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Sandy Korkatzis, 30, will audition for a spot on NBC’s hit reality singing competition “The Voice” Saturday at the Javits Center in Manhattan.
There, she will be among hundreds of hopeful contestants competing for a chance to perform in front of a national audience and a panel of music stars including Usher, Adam Lambert, Shakira and Blake Shelton.
“I don’t know what to expect,” she said Friday. “I’m really excited and really scared. But I think it will be a fun day.”
Korkatzis will take the stage just after 7 a.m. Saturday, where she plans to perform two songs: “I Look To You” by Whitney Houston and “A Brand New Me" by Alicia Keys.
If she is among the select few chosen to move to the next round, Korkatzis will record songs live in a studio.
And if she is able to impress show producers, she will fly to California for season four of “The Voice." There, one winner will ultimately be awarded a life-changing record deal.
A day before her big performance, Korkatzis said she was nervous but confident she has what it takes to move on.
“I feel strong now and I really, truly believe I will get somebody’s attention (Saturday),” she said. “But even if it doesn’t lead to Hollywood, we’re going to keep trying and see what it does lead to.”
Korkatzis, a director at the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, has been actively involved in the performing arts throughout the city for years.
In addition to her role as a board member on the Untermyer Performing Arts Council, she is also the founder and producer of Yonkers Got Talent – an umbrella to city-wide competitions that include Yonkers Idol Search, Yonkers Best Dance Crew, Duets and The Y Factor.
Still, the mother of two said she has neglected her own music dream in recent years.
That changed last February when Korkatzis saw a commercial for “The Voice” during the Super Bowl. Inspired, she began to set goals for herself, went to a voice coach and lost 83 pounds. She has also resumed work on her current album, “A Journey To Me.”
“I think that kind of gave me courage and strength to do this,” she said.
Regardless of the outcome of her time on “The Voice,” and whether she lands the record deal, Kotkatzis said the process of preparing for the competition has inspired her and she will continue to work on her album.
She hopes that her work will also inspire children in Yonkers.
“I’m really trying to set the bar high for Yonkers youth,” she said. “I wanted to set an example for kids that you have got to keep trying.”
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