FRACKVILLE - The top 10 contestants for the next Schuylkill County Idol XII delighted the audience with their singing Tuesday at the Schuylkill Mall.
In front of about 100 people, each sang a solo and then a duet with the contestant of their choice.
Fransheska Cruz, 30, of Shenandoah, sang "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees.
Dressed in an sleeveless dress, she had the audience clapping along to the upbeat tempo of the song.
"My goodness, you look so elegant," judge Kim Russell Seibert said.
Seibert said the song was performed well and judges Jeff Buchanan and Allison Kline agreed.
"I love the emotion you put into your performance," Kline said.
Cruz said she didn't have any singing lessons, she just sang for fun.
She was scared about entering the contest because she gets "stage fright."
Her children told her if she was scared, she didn't have to join the competition. She said she faced her stage fright and joined anyway because giving up is not something she wanted to teach her four children.
She later sang a duet with Kelly Ann Bensinger, 24, of Valley View. They sang "Because of You" by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson.
Cruz was one of nine other people who made the cut to the quarterfinal round. This year, 12 contestants entered the preliminary round but one did not show up, Elaine Maneval, Schuylkill Mall manager, said.
The remaining eight quarterfinal singers Tuesday were Bryel Frasch, 16, of Ashland; Ryan Wilkinson, 29, of Schuylkill Haven; Cody Wiley, 24, of Pottsville; Austin Welch, 19, of Shenandoah; Joe Carney, 30, of Tamaqua; Richard Harper, 21, of Cumbola; Joshua Donley, 16, of Pottsville; and Justine Ellis, 20, of Pottsville.
The judges grade the contestants on a score of 1 to 10 in four categories: stage presence, technical ability, showmanship and overall performance.
The contest is open to those 16 to 30 years old.
For Carney, this was his final year to enter. He decided this year he was actually going to do so. He played a guitar as he sang "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams. He later sang a duet with Welch. Carney sat in a wheelchair because he injured his back recently.
"I like the older rock. It's fun," he said of his song choice, adding that it has energy.
This is the fourth time Harper has entered the contest, and Buchanan said Harper's voice gets better each time.
Semifinal contestants will be announced 3 p.m. today on the mall website, www.shopschuylkillmall.com.
The next round is 6 p.m. July 15. The theme is "a little bit of you, a little bit of country, a little bit of rock and roll," Maneval said.
The winner, announced July 22, will receive a $1,000 mall shopping spree, a gift certificate from the Bon Ton, a $50 gift certificate from the Mustard Seed Mercantile, a gift card from Kmart, a gift card from Avon, chocolate from Gertrude Hawk, a professional photo shoot by Michael's Photography, Frackville, and an Aug. 2 performance at the Schuylkill County Fair.