Catch a rising star ... at the mall

A teen singer from Seminole who has a new CD wants to be a household name. How will she do it? One mall at a time, starting in Clearwater.

By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 17, 2002

SEMINOLE -- Like a lot of teenage girls, Kaci Lyn Battaglia has a poster of the boy band O-Town on her bedroom wall.

But unlike most teenagers, Kaci has toured with the group.

"They're the nicest guys," the 14-year-old singer said Monday at her home in Seminole.

A lot of people in Europe are saying some pretty nice things about Kaci. She recently spent a few months there promoting her debut CD, Paradise, and opening concerts for O-Town. She also performed in Japan, where her song, Tu Amor, reached the Top 10 on the pop chart.

"It is the best," she says of performing in front of an audience. "It rocks. It's such a rush."

Now Kaci is preparing to embark on a four-week tour to promote her first CD released in the United States, i'm not anybody's girl. Stores began selling the CD on Tuesday. She'll make a promotional visit Saturday to FYE, an entertainment store at Countryside Mall in Clearwater.

Kaci and her mother, Donna Stanmore, then will fly to Los Angeles so Kaci can rehearse seven songs in seven days. Mother and daughter then will head to New York where, along with an entourage of dancers and crew, they will begin crisscrossing the country in a bus. At 10 malls across America, Kaci will perform hourlong sets.

"We have kind of done a lot of the world," said her manager, Jason Morey. "Now it's the U.S.' turn."

Kaci wasn't satisfied playing with just dolls as a young girl. At the age of 3, she had discovered her passion.

"I used to beg my dad to go to this restaurant to sing karaoke," she recalled Monday while sitting on a couch in her bedroom.

Singing came naturally to her. She sang in the pool and in the shower. She eventually started singing the national anthem in front of real audiences at minor-league baseball games.

And there was acting as well. She shot her first commercial when she was 9. It was a spot for Walt Disney World. She also had the leading child role in a Disney television Christmas special.

She signed with Curb Records two years ago. One of her biggest breaks came last year when a video of her song Paradise was shown on the jumbo screen during opening ceremonies for Super Bowl XXXV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The song, a catchy tune about puppy love that is sung part in English and part in Spanish, was released last year in the United States.

She has been homeschooled since she was 12. On Tuesday, the day her CD was released, she took a college Algebra final. Having completed all math assignments for her homeschooling program, Kaci enrolled in a computer Algebra course with St. Petersburg College. She says she plans to get a college degree in business.

But right now she has another challenge in front of her: becoming a household name.

Kaci says she doesn't want to be the next Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. "But I do want to be the next big thing," she said.

Taking a break from studying Monday, Kaci relaxed in her room. Except for a stack of the new CDs delivered that day and promotional materials on a table, the room looked like a typical teenager's room with its white shag rug, stuffed animals and Harry Potter calendar.

Wearing blue jeans and a flowered peasant shirt, Kaci looked older than 14. But it's even harder to accept she's only in her second year of being a teenager when looking at the cover of her new CD. Wearing a black pantsuit, a hip-hugging belt and large hoop earrings, Kaci looks beyond her years.

The "right look" can make or break an aspiring pop singer, said Morey, whose Los Angeles-based company, Morey Management Group, handles Kaci's career.

"There are hundreds of thousands of girls out there who can sing and dance," he said. "It's hard to find one who can put in all into one package. You really have to be beyond your age to handle this business."

When asked about the criticism Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera have received about their provocative stage outfits, Kaci said her religious upbringing will keep her on the right track. She says she realizes young girls look up to her and she wants to be a good role model.

"Kids need somebody clean to look up to," said Mrs. Stanmore, a former nurse who travels with her daughter and keeps track of her hectic schedule.

As for Kaci, her role model is her mom. "She does everything," Kaci said. "She's Supermom. We're best friends."

When the two are on the road, Kaci's stepfather, Chuck Stanmore, feeds the pets: two golden retrievers, Molly and Lucy; two cockatiels, Gracie and Curby; and a cat, Archie.

Stanmore is an executive at Creative Arts Unlimited Inc., a Pinellas Park-based company that specializes in holiday window and sales floor displays for many of the nation's best-known retailers and theme parks.

Evidence of Kaci's burgeoning career is seen throughout the family's waterfront home. New shirts for Kaci's dancers drape over the back of a couch. A handful of suitcases fill the foyer, one stuffed with performance outfits and another full of stage equipment such as electrical tape and flashlights.

The dining room table is covered with promotional materials such as Kaci Facts!, a bookmark with information including the singer's date of birth (Oct. 3, 1987), favorite color (purple) and Web site (www.kaci.tv). A stack of fan mail sits on the table. They come from all over -- Ireland, Japan, Indonesia, Germany.

Kaci now hopes some of her fan letters start coming from places in the United States.

"I'm so proud of her," said her mom. "She's worked so hard and it really has been a dream of hers. As long as she's enjoying this, we'll support her."

If you go

You can meet Kaci and hear some of her music at a "listening party," noon until 1:30 p.m. Saturday at FYE at Countryside Mall, 27001 U.S. 19 N, Clearwater. Call 796-1216.

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