The Next Level Project continues on Friday night here on Channel 7. It’s the third show and there are 7 performers remaining. At the end of Friday night’s show, three of them will be going home. The pressure to perform is on and we caught up with them at rehearsals last night. Here’s more.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
As the performers and the band rehearsed late last night at the Bliss Center – it is with an added sense of pressure, for two reasons first, 7 will perform, but the judges will only pick the best four to advance, and second, they’ll be singing original compositions – their songs.

Denise Castillo,
“I prefer to sing my song because I can do whatever I want with my song and I know that nobody can’t come to me and say well you should have done it this way and you should have done it that way because it is my song and I choose to do it how I want to do it. I choose to sing it howsoever I want to sing it, I sing it. That is just the way how I see it. I don’t want to go out all glammy for this performance. It is an original song, yes, it is a slow R&B song.”

Tricia Gabourel,
“I am definitely nervous on what’s going to be the response from everybody out there that listens to an original song. That’s always been my fear, what would be the response and what would be their reaction to my song as an original and if they think it is good enough to be marketable as an original song.”

Ernest Meighan,
“Actually that’s an opportunity and it’s relaxing because you are bringing out your soft, you’re getting the chance to expose all your emotions, what you feel inside, what you always wanted to do. It is an original, you do what you like so you get to express what you feel and what you have to offer in the music.”

But whether it’s an added pressure or a welcome opportunity, they must do it well because it’s win or go home.

Tricia Gabourel,
“I am not really under pressure, I am not as nervous as I was the first night. I think getting over the first night kind of got me over that hump, that fear you might be sent home. But I got remarks from the judges so I am definitely confident that this week I can continue on hopefully.”

Denise Castillo,
“This performance will determine whether or not you make it to the final finals so…”

Jules Vasquez,
“Win or go home.”

Denise Castillo,
“That’s right.”

And both these women have carved out what they believe is their competitive advantage.

Denise Castillo,
“I will play and sing for the beginning of my song so I guess that is a good advantage. I will be playing the piano and I will be singing. So I am guess that’s a….”

Jules Vasquez,
“And you really will be playing the piano?”

Denise Castillo,
“Yes I won’t fake it.”

Tricia Gabourel,
“With that song that I did last week I definitely needed to up the sexiness but this song is more laid back, it’s an R&B song so I think I can more relate the song just using my emotions and just sing my heart out. That’s all I can do at this point and try to give a good performance.”

And to give those quality performances these artists have put in marathon hours of practice.

Tricia Gabourel,
“Its been a lot of nights where I go home and I am crawling into my bed at 12 or 1 every night and get up and have to go to work the next morning. So I have been very tired. It has been something that’s been draining us and at times we get very antsy in our practice session because we are so tired. People think it is just get up and sing, it is definitely not that way with this group. We’re working very hard.”

And on Friday – we’ll know if all that hard work paid off for four of them.

The Next Level airs live on Channel 7 at 9:00 on Friday night. Tickets are available at the Bliss center, C-y’s music and Mala’s.