Cure d’Ars Congregant Su Charles Gets a Taste of Stardom
Su Charles (or SuCh, as she’s known on stage), a member of the Cure d’Ars community since 2010, just returned from a musical odyssey. She made it to the top 98 out of 112,000 contestants on American Idol, before being cut and sent home.
It hurt Su not to make it to the live show, but she got an insider’s view into the music industry and made friends in Hollywood that she intends to keep for life. More importantly, her dream is undeterred.
Su, a Boston native, started singing as a toddler in her father’s church in Brooklyn, NY. At 15, she was accepted into the Grammy High School Jazz Ensemble and toured with the group for two consecutive years, with pinnacle performances at the Grammy Awards.
Su’s Haitian-American family could not come to terms with a musical career for their daughter, and urged her to go into a steady profession. Su complied, earning her degree in Exercise Science at La Sierra University in California and practicing in Chicago.
When Su’s husband, Jodel, was transferred to Denver with his IT job, Su worked for a time at National Jewish before deciding to pursue her nursing degree at Regis University. After graduation, Su worked as a nurse at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital.
Then, in 2010, the earthquake hit Haiti. The Charles’ traveled down to the island with a group of 14 first responders, working around the epicenter.
“The loss of life, sheer devastation broke my heart and changed me,” said Su. “I realized life is too short for me not to be doing what I love.”
When she returned home, she left the nursing profession and dedicated herself to singing. Last year, her friends urged her to audition for American Idol. She introduced herself to Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as the “black Barbra Streisand” and sang Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman.” They responded with three “yeses.”
“Definitely the highlight of my life,” said Su.
While not making it to the televised show was a setback for Su, she is confident that this is just the beginning. She is back at work in Denver, putting together an album and performing around town.
“It’s one door closed but I’m looking for the windows and other doors that may be opening,” said Su.
For more on SuCh, visit her website at iamsuch.com where you can connect to her on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.