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[0:01] Eli Tokash: Hello, everyone, and welcome to episode 210 of Take A Bow. I am your host, Eli Tokash, and this week we are back with another very exciting episode.

[0:13] Eli Tokash: We have a bit of a different guest on today, to be completely honest with you. We have a budding star. We have none other than Echo Picone on the podcast today.

[0:25] Eli Tokash: For those of you who may not know who Echo is, Echo is an incredible singer who you may have seen in Trevor the Musical off-Broadway or perhaps on Disney+, as that's where it is currently streaming.

[0:43] Eli Tokash: So you can go see that if you have not already, as well as the cast album for Trevor, all of the fun stuff.

[0:50] Eli Tokash: And then she has a brilliant following, a really great following, almost 150,000 followers on TikTok, where she posts her cover videos of her singing songs, as well as her riffing.

[1:06] Eli Tokash: And some of her riffs have gone super viral, they've created new social media trends, all of these things, and Echo is getting the spotlight that she deserves recently with the incredible talent that she has.

[1:21] Eli Tokash: And she also was in Pinkalicious, so she's done voiceover acting, she's done it all. We talk about musical theater, we talk about social media and how that can, you know, kind of gain exposure for you as a performer, as well as she writes her own songs, so we talk about that.

[1:39] Eli Tokash: Literally almost all the facets of the industry in one episode. It's such an incredible, fascinating episode. There's a lot of bouncing back and forth between all of them, so there's a lot to learn here, a lot to take in, and I cannot wait to share that with you all.

[1:54] Eli Tokash: But first, as always, we gotta talk about some Broadway news, shall we? Obviously, it's been about two weeks since last time I talked to you. Happy to announce that we are going back to Once a Week, and y'all, these next couple weeks, the lineup that we have is, I'm pinching myself.

[2:16] Eli Tokash: I'm so excited to share it all with you, and actually, we have a little bit of a tease, we have a little bit of an announcement of one of our upcoming guests in this week's episode, so make sure you listen carefully as to who that may be, and you can get a little spoiler alert for who's coming on here in the very near future.

[2:38] Eli Tokash: But very excited to be back once a week. We have banked some interviews, got a bunch of guests, so we are ready to roll, and I'm so excited. But as I mentioned, let's get into the Broadway news, shall we?

[2:52] Eli Tokash: First of all, happy opening to the cast and crew of Once Upon a Mattress, starring none other than Sutton Foster, Michael Urie, all of that incredible cast, a lot of which some of y'all may have seen over at New York City Center before it came to Broadway.

[3:12] Eli Tokash: And now it's playing in the same theater, the Hudson Theater, where Merrily We Roll Along was playing. And for those of you who may not know, Merrily We Roll Along was filmed. One of their final performances, they were actually filming for a few shows. I feel like there were like four shows that people were like, oh, the truck was here again, the truck was here again, there was cameras, there was this.

[3:39] Eli Tokash: So very exciting to announce that it is now available to watch over at the New York Public Library. So get your library cards, go tell them that, you know, you got to do some research, you want to do a paper, you're trying to learn more about Merrily We Roll Along or the cast or a character work, something, and they'll let you watch it for free.

[4:06] Eli Tokash: That's right. New York Public Library is such a great resource to go watch musicals you didn't get a chance to see. So yeah, very exciting stuff. And both of those, shout out to the cast and crew of Once Upon a Mattress, by the way, if I did not mention that already.

[4:21] Eli Tokash: Speaking of shout outs, I also want to shout out an off-Broadway show that I am super excited about and some show that I'm going to try to get, do some content around, I guess, because people are involved that are very dear to me and are in our Take A Bow family. So it only feels right.

[4:44] Eli Tokash: There is an off-Broadway show called Pretty Perfect Lives that is actually directed by Gabriella Karuba, who you may know as Zoe in Dear Evan Hansen. She had a run in Dear Evan Hansen and it's being produced, the show, by Take A Bow family members, Abby Day Phillips and Jordan Fisher.

