs,” Dadrass said.

According to Dadrass, Bretan does not act any differently after coming home despite her newfound fame.

Bretan said she is just glad to have had such a great opportunity.

“All of the contestants from both ‘Got Talents’ were just so talented, and I was just so happy to participate in such a learning experience,” Bretan said.

Bretan said that regardless of her “America’s Got Talent” success, she is still growing as a performer.

“I wouldn’t say [I’m a] professional opera singer because I’m working towards that,” said Bretan. “I still have a lot to learn.”