By Denny Patterson
On December 29, 2021, Matty’s at Wilton Park held a successful event called Rock the Mic, a karaoke competition hosted by South Florida’s southern belle of drag, Miss Bouvèé.
According to Bouvèé, the competition began all the way back to the first week of November.
“Competitors spent the month of November qualifying by singing the song of their choice and either advancing or trying again the following week,” she told OutClique. “We had a wide range of music represented from rap to opera and soul to bilingual performers. We also attracted a wide range of competitors from ages 13-97. Then in December, there were two weeks of semi-finals and two weeks of finals. Contestants were dwindled down to a strong seven finalists, and their final show took place on December 29.”
Not only did Bouvèé enjoy seeing the wide range of genres and age groups competing, but she loved meeting the musical artists.
“This was a great opportunity for me to really meet a wide range of people bringing music to The Drive,” she says. “Also, karaoke has an innate adventurous nature attached to it, so people just try things in a safe space and the crowd goes crazy. It’s a fun way to perform without the pressure of a ticketed audience.”
The competition’s first place winner was Matthew Darren, who recently moved to South Florida with his husband.
“It feels fantastic to have won the first Rock the Mic competition at Matty’s,” he exclaims. “Just having moved to town, it was awesome to connect into the performers network down here. My husband and I love coming to see and hear Miss Bouvèé and The BoyS at Matty’s regularly, so that’s how I found out about it. I love performing and singing, and I find fulfillment when I bring joy to others through song.”
Darren sang popular hits including “All of Me” by John Legend, “Chandelier” by Sia, “Jealous” by Nick Jonas, “Con Te Partirò” by Andrea Bocelli, and “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman.
“To Matthew, performing is second nature,” Bouvèé says. “Performance was a huge factor in the judging. Did they stay linked to the lyrics the whole time? Did they work the crowd? Did they bring their own flare to the song? Is their voice in tune? These were all areas that Matthew not only excelled in, but set the bar in. I think this time next year, he will be a staple on The Drive as one of our great headline performers.”
In addition to winning a cash prize of $1,000, Darren had the opportunity to perform alongside Miss Bouvèé and Jennifer McClain on New Year’s Eve and was a resident performer at Matty’s throughout the month of January.
“Having this introduction to the Wilton community and getting to connect with other local performers is the best take away,” he says. “It gives me some street cred around town as a performer.”
Bouvèé is not sure if Rock the Mic will become an annual competition, but she says she would host it again in a heartbeat.
“I certainly believe Matty’s would welcome the idea of making Rock the Mic an annual event. I think what makes our competition unique is that everyone is welcome and singers have multiple chances to qualify. With an entire month of qualifying rounds, singers had several weeks to try songs out, push themselves, and really get ready for semi-finals. The karaoke community is so great and supportive of each other. I met so many incredibly kind and talented people hosting this competition. It really was my pleasure and honor.”
Stay up-to-date with Bouvèé by following her on Instagram @MissBouvee and visiting her official website, MissBouvee.com. Connect with Darren by following him on Facebook and Instagram @MatthewDarrenMusic.