[5:08] Eli Tokash: So it is a stacked creative team and then of course it has a couple stars in the show and it's a three-person play and I've heard nothing but incredible things. So I'm so excited to go see it for myself and hopefully y'all can make a trip to see it yourselves.

[5:28] Eli Tokash: They do have $25 tickets an hour before the show starts. So if you just go to the theater an hour before the show or even a half hour when the house opens and you go to take your seat and just say, hey, love to get a ticket, if you have any available, they'll give it to you for $25. You can't beat that. Literally less than a rush ticket. So go check it out if you can.

[5:54] Eli Tokash: Alright, moving on. The Greatest Showman. Oh yes, it was announced that The Greatest Showman is in development for a musical adaptation. Honestly, one of the worst kept secrets in the world. Like, I don't know. I mean, of course, it's so exciting to hear the announcement and everything.

[6:16] Eli Tokash: But I think this is something that, you know, everyone kind of knew this was coming. I was actually shocked that they weren't already in development. And honestly, they probably were. But they announced it at the D23 Disney convention.

[6:39] Eli Tokash: So I don't know. I don't know what to think. We all knew this was going to become a musical. I would not be shocked if one of them came back. I really don't know how they're going to replace Keala Settle. So I also think she's going to come back. Obviously, I love the show and I'm very close to that show. I'm not going to give anything away or anything like that.

[7:04] Eli Tokash: But I'm very excited for it to come to Broadway, for the music and story continue to be told, the music continue to be heard. I would die to be a part of it. I'd literally give an arm and a leg. This is probably the dream job right now. But yeah, I'm very excited for The Greatest Showman.

[7:24] Eli Tokash: As I mentioned, it's in development. Obviously, it's a movie musical already. So I don't know how much development needs to happen necessarily. So I wouldn't be surprised to see this show as early as next season. I know that it won't be this season for sure. And I don't think that that's a secret to anybody or a surprise to anybody as they just announced that it was in development.

[7:49] Eli Tokash: But I wouldn't be surprised to see it next year. But I also wouldn't be surprised to see it like another three years down the line. So I don't know. It'll be interesting to see. We'll see what happens with it. And it's, as always, all going to be about timing. So very excited nonetheless.

[8:07] Eli Tokash: Moving on to one of my other favorite shows and kind of a show that's similar to Greatest Showman, but also not really at the same time. But they both have a circus. So kind of. Water for Elephants. It was announced that they have a new star. They have Kyle Selig coming in to replace Grant Gustin as Jacob Jankowski beginning on September 3rd. And honestly, I think this is such great casting.

[8:35] Eli Tokash: First of all, who doesn't love Kyle Selig? We all love Kyle Selig. Mean Girls, Aaron Samuels, you all know, you love. Also, I just think that it's gonna it's not obviously like the universal name that Grant Gustin has, but it is a name.

[8:57] Eli Tokash: And it's someone who has the Broadway roots that I think are going to bring in the people that, you know, they're trying to bring in. So I think that that's super exciting. And I'm excited to see Kyle in the show. Another exciting thing out of that show. And I'm going to actually loop The Notebook in here too.

[9:17] Eli Tokash: Both Water for Elephants and The Notebook announced that it was going on tour, which is very exciting. So people, if you don't live in New York here, that's okay. You're going to get a chance to see it very soon.

[9:32] Eli Tokash: I do worry though, like, because when usually like when shows announce that they're going on tour, you know, their Broadway sales don't always do as well because like tourists come in to New York and they're like, oh, well, it's coming to a city theater near me soon.

[9:48] Eli Tokash: So maybe we'll see a different show that's not going to be on tour when they come to New York and totally understandable. But it'll be interesting to see how that announcement kind of impacts, you know, their longevity here on Broadway.

