FHC’s Got Talent Q&As: Ted Weaver

Grade: 12

Performance: “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele

Give an elevator pitch for your performance: 

“So basically, [it’s] my friend [senior] Aya [Shakir] and I. It’s not really [a] duet, but I’m playing guitar for her. She’s singing ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ by Adele, so it’ll be pretty good.”

What specific qualities make your performance intriguing?

“She is a very good singer. She’s strictly a singer. She also plays violin, but she focuses more on singing, [and] I’ve been playing guitar for five years, so I’d say I’m quite adept [to] it.”

How does your performance reflect you as a person/group?

“She kind of just asked me like, ‘Hey, do you want to play guitar? I’ll sing,’ and I was just like, ‘Sure.’ I wasn’t really planning on doing the talent show, but just like friends, I guess— good camaraderie.”

Does stage fright impact you at all? 

“I’m not the one singing, so I feel like it’s a little different. [If] you’re up there, you’re singing, that’s a lot more on the line. I’m just playing guitar, so I’m not very nervous about it. I know she is, but, I’ll probably be a little nervous. There’s gonna be a lot of people.”

Why did you choose to try out for the talent show? 

“She reached out to me [and] asked if I wanted to play, and I was like, ‘You know what? Sure, why not?'”

How long have you been preparing for this? 

“About a month, I want to say now, or at least three weeks. We’ve been practicing every week a couple [of] times.”

If you could have one pet, any pet, what would it be?

“A hairless sphynx cat.”