FRANCO’S SEARCH FOR STARDOM

SU American Idol auditionee hopes to break into the music industry.

Words by Karla Perez

On audition day, Franco Tomaino woke up early to meet his 5 a.m. call time. He had barely slept the night before because a lobster po’boy had given him an allergic reaction, making his throat extremely dry. After a full day of filming interviews around New Orleans, he was exhausted, nervous, and nearly voiceless. Still, he woke up early and headed to film his audition for the star-making TV show “American Idol.”

Raised in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and now an SU sophomore, Tomaino grew up with his eyes set on the stars — those stars being Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, of course. For as long as he can remember, he has had a close connection with music; he would write lyrics on the back of his choir folders and dream about someday turning them into real songs.

From a young age, he began taking theater lessons and performing in his school plays, which eventually led him to pursue the actor-singer track in the SU Drama Department. But his childhood in a “cookie-cutter” small town didn’t always allow him to experience his full creativity.

“Growing up there was difficult. I feel like I was very misunderstood just because I was creative and out there,” Tomanio said.

At times when he would feel overlooked, he would turn to his love of performing, which in time helped him build up the confidence for “American Idol.” So when the time came to select the song he would perform, he chose to play the piano and sing

a ballad version of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”

Playing the piano was a risk for Tomaino because he only had two weeks to learn the full song. His preparation was affected by a mixture of nerves, early call times, endless interviews and last-minute changes. However, as he looks back at his audition, he is happy with his performance and just wishes he had trusted his talent a bit more.

“If I do regret anything, it would be the fact that I didn’t just rely on my voice,” he said. “I felt like I had to also play the piano or give a spectacle or show to make it work for television.”

Still, Tomaino received encouragement from the judges — one of them his idol, Katy Perry — to continue to work on his craft and return to the show next season, something he took to heart.

“It really can take just one moment,” he said. “One person could see that and be like: ‘well, maybe it wasn’t for them, but I like it.’”

As he prepares to perform in two upcoming Syracuse Stage shows, Tomaino is anticipating his newfound platform and the doors that will open with his appearance on the show.

“Here at Syracuse, I’m surrounded by a lot of people who love and care about me. And [I] don’t always get that honest feedback,” he said. “I strive to get that because I always, as a singer, as an artist, as anything, want to become better.”