[10:05] Eli Tokash: I think more specifically Water for Elephants than The Notebook. I don't think The Notebook is going anywhere. But Water for Elephants, I'm curious to see how if they can manage to do both a tour and a Broadway run at the same time. I would love for it because I think it should be playing in multiple locations at once. I loved the show and I'm not afraid to say that.

[10:31] Eli Tokash: So yeah, anyways, moving on.

[10:35] Eli Tokash: Speaking of tours, shout out to another Take A Bow family member. Teal Wicks is heading out on the road with Ann Juliette as Anne Hathaway. And Anne Hathaway, by the way, is currently being played on Broadway in this production by Betsy Wolfe.

[10:57] Eli Tokash: So for those of you who's kind of trying to make a relation of who she's playing or whatever, that's it.

[11:04] Eli Tokash: This is brilliant casting. I am a huge Teal Wicks fan. Obviously, she was in Neverland with me, so I'm partial. She's family. But at the same time, like, and okay, I'm recording this on Wednesday, August 21st, which is exactly eight years ago today. Finding Neverland closed. Fun fact. Crazy fact as well.

[11:31] Eli Tokash: So yeah, so eight years ago. So I have no problem saying this eight years later, but I do think Teal was not miscast per se, but I always wanted more from Teal. And I always wanted more of Teal's personality to shine.

[11:53] Eli Tokash: And Mary Berry was like completely opposite of Teal and who she was. And I think that's why I like love her as a performer, because I literally watched her every day become someone that she's totally not.

[12:07] Eli Tokash: And so it was just so cool to kind of witness that firsthand and up close, where this year with Anne Hathaway and Ann Juliette, Teal is going to be able to play herself. And I'm just so excited for it. I want to see her in it so bad. It's going to be perfect, truly.

[12:28] Eli Tokash: So those of you who will be seeing the tour, and if it's coming your way, y'all are going to be blessed with an incredible star of the show with Teal Wicks. Very exciting stuff.

[12:42] Eli Tokash: Speaking of casting announcements, I'm actually going to talk about Chicago now. Chicago is welcoming Alyssa Milano as Roxy Hart and Orfeh coming in as Mama Morton. So that's going to be very exciting. I think both great casting announcements.

[13:01] Eli Tokash: Obviously, there was a lot more casting announcements since the last time I talked to you, but if I talked about all of them, we'd be here all day. So just wanted to shout out those ones.

[13:10] Eli Tokash: One last note, actually, before I turn it over to Echo and our interview. I am super excited because in two weeks, ElsieFest is going on. And for those of you who don't know what ElsieFest is, ElsieFest is literally a Broadway festival concert.

[13:33] Eli Tokash: And it's put on by Darren Criss every year. It was every year. And then there were a couple years break because of COVID and everything like that. So this is their first year back. So super exciting. And it's featuring some incredible people.

[13:49] Eli Tokash: I'm so excited. And it's happening near Pace. So I am definitely going to try to be there. September 8th, once again, you've got Jordan Fisher, my family member, come on. Darren Criss, who was in The Greatest Showman readings with me, literally for a day.

[14:10] Eli Tokash: That was when Hugh was going through his skin cancer. And Jeremy Jordan, they didn't have the plan of, I think they actually had the plan of Darren singing for Hugh, but he couldn't be there the whole weekend.

[14:27] Eli Tokash: So when they presented it to Fox, Darren wasn't there or couldn't be there that day, which is why they had Jeremy play both Hugh and Phillip Zac Efron's role. But yeah, it was pretty crazy.

[14:51] Eli Tokash: Alright y'all, this week's guest is someone you may have seen off-Broadway or on Disney+, in the hit musical Trevor.

[15:04] Eli Tokash: Or perhaps you've seen her perform outrageous riffs and covers on TikTok, where she has amassed almost 150,000 followers. Crazy. Broadway and beyond is just inevitable for this rising star. So it is my honor to welcome, to take a bow, Echo Picone. Hi Echo!

