Girl, 12, envisions singing career

The young singer hopes to reach the stars.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

GIRARD — It has been several years since 12-year-old Gina Martini picked up a microphone and began to win the hearts of listeners locally and abroad.

But the young singer has no plans of slowing down. In fact, she is hoping to make it to the big time.

Gina said her singing career began when she would take to the stage to sing for fun at social gatherings with her older sister.

“We would go and sing at festivals and different events, me and my sister would sing the national anthem, then it just started to pile up with all these events and all these people calling and asking me to come sing,” she said.

Those invitations have “piled up” thus far into more than 250 singing engagements, several appearances at professional sporting events, opera appearances, a Web site and a new self-recorded CD.

The engagements have included singing the national anthem before Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Indians games on several occasions.

“It’s all just so much fun,” Gina said.

What she plans

Singing at local events and performing before sporting events, however, are not enough for her. She hopes to become the next pop star with songs being played across the airwaves.

Her plan for success is simple.

“You just have to try your hardest. You have to set your mind to it. If you are preoccupied with everything else, the chances are slim that it will happen,” she said.

Gina, in an attempt to reach for that success early on, has recorded a CD. The CD contains a song she feels make capture the hearts of the public with its content and vocals.

“This is a patriotic song about the troops, and there are not very many songs like that, especially sung by a 12-year-old,” she said.

Gina hopes that the “American Idol” television show will help move her into stardom “if they still have it by then, and I hope they do.”

She said she would like to enter the “Idol” competition now, but she does not meet the age 16 requirement.

Until she graces the stage for national competition or sees success with her CD, Gina said she will continue doing the things pre-teens normally do. She is a cheerleader for Girard Junior High School, plays the saxophone, runs track and enjoys playing some video games — mostly those that deal with singing.

jgoodwin@vindy.com