Bianca Ryan, still in shock, has 1 million reasons to grin

Drew Lipski · 08-20-2006, 02:46 AM

When Bianca Ryan heard that she'd won the NBC show America's Got Talent the other night, the 11-year-old singer from Mayfair was speechless.

A day later, sitting in her Los Angeles hotel room, she still seemed dazed. Perhaps it was the sudden fame, daunting even to an adult. Perhaps it was the two hours' sleep.

"Right now, I've been trying to sink it in and absorb it all," she said, adding that the refrain going through her mind was: "Awesome. I won a million dollars."

She asked her father if she could get it in a suitcase full of twenties.

But seriously, the life of the little red-haired girl has changed. Her father, Shawn, a freelance insurance adjuster, said he was ready.

"My ultimate goal is for her to live her dream, the dream of an 11-year-old girl, and that we keep her grounded, make sure we keep her on the right path, and keep her out of harm's way. We're pretty far from all this industry [by living] in Philadelphia. My wife [Janette] and I didn't know anything about the business."

Asked when the family would return to Philadelphia - or if Bianca, who turns 12 on Sept. 1, would start sixth grade on time at her charter school in Bensalem - Shawn Ryan said he did not know. Like all reality-show winners, Bianca is bound by the show's producers, FremantleMedia, who are laying out her next steps. Janette Ryan took a month's leave from her job at Commerce Bank, Shawn Ryan said.

Bianca's musical career began only three years ago when her father watched 10-year-old Tiffany Evans win the TV talent show Star Search. Tiffany's vocal coach was Sal Dupree, who has trained a "who's who" of singers from his studio in Linwood, N.J.

Shawn Ryan called Dupree and sent him Bianca, whose talents around the house were clearly vocal - and not in cleaning up the bedroom she shares with her sister, Isabella, now 7. The family also has sons Shawn, 14, and Jagger, 3. (Rolling Stones fans.)

"She's a blessed little girl," Dupree said Friday. The first time she opened her mouth, "I heard a blessed voice back there. A lot of [smaller children] are scared of me because I'm 300 pounds and a little intimidating, but she was fine. She was able to move some tones around with the special gifts she has. It was just a matter of me adjusting."

Like Tiffany Evans on Star Search, Bianca sang "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," a torch song from Dreamgirls.

Dupree, who watched Thursday's finale with his wife in their Mays Landing living room, said he was not entirely convinced that his pupil would win. Simon Cowell of American Idol fame is one of the show's creators, "and I didn't think [he] would allow a singer to win."

The Ryans spent several days earlier this week making the rounds of record labels, under Fremantle's eye.

At one label, Shawn Ryan said, a woman told him and Bianca: "My brother loves your performance and wants to meet you."

Her brother is producer David Foster, who has 14 Grammys for his work with such singers as Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston.

The Ryans found themselves at Foster's home for three hours that afternoon, "playing and singing," Shawn Ryan said.

Philadelphia lawyer Lloyd Zane Remick, who represents TV newscasters and other performers, had advice for the Ryans, or any parents whose juveniles happen to be in line for fame and/or fortune:

"Her parents have to maintain a balancing act between raising a child normally and understanding that she is destined for a great career."

Zemick said they need a lawyer, a financial adviser, a manager, and "an accountant who knows what he's doing."

"You don't want to deprive a child of her growing-up years. She needs to keep moving forward with her celebrityness and obvious talent and at the same time let her be a normal individual... . There has to be a balancing act. Quite a few [young performers] have gone on to normal lives."

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/n...inquirer_local

~*~Lauren~*~ · 08-20-2006, 04:19 AM

aww thank you for posting that!!!

rwealone · 08-20-2006, 05:52 AM

Very informative article. Thank you.

texdale · 08-20-2006, 08:39 AM

Thanks so much for finding and posting...I hope her family can maintain that balancing act and allow Bianca to be able to remember a somewhat normal 12 year old life...It will be difficult...

mckenzie361 · 08-20-2006, 08:56 AM

awsome! thanks for posting, im glad she won

Pickled Pink · 08-20-2006, 09:20 AM

She's just a normal kid with an INCREDIBLE voice!

Let's hope her parents find some way of helping her keep her childhood.

andrewlane4 · 08-20-2006, 01:40 PM

Nice article.............I hope the best for Bianca too. Does this mean, we all will be hanging out at her website in the future?

Lester Yarrow · 08-21-2006, 09:37 PM

Man,...that is awfully young to have sudden fame like that, but I think Bianca Ryan has a long successful career ahead of her. I think runner-up Taylor Ware (the yodeler) has a bright future ahead of her as well. She's cute, spunky, awesome at what she does and really commands the stage. Also, don't forget L.D. Miller the fiery harmonica player.

These young'ins these days...wow.

kcboy231982 · 08-21-2006, 10:02 PM

good article.

picklerunderwoodfan · 08-21-2006, 10:50 PM

im glad she won .. but i wish it wasn't her.. thanks for the article.

cheering4kellie · 08-21-2006, 11:11 PM

cool, thanks for the article! me and my family knew she would win from her 1st audition and i said i would laugh when a kid won $1 million and beat out all those adults, and she did! im really happy for her and i hope she gets to continue to live her dreams, but i also hope she can be a kid. shes so young to have won such a big show and so much money!
and tiffany evans was the girl who beat lisa tucker in star search.