[15:14] Echo Picone: Hello! Hi!

[15:17] Echo Picone: Hi! Oh my god, I'm so excited.

[15:20] Eli Tokash: I know, me too. I'm so excited. Echo Picone, 16 years old. It's my favorite thing.

[15:25] Echo Picone: Full government name.

[15:27] Eli Tokash: Full government name. Yeah, we have to add it to the passport for sure. Well, I love it. So how did this whole thing kind of start with you? Was it always, I mean, it's no secret, you have an amazing voice. Did it always start with musical theater? Did it kind of just start just you in the car listening to the radio? How did you get into all this?

[15:48] Echo Picone: I was singing before I could talk. I used to watch a lot of Sesame Street and I would be sitting in my car seat and humming the Sesame Street theme song. And my parents would put it on because if I was singing something, it probably meant I wanted to hear the song. And they would put it on and I would be in the right key. So they put me into voice lessons and I did this open mic. That was at Star Maker School with Lisa Solak and Trapper. And I did an open mic and there was an agent there and I got signed. I was singing the Ballad of Chicken Soup by Carole King. So I've been in and out of the city. That was when I was four. I have been in and out of the city, auditioning for things, singing opportunities.

And my singing has really come a long way. I've always just kind of been musical. Everyone who knows me knows that I am always, always singing. I never stop. Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it. So it's just always been something I loved. And I'm always doing it.

[16:50] Eli Tokash: Is that the key? I feel like I just saw a TikTok recently where you were like, I'm not trained. I don't know. Is that kind of your training? You just singing to yourself at home?

[16:58] Echo Picone: My parents have always called me a parrot. I imitate people. So every person that I've ever listened to, I've kind of meshed it all together. And that's kind of what my voice is. So over quarantine, I haven't been actually trained throughout the entire process. I've started training recently because I've been with my new following. I've been getting some requests that have been a little more challenging. And I don't want to hurt myself throughout that process. But recently I started training classically for opera. So I've been doing a lot of that.

[17:35] Eli Tokash: That's fun. That's really fun. Okay. That's what I'm thinking. Because obviously your voice, it totally makes sense when you say that you're a parrot. Because you go over here and you sing Hamilton. And that's insane. Then you go over here and you're Celine Dion and Ariana Grande at the drop of a hat. You have all these crazy different styles of musical theater, pop, and now opera. What is the dream for you? Do you want to do musical theater? Do you want to do your own music? Because I know you write. What is your path that you see?

[18:13] Echo Picone: My goal has always been to use my voice to build a platform where I can get messages out to people. So I'd like to use my voice to become well known enough to help spread positive messages. Whether that's I release an album and I'm on tour or I'm in a Broadway show. I honestly could care less as long as I'm able to get positive messages out to people.

[18:35] Eli Tokash: I love it. You want to perform, make people feel something. It's not about anything really. It's just the messages. I love that. Talk to me because I mentioned Off-Broadway, Trevor, all the things. I have to talk to you about Trevor. I love talking about Trevor. Everyone that listens to this knows that. I'm curious for you. That was your New York City stage debut. Is that correct?

[19:01] Echo Picone: It was. It was my Off-Broadway debut. I'd been in a couple musicals before that, but nothing Off-Broadway or on.

[19:10] Eli Tokash: What was that experience like for you? To be performing in New York with Mark Bruni, Josh Prince leading the way. Tony nominees for best musical. Established people. What was that experience like for you?

[19:27] Echo Picone: Trevor was absolutely incredible. I talk to the cast every day. We all talk about how much we miss it. Genuinely, I was exposed to so much creativity and intelligence in that process. It grew everyone as a person. It was such a genius project with such an important message. Being around so many talented people really made me appreciate the opportunity. It really was incredible. We all knew the importance of the message that we had to get out. Being able to share that message with people was really so special.

[19:57] Eli Tokash: You hit the nail on the head. You talk about getting important, positive messages out there. I don't know if there's a better one. It's Trevor. Now, you got it nationally because anyone can go stream it on Disney+. Have you watched it? Are you someone that is able to watch yourself? What is that thing like for you?

[20:25] Echo Picone: I might be biased, but I love Trevor so much. I genuinely find myself revisiting it quite often. Not even for the memories. Sometimes I just need a little bit of positivity in my life. That last number, the switch from the sad part to the happy part. It's such a special story to me that I find myself revisiting it. It brings me back to a really special time in my life. I don't know. I've watched it with my friends, with my family. The premiere for Trevor was incredible. Seeing myself on a big screen was really a dream come true. I find myself revisiting Trevor pretty often.

[21:04] Eli Tokash: That's awesome. Is there something that you learned during that process? I obviously mentioned Mark Bruni. He's your director. He's now the director of Great Gatsby. He just finished a run over at the Kennedy Center. Best of the best. I want to know if, for you personally, there was anything that you came across that you were able to really, I guess, sunk in with you. Something that you'll take on to future projects.

[21:33] Echo Picone: Yeah. Mark Bruni was really one of the most incredible people I've ever worked with. He, with such a difficult story, made it so incredible. He always constantly reminded us to not dumb ourselves down to be anything else but ourselves. He said, if a show is right for you, you will be cast for it. He said, do not be someone else to get what you want. Things will find you. That has stuck with me since I met him. He really is incredible.

[22:02] Eli Tokash: He really is. That's not easy. He came from Beautiful, right? Jesse Mueller and Tony nominations and all these things. Directing this brand new musical that was from the ground up. Obviously, there was the short film. He's no longer directing Jesse Mueller. He's directing a bunch of kids. Which is obviously not taking away anything from the kids. As a kid myself, I feel like it's just a different level. It's a different way of communication. It's a different way to hold our attention and get the point across. The way that he was able to galvanize the room and really make it feel like a family and get everyone on the same page to tell this story. Mark Bruni, I'm in that fan club to the day I die.

[22:52] Echo Picone: Me too.

[22:54] Eli Tokash: Speaking of directing a bunch of kids, it's very rare for, I feel like, when we're kids and having a full cast of kids and people our age in this industry. What was that experience like for you? Had you ever worked with a lot of kids? Did you enjoy working with a lot of kids? Did you miss the adults? Were you able to connect with the adults that were in the show a lot? Or was it strictly just the kids? What was that process like?

[23:27] Echo Picone: Working in Trevor with a bunch of kids, I had worked with kids before the show I was in before Trevor. It was a production of Annie. Miss Hannigan was Andrea McArdle, the original Broadway Annie. That was a cast full of kids. I think that we cast Trevor with such talented and professional people that it really not only makes us look good because of our professionality, but it shows how professional we are to the adults. I think it helps the adults appreciate the maturity level of the kids to take on such a story like that. The Trevor kids clicked immediately. We were such a family. We did everything together. No one disliked anyone. We were just absolute best friends, and we still are. Working with kids definitely is so, so important because it gives them a chance to be mature. I think it also helps audiences realize stories better because they're actually seeing it through who it should be portrayed by.

[24:30] Eli Tokash: Right. Absolutely. I love that. You talk about being with the kids and having Mark Bruni and everything. We had him on here not too long ago, and he mentioned just the process of Trevor and the process of creating new musicals. Had you ever gone through something like that where every day you're coming into rehearsals and it's like, oh, I've got a new song to learn. I've got new lines, maybe. Things are all over the place, right? Have you ever experienced that? If not, what was that like for you?

[25:04] Echo Picone: I had an experience. I kind of had. I did a reading for The Bedwetter. It was a reading, so it was getting constantly, constantly changed for the showcase. But Trevor was definitely... We would drop numbers immediately and just redo the entire thing the night before a show. You definitely had to be on your A-game always, which helped me gain such a level of professionalism that will help me so much in the real world. We were 14-year-old kids getting re-choreographed every night. It helps make the show so much more genius. I know all of them happened for a reason, but it really just kept us all on our toes. It definitely made the experience more fun. We just weren't doing the same thing over and over and over again. It kept us all on our toes.

