Radio contest leads to Keith Urban tour appearance
asey Tyndall has been singing and playing the guitar since she taught herself at 10 years old.
Friday night, Aug. 8, she’ll take her talent to Walnut Creek Amphitheatre to sing a duet with country music superstar Keith Urban when his “Raise ‘Em Up” tour rolls into Raleigh.
Kasey Tyndall (Photo courtesy of Michelle Messer Photography)
The East Carolina University sophomore, who intends to major in nursing, has had a whirlwind week. She found out Wednesday that she won a contest held by Raleigh’s 94.7 WQDR to sing with Urban.
The radio station had singers call in and sing Miranda Lambert’s part to Urban’s #1 hit, “We Were Us.”
“I called in. They recorded it, sent to Keith Urban’s team, and they picked me,” Tyndall said. “So Friday night, he’ll announce me and I’ll go out and sing that song with him.”
Tyndall has performed at local festivals and even opened for country music artist Jason Michael Carroll at a show in Louisburg, but never on a stage this large. And she hasn’t performed “We Were Us” live before either, because it’s a duet.
Has she been practicing nonstop? Nope. “I’m trying to save my voice,” she said.
“He’ll play it exactly like he does on iTunes so I know how many measures before I come in,” she said. “And I’m sure if I have a moment, he’ll give me a nod.”
Surprisingly, Tyndall said she’s not really nervous. “The more people, the less nervous I am. It’s going to be fun,” she said.
“I have sound check with Keith at 3:30 p.m., and there’s a strict schedule after that with some gaps,” she said. Her dad, Keith Tyndall of Nashville, North Carolina, will be backstage with her.
“I’m nervous about the set up, but it’s going to be fine,” she said. “I’m not used to (a major production like this), but hopefully I will be soon.”
Some of Tyndall’s friends already had tickets to the concert, but she said, “my family went crazy buying tickets. They are so excited.”
Even though she wants to be a nurse and already has her Nursing Aide I license, Tyndall said she loves singing and performing.
“I tried out for The Voice and American Idol, but a lot of it is not if you can sing or not, it’s about the marketing and if you have a good story.”
Born in Rocky Mount, Tyndall moved to Greenville before sixth grade and graduated from D.H. Conley High School. Her mom, Teresa Martin, works in the Department of Technology Systems in the College of Engineering and Technology and has tickets to Friday night’s show – along with about 15 other family members and friends. “That’s just the ones I know about,” she said.
Her daughter’s feet haven’t touched the ground since Wednesday when she got the news, Martin said. “It just hasn’t sunk in yet.”
“She is more nervous to play for family and friends and sometimes she resists that. It’s true the more people she plays for, the less nervous. Of course this is a lot different,” Martin said.
“She’s down-to-earth, and she’s a good kid,” she said. “I’m very proud of her. Not just her music, but the person that she is.”
If you don’t have tickets to Friday night’s show, you can follow Tyndall on Twitter – @kase_kase_ – to hear about her adventure back stage and beyond.