Hear 14-Year-Old Courtlin Sing in Her 8th Grade Talent Show

I can't stop laughing!

If you're a listener of the morning show, then there's a good chance that you know about my passion for singing. I did competitive choir in high school, starred in a couple of school musicals, took private vocal lessons, and auditioned for 'The Voice.' I've also sung the National Anthem at several local events and I've done a LOT of karaoke. But, before all of that, I was just a kid who liked to sing the same three songs in my best friend's bedroom on her little karaoke machine.

When I was in 8th grade, I mustered up the courage to perform in our middle school's talent show by myself. I had done a duet with a friend a couple of years prior, but this was the first time I performed alone. Until this week, I had no idea that there was any documentation of either of these events, but lo and behold, my mom has had the videos stashed away all these years.

Just imagine being barely 14-years-old, having zero vocal training, and deciding that it would be a good idea to take on THE Alicia Keys in front of all your peers. Baby Courtlin was pretty bold! I could NOT stop laughing when I first watched this video. All these years, I thought I was a superstar on that cafeteria stage, but I was just an overly-confident kid struggling to hit Alicia's high notes. Honestly, though, it could have been much worse! I love being able to look back my awkward middle school days and see how far I've come. And yes, I do still sing this song at karaoke from time to time...

In the even OLDER video, 6th-grade Courtlin and her friend take on "One Way Ticket" by LeAnn Rimes, which isn't much easier! I hope you enjoy both of these awkward middle school talent show performances as much as I did: