Northstarnews was privileged to have the  first interview with Niles North’s new celebrities, Jacob Austria and Russell Reyes, following their first-place win of the 2012 Variety Show.

Seniors Jenny Na and Jessica Brand, singing with piano, won second place. Junior Suraya Kaiser took third place with a breathtaking dance routine.

The two talented freshmen champions let us in on some of their star singer secrets.

Q: How would you describe your style of music?

Austria: I can’t really describe it, since I’ll sing anything. Anything from techno, to Ellie Goulding, to rap. People don’t also realize that you can actually sing a rap song, so that’s something I like to do. I try to blend my voice with anything, and I love a challenge.

Q: Do you prefer doing solos or duets?

Reyes: Personally, I don’t like singing by myself; I’m more into duets and group performances. Since I’m used to the choir scene, I wasn’t nervous to perform at the V-show. I feel like being in a duet/group where there’s someone else to catch you when you fall, you can perform at your best.

Q:Were you scared to perform in front of an audience , or is it something you’re used to?

JA: What happens to me is that I don’t get nervous until the last possible second. I was looking at all the other people performing from our reserved seats, and once I got back stage, it hit me. And then once I played the first chord, I was in my zone.

Q: What inspired you to start singing?

RR: My dad actually deals with high end audio in his profession. Also, he has a very good singing voice, so music has always been a big part of my life. Also, my brother [graduate Ralph Reyes] is a DJ, so I’ve always been influenced by my family.

Q: Have you decided what you’re going to perform at the Winter Pep Assembly?

JA: We don’t know yet.  We really like the song that we sang at V-show; we put our heart and souls into that. It’d be nice to sing something else, though, to show our different styles. We’d love to do something winter-y and get everyone in the holiday spirit.

Q: Have you considered singing professionally?

RR: I’ve always loved singing, but I lack the confidence to sing right on the spot, so I’ll have to work on that. I’d like to try out for something like American Idol or X-Factor. It started out as being just a hobby, but I do really enjoy singing, so I’ll have to see where it takes me.

Q: What does it feel like to be celebrities? Do you feel like Niles North’s One Direction?

JA: It feels amazing! Random people have been complimenting us on our singing, and that’s always a good feeling. They were saying that we were amazing, and I didn’t know that we could be amazing; let alone be recognized by our school for that.

Q: Do you have any other hidden talents that your fans don’t know about you?

RR: I’m a long time tennis player, and I’ve found a great liking in distance running from being in cross country this previous Fall. I love both performing and playing sports, so I’m really happy that I can do both.

Q: Is there any way for your fans to hear more of your performances?

JA: I have a Youtube channels where we have various songs and covers if you’d like to look me up. My channel is cjlele. The back story behind my username is that the C is for my brothers name, Colin and the J is for Jacob, and “lele” is ukelele. Russell and I both upload covers onto our Facebook pages.