USC student to appear on NBC’s Sing-Off

Trace Gaynor is living a life many students can only dream of having: he won a Chipotle contest and can now enjoy free Chipotle for a year. He said luck has been pretty good to him in the past year — but it has more to do with the fact that Gaynor, along with the Filipino boy band The Filharmonic, will be contestants on NBC’s singing competition, The Sing-Off, premiering Dec. 9.

Gaynor is a senior majoring in broadcast and digitial journalism and double minoring in marketing and cinematic arts. He works as a tour guide at USC and is also in charge of the arrangement for the on-campus a capella group, the Troy Tones. Though it might seem like a typical student workload, Gaynor faces the unique task of balancing school and work with his life as a contestant on The Sing-Off.

And while he never saw himself singing in a band, Gaynor is competing against nine other groups with the other six members of The Filharmonic.

“I didn’t really sing much in high school,” Gaynor said. “Troy Tones was the first singing group I’ve ever been in. I did talent shows but I didn’t make choir or anything like that.”

Though he seems quite humble, Gaynor did not exactly fall into singing. He came from a strong musical background. Gaynor is originally from Chicago, where his father still works as a composer for television shows. As a child, Gaynor grew up playing piano and violin while occasionally singing in his parents’ studio in their basement. In his freshman year at USC, Gaynor auditioned for Troy Tones, later serving as president his sophomore year. An alumnus reached out to Gaynor about auditioning for a new Filipino group who planned to audition for The Sing-Off.

“[On] the day we met, we did a video audition and filmed our audition for the show,” he said.

Gaynor found out he had been cast for the show in April, but NBC did not allow him to say anything. His immediate family knew, as did his roommate and the Troy Tones, but he had to keep the secret from his friends. When asked where he was, Gaynor would say, “Can’t tell you, can’t tell you. But it should be cool though; you’ll find out soon enough.”

The Filharmonic played a benefit concert last month which was the first time they were able to formally announce their participation on the show. The response, Gaynor said, was unreal.

“I’d never had anything like this before. It’s just unbelievable,” Gaynor admitted. “It’s crazy.”

Gaynor credits his family with keeping him grounded even as he goes on a nationally syndicated television show.

“They think it’s funny. My sister makes fun of me all the time,” he said. “She’s a junior in high school, so it’s naturally what a sibling would do.”

Gaynor decided not to tell his parents that he was auditioning until after he received confirmation that he made it onto the show. Once he did tell them, however, their first concern was for his schoolwork. After resolving that issue, Gaynor said, his parents were very supportive.

“My dad always said you gravitate to what you’re good at, so he wasn’t surprised that I landed back into music,” Gaynor said.

But Gaynor admitted that the life of a musician is far from easy. He dedicated his entire summer to taping The Sing-Off. NBC moved all of the groups to apartments in Culver City for the duration of the taping. They filmed one episode per week, with rehearsals lasting from 7 a.m. to about 11 p.m. every night.

Aside from covering songs a capella, each group also had to perform dance routines for every performance and were mentored by judges, including Jewel, Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman. Gaynor called it an exhausting process, but one that led him to meet some amazing musicians in the other groups.

“Part of the reason this show is so much fun is meeting all these unbelievable people,” Gaynor said. “These people are so much fun and so good and I learned so much from them. And I met some of my best friends.”

Gaynor holds an appreciation of the other groups’ talent, but still believes The Filharmonic held its own in the competition.

“People like The Fiharmonic. We are relatable, you know?” he joked. “We’re likeable.”

It would be hard not to like someone who works hard for his goals while still balancing a normal life. Gaynor reflected on how much his life has changed in the past year.  As a current USC student, Gaynor is also an ensemble member in the Cardinal Theatre production of Rent this January. He plans to apply the skills he learned as a journalism student to a career in the entertainment industry.  He hopes to graduate next May and has already held a number of internships, ranging in everything from sales to voice consulting. In fact, he has a job offer waiting for him with professional voice coach Nick Cooper. Cooper has worked with many stars including Beyonce and Nicki Minaj and hired Gaynor as an intern last semester.

Gaynor  credits the Trojan Family for many of his accomplishments.

“I wouldn’t have had these opportunities if I had gone to school elsewhere,” he admitted.

Though impending graduation does make him slightly nervous, for now Gaynor is taking everything that comes with being on a nationally televised show in stride.

“If there’s any time in my life where I could live this ‘faux-stardom’ thing, this is the time to do it. And just getting a feel for this sort of lifestyle because if I want to work in entertainment, I’m going to be doing this,” he said.

If his current success is any indication of the future, then Gaynor might very well need the practice to handle the fast-paced lifestyle of working in the entertainment industry.