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Cactus Cuties
Singing their hearts out!
Do you have what it takes to stand up and sing in front of thousands of people? These girls do! Even at their young ages, the Cactus Cuties—Baylee, Blaire, Andi, and Madeline—sing in front of huge crowds regularly. They delight audiences with their beautiful harmony and charismatic presence singing the National Anthem at sporting events. They have even been featured on the Disney Channel!
How old are all of you?
Baylee Barrett: 13.
Blaire Elbert: 11.
Andi Kitten: 11.
Madeline Powell: 8.
What is your hometown?
Cuties: We all live in Lubbock, Texas.
What grade are you in?
Baylee: 8th.
Blaire: 5th.
Andi: 5th.
Madeline: 3rd.
How did you join the Cactus Cuties?
Madeline: When I was four years old someone told us about Cami Caldwell and how she taught voice lessons and ran the Cactus Cuties, so my mom called her and the rest is history!
How long have you been singing?
Baylee: Since I could talk and I've been in the Cuties for five years.
Blaire: Since I was a baby and I've been in the Cuties for six years.
Andi: Since I was in diapers and I've been in the Cuties for six years.
Madeline: Since I was four years old and I've been in the Cuties for almost five years.
Which TV shows have you been in?
Madeline: The Cactus Cuties were in Disney's “Cory in the House” which aired on April 19, 2008 on Disney's “Night of Premieres.” It was our TV debut.
What is your favorite type of music to perform?
Baylee: Christian.
Blaire: Country (I love to yodel).
Andi: Oldies.
Madeline: Broadway.
How do your different tastes in music affect what you choose to sing?
Madeline: I like to sing Broadway and a lot of that is really high, so since I have the highest range on most of the songs I just go straight to the high harmony and Baylee has a really low voice so she does most of the low harmony. We all have different sounds that we put into a song to make it work for us.
Andi: We all have different textures in our voices and different tastes in music so, when Cami (the Cactus Cuties director) gives us a song, she helps us to find places in the song where we fit and can use our different strengths.
Blaire: We each have different styles we like and it's fun to put those styles into one song, I love country and yodeling so even in our pop songs you can hear my voice breaking on my solos and little country riffs like on the end of the Anthem.
Baylee: Our artistic director Cami chooses most of our music, but we each put our own styles into the songs to make them unique.
What is your favorite place to perform?
Baylee: The Cactus Theater here in Lubbock.
Blaire: The Cactus Theater; it's like home.
Andi: The Cactus Theater.
Madeline: The Cactus Theater, our second home.
Is there any place you have not performed at but want to?
Baylee: The Super Bowl.
Blaire: The White House.
Andi: "The Today Show."
Madeline: "The Ellen Show."
How does it feel to have videos of your performances on the Internet on places like YouTube?
Baylee: It's so exciting to touch so many people with our voices, the comments have come in from all over the world, we feel blessed.
Your National Anthem single is now on sale. Are there any plans to produce a full album?
Blaire: It's cool to be up on iTunes and CDBaby and we've pretty much been living in the studio this month. We're working on an album, but we don't have a release date yet.
What is the hardest thing about performing?
Baylee: I think we all agree that dealing with nerves is the hardest thing.
How do you balance your work with school, family, and friends?
Andi: It's not really work because the Cuties are all best friends, like family, and even when we're rehearsing its more like getting to hang out.
What is your favorite subject in school?
Baylee: Bible class.
Blaire: Math.
Andi: Math.
Madeline: Science.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Baylee: My parents.
Andi: Cami Caldwell, because she's been my mentor for six years. She's like my best friend.
Who is your favorite singer?
Baylee: Nicole Nordeman.
Blaire: Carrie Underwood.
Andi: David Archuleta.
Madeline: The entire Broadway Wicked cast.
What are your hobbies?
Baylee: Acting, volleyball, track, and basketball.
Blaire: Basketball, tennis, dancing, and Cutie slumber parties.
Andi: Tap dancing and taking care of my miniature horses.
Madeline: Acting, dancing, and playing Truth or Dare with the Cuties.
What would you say to young girls who want to become performers?
Andi: It takes hard work and concentration, but in the end you'll feel proud of what you've done, oh—and don't forget to be yourself and have fun!
Do you see yourself being a performer when you're older? Have you dreamed about being in another profession?
Madeline: Definitely, yes I want to be a performer. I don't want to be anything else. I want to perform and hopefully be on Broadway some day.
What do you do to stay healthy?
Cuties: We drink tons of water and we try to get enough sleep, especially on show nights, and we go on vocal rest a lot to take care of our voices.
Content last reviewed July 01, 2008
Page last updated July 01, 2008
