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Singer makes TV debut as ex-Go-Go
by Robb Fulcher
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Melanie Friske as herself (left) and as former Go-Go Belinda Carlisle |
Hermosan Melanie Friske sets aside her normal singing voice to perform an impression of pop star Belinda Carlisle on Your Big Break, a nationally syndicated program airing 5 p.m. Saturday on KCOP-TV.
Not only will she sound like the Go-Go’s former lead singer, the 26-year-old Friske will look the part as well, in keeping with the show’s practice of having what its publicists call "ordinary people" perform as musical stars.
This is not lip-synching, and it’s not karaoke night either. At least some of the singers are quite serious; the program featuring Friske also includes Yesterday, a Beatles tribute group that taped their segment fresh off a tour from Japan.
Friske (pronounced frisky) has played out around town a little, performing at B.B. King’s Blues Club and placing first in "Bob Lorsch’s Hidden Talent Review" three months ago at the Century Club in Century City. She came out to Hermosa from her home state of Michigan, where she and guitarist/boyfriend Josh Radcliff played in The Lapdogs, a funk, R&B and blues-based rock band with echoes of The Brand New Heavies or Sly & the Family Stone.
Friske taped her segment of Your Big Break in August, after first trying out for the show as Olivia Newton-John and Joni Mitchell. The producers had other people in mind for those singing roles, but they liked Friske, and decided that her voice would be the right one to sing Carlisle’s 80’s-pop type hit "Mad About You."
"They give you a voice coach who kind of helps you tweak your sound," Friske said.
In addition, a crew came down to Hermosa to tape a "behind the scenes" portion of Friske’s segment, following her around as she went shopping, and had coffee with a friend.
On Your Big Break, Friske competes with a total of 107 other singers for an eventual $25,000 grand prize, after an audience selects the winner of each show, and that winner survives semifinal and final rounds.
But already, her performance at the taping led to the "Hidden Talent Review" spot, which in turn led to an appearance at the Beverly Hills Hotel during a special event for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s Southern California Chapter.
Although she’s busy with her day job as assistant producer for the VH1 network’s upcoming TV show Fan Club, Friske hopes to begin devoting more time and energy to her music. She and Radcliff are looking for a drummer and bass player to form a new band, and she urges interested musicians to contact her at mfriske@mindspring.com.
"I don’t have a plan, really," she said. "I just try to put myself out there and hopefully let it snowball." ER