After the final school bell rings most students head home, but not junior Zion Voegtlin. He heads out to go get ready for a show where he becomes a whole new person. He lets out his rockstar alter ego he’s been holding in all day at school.
“I’ve been told or known to be a bit shy or soft spoken in person, and then a whole different person on stage,” Voegtlin said.
Voegtlin’s alter ego goes by the name of Miss Fortune – which has a backstory.
“Basically still is just me and all of those sorts of ways of expressing, personality, etc, but also has a sudden backstory as a character which makes the name itself not just a cool sounding play on words and stage name, but also like a “tragic” fate as well, in which develops him into a also macabre/horror-inspired, even more chaotic and very gothic and sinister kind of front or appearance.”Voegtlin said.
According to the National Social Anxiety Center, “The fear of public speaking is the most common phobia ahead of death, spiders, or heights. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that public speaking anxiety, or glossophobia, affects about 40%* of the population.” It can be hard to get on a stage in front of a crowd of people and perform something that has much meaning to you, and you think you did the best job ever, not even aware people may think the complete opposite. Although this is common, this is not the story for Voegtlin.
“But it’s like at this point as I progressed in stage presence and my playing, it all takes over now, like as it seems like another half, it ends up coming out and seeping into my ‘ original’ self, and actually frees my mind from ever having to worry about criticism, controversy, or judgement, because even if I acknowledge something sounds or seems eccentric or just strange to some people, it’s all also about ‘shock value,’ to grab people’s attention in the strongest reactions,” Voegtlin said.
For Voegtlin this mindset and confidence isn’t just him performing on stage but its also about how he maneuvers his way through life.
“Even though I seem to find myself modest and not really care what others say or think about if I am ‘weird’ or not, whether it is music, dancing, reading or speaking out loud, it’s all about being honest of my thoughts, my nature, and my interests”.
It’s common for people to spend their whole lives trying to find “their thing”, that one thing that makes them them. Not Voegtlin. Voegtlin has been pursuing different instruments his whole life but had actually started to take music seriously at the age of twelve. This was as well the age he was interested in forming a band.
“I had actually been pursuing different instruments throughout my life, the time I actually committed to it was by the time I believe was twelve or thirteen,” Voegtlin said
On January 23 the 16th Annual St.Louis Teen Talent Competition Finals took place, which Voegtlin’s band Aragon was a part of.
“Seen some things that I never thought I’d inherently get to see or find out about with my time going there and all nor thinking I’d make it that far,” Voegtlin stated. “All around the theater, what goes on backstage and everything, it’s a really great place”.
Moments leading up till today have done nothing but strengthen Voegtlin’s love for music.
“In all I’ve had a strong love for music and that love has brought me to where I am today,” Voegtlin stated. “I’m just grateful that I’m able to express my true self within something I love doing.
