Join Club

Arlington 13-Year-Old Competing in Spanish-Language ‘The Voice’

Samantha Rios is a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, and her incredible voice has earned her onto the Spanish-language version of NBC’s “The Voice” reality show.

Samantha appeared on La Voz Kids in March and earned all three judges’ approval for her rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Tomorrow, she is flying to Miami for the next round of performances, according to her chorus teacher, Raifel Faison.

Samantha Rios (photo via La Voz Kids)Faison has taught chorus at the school just off Route 50 near Arlington’s western border since 2003, and he said Rios is one of the most talents students he’s ever had. Since she came into his class as a sixth-grader, she has only improved.

“She’s always had the power, always had a powerful voice,” he told ARLnow.com this afternoon. “She’s never been shy or lacked confidence in her voice, but her tone has grown tremendously since sixth grade, her musicianship has grown. She’s learned so much about her voice, how to control it, and her vocal technique is definitely improving.”

Rios did tell the three judges that she was from Washington, D.C., in her blind audition, but her family calls Arlington home. Faison said Rios isn’t just a talented signer, she’s a well-rounded person.

“She’s a very sweet, loving, intelligent caring young lady,” he said. “She’s very supportive of her classmates, a hard worker. Whatever positive adjective you can think of would probably describe her.”

Rios is on Team “Daddy Yankee” the stage name of one of the trio of judges, one of 10 team members. According to her bio on La Voz Kids’ website, she’s already sung for the president multiple times and is a member of a D.C. gospel choir.

La Voz Kids airs Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. on Telemundo.

Photo via La Voz Kids

Recent Stories

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar. 🕗 News recap The following articles were published earlier today…

Last year, an attempt to broaden the Arlington police auditor’s access to police records quietly fizzled before reaching the public for discussion.

George Mason University’s new Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, is poised to become a 345,000-square-foot collaborative and digital innovation space in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. “As Mason expands in…

These tree care companies serve Arlington County and received Washington Consumers’ Checkbook’s top rating for quality (as reported by their customers in Checkbook’s surveys).

Award-winning drag queen Tara Hoot is bringing her Family Fun Story Time Brunch to Arlington at Freddie’s Beach Bar! Saturday April 6 at noon! Join Tara for songs, stories, puppets, bubbles and joy! It’s not just stories, it’s a SHOW that’s perfect for kids and kids at heart–fun for everyone! Plus a tasty brunch at Freddie’s! Click the link and make your reservations now! ❤️ 🫧 🌈

Submit your own Announcement here.

The Summer 2024 STEAM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Math) Fellowship application is now open! Apply by April 15 to be considered!

The STEAM Workforce Development Teacher Fellowship provides Arlington Public Schools (APS) high school, middle school, and elementary school teachers with opportunities to learn about workplace needs in STEAM-related fields and for them to use the experience to enhance student learning to match workplace expectations in a selected industry. STEAM Fellows participate in a three-week summer fellowship, receiving a $4,000 stipend upon completion.

Applicants planning to pursue a fellowship in the arts must demonstrate how they will build connections between the arts and science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

Click the button to learn more, share, apply, and see the variety of fellowships completed in previous years.

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

Free Right-Sizing Workshop – How to Get Rid of Your…

Cody Chance and Dick Nathan of Long & Foster are hosting a free workshop at our office on Cherry Hill Rd. (formerly Lee Highway) on the topic of “down-sizing” Thursday, March 28 from 5:30-7:30. We have created a workbook with

Portofino Italian Wine Dinner, April 6, 6:30pm

Four course Italian dinner, paired with 2 wines each. The wines will be served “blind” and notes on each wine will be discussed. The event is coordinated with Elite Wine Importers and The Portofino Restaurant. The dinner is on Saturday,

×

Subscribe to our mailing list