BROOKE WILKES was born right about show time; at 8pm her curtain went up for the very first time.
This 3rd Generation Danish Alaskan found many early opps to develop her talent. At 11, she starred in her first musical, received an Alaskan pageant win, began studio collaborations, received radio airplay, newspaper reviews and various night club performances opening for celebrities all before the age of 13.
Brooke wanted more.
Once in SoCal Brooke put her very first bands together, booking herself into various LA night clubs, needing to sneak in the back door (being an underage ambitious high schooler.) Her original band “Local Colour” booked appearances showcasing their signature sound Brooke fondly remembers as "heavy metal bubble gum."
By age 15 Brooke started molding her inner actress over a decades journey, portraying lead roles in productions ranging from The Wiz to Evita. The theatre boards helped to cultivate her powerful stage presence that would eventually manifest over and over again through each of her shows.
Brooke landed screen time on Star Search while lending her vocals to various TV shows, commercials and feature film soundtracks.
So, when the Wilkes family chose to head back to Alaska, the young dreamer stayed put and finished her senior year of high school renting her first apartment.
You see, Brooke just wasn’t done yet.
Tackling musical theatre roles, touring with industrial shows in various rock and cover bands, training her voice to sing up to 40 songs an evening, sometimes 7 nights a week prepared her chops for what laid ahead.
During these "paying her dues" years, she worked with celebrities including the Beach Boys, Ben E. King, Jewel, the Pointer Sisters, Richard Carpenter, Greg Walker, Matthew Lillard, Wayne Brady, Vanessa L. Williams, Kristine W. and Doc Severinson all while filling requests to sing The National Anthem at sold out arena's for teams such as the LA Lakers.
Of course, there is always that moment where one is faced with a heartbreaking challenge- that scary fork in the road- where you finally see the darkness that has been thriving out there.. and this young Alaskan Princess could either run and hide or stay put and fight for what she believed in.
Various too good to be true wheelers and dealers claimed to be connected and proud to have their very own comfortable casting couches. It seemed an odd and outlandish offer each time- scary and soul shattering, yet always painted cleverly like just a simple small price to pay for guaranteed quick success.
“I knew I’d rather die trying for this dream on my own terms than sacrifice my morals and ethics, "Brooke said. "It was never an option for me to sell my soul. No one would ever get to have that power over me to use my own dreams as a weapon.”
Those eye opening moments inspired Brooke to take her livelihood into her own hands. She started her own talent booking company and began employing herself and dozens of other dream driven performers to entertain people everywhere from Caesars Palace to Disneyland. This newfound leadership gave Brooke valuable knowledge about the business side of music and instilled a deep respect and understanding for hard working agents, managers and publicists everywhere.
With that knowledge and experience gained, it was now time for Brooke to give back to herself and focus on her own original singing career once more.
She dusted off her notebook and began writing and working the LA club circuit again. Her first CD attempt, “Never Too Late”, was named one of the Top 10 Albums of the Year by Music Connection Magazine.
But Brooke still had more to say- and do- and be.
Brooke began living her life to the absolute fullest, taking on experiences and ideas once quite foreign to her. Brooke embarked on an unexpected journey that would later be jokingly referred to as her "Fruitcake Year."
In the words of successful actor and old friend Matthew Lillard,
"Brooke’s CD, 'The Vanilla Life,' is anything but!"
This literal and lyrically daring album won Record of the Year at the Los Angeles Music Awards. The Vanilla Life also received the Founders Award for Brooke’s creative tongue in cheek art concept:
A wholesome 1950s Sandra Dee unabashedly celebrating her own unexpected non-vanilla adventures.
This award winning album's content and themes are inspiring a future theatrical show and Brooke's very first book.
The aftermath of the "Vanilla Life" is already fueling material for her next CD to be appropriately entitled, "The Mermaid Diaries."
“I want my listeners to know I am right there with them, healing, learning , loving, growing and evolving. I want to inspire others to live their dreams. I am about entertaining- but more importantly about embracing love and understanding for one another. We are all the same and we can be absolutely anything we want to be!", Brooke says.
As one of Brooke's fans recently put it, “Brooke is my favorite super hero. She is part light, part dark. One half mothering angel, the other half naughty devil."
And guess what?
Brooke's not done yet |