[25:52] Eli Tokash: I think that's so important, too. Obviously, they were always improving the show as much as they could and everything like that. But it was, at least during my experience, I loved coming to work and being like, what can we play with today? What can we do next? What's new?

[26:07] Echo Picone: Yeah, exactly. Because probably what we play with is not going to be here tomorrow, so let's have fun with the six hours that we have with it. I don't know. It was just fun and it kept your attention. Like you said, it kept you on your toes.

[26:21] Eli Tokash: Hand up. I had performances where I was totally doing old lines or old choreography. I wanted to sing a different song because that's just the nature of it and the craziness of how fast and quickly things change. Did you ever have a moment like, oh shoot, what show am I doing tonight? Is it what we did in rehearsal? Are we implementing that already? What are we doing?

[26:54] Echo Picone: We kept up with what was old and what was new. We had an obituary on the wall made out of sticky notes so we could always check what we were supposed to be doing and what we weren't supposed to be doing.

[27:06] Eli Tokash: Oh, that's hilarious.

[27:08] Echo Picone: I remember we added a little scene with me in Invisible, one of the numbers. I remember we blocked it in like two minutes. It was so quick. We threw it on stage and we put it on for a preview and I was so confused because I had to go out a different way and then get to a different entrance and I booked it. Turns out I had time but I just remember being so stressed on figuring out that backstage coordination. I was like, oh my god.

[29:42] Echo Picone: But I mean, it's all in good fun. Like I was doing it with people that I loved and it made the experience like a shove with love. Is that right? Yeah.

[29:51] Eli Tokash: For sure. I love it. So let's move on. So obviously, on top of, you know, doing performance and musical theater and doing your TikTok and everything like that, you're also a voice actor. Um, and I don't know, maybe it's just my own thought process. But I feel like anyone who's like really good at singing is a really good voice actor, probably because they just like, know. Yeah. So, um, so you feel like that's the same? Like, how do you kind of, I don't know, make your voice do sort of different things? Is it just the repetition of playing around? What is voice acting like for you?

[30:27] Echo Picone: I think voice acting definitely the expanding of my singing range helps me expand like, vocally speaking wise, because, um, if I'm singing high up, I can also speak in that register because I've trained it. So I find myself being able to do a range of different voices and also singing musical theater, different roles, different accents, different people, you're, you're portraying all these different characters. So you get the acting side and the versatility of your range, um, that it really just helps you do whatever you want with it. Like the voice is an instrument and you can play whatever notes.

[31:10] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Cause it's interesting just going back to what you were saying earlier, like, I feel like a lot of people may have on their resumes, like, oh, I could do, you know, a random impression of like, I don't know, Robin Williams will say, or like something just random, but like a lot of that, those impressions come from like an actor and a voice, but you are, are unique. And I think singers in general to where you could do an impression of like singing as well. So that probably helps kind of figuring out, you know, what kind of character can I play with or what, who can I kind of imitate sort of thing that is that, do you feel like that's the same?

[31:50] Echo Picone: Yeah. Also what I said about earlier about me being a parent, I find it really easy to imitate different people. So that also just, I kind of lock into different parts of my brain to do different characters. Like, yeah. And it's interesting. Cause like something like for voice actors, I know that I was in a Nickelodeon show when I was a kid and it was a voice actor and it was Zack and Quack. It was what it was called. And like my audition, it was already a season. They already had a season, but the kid's voice changed. So all I had to do was listen to him and try to like, yeah. So like, have you kind of experienced that and kind of feel like, oh, that's, that's just nothing for you. You've got that down.

[32:34] Echo Picone: Yeah. So the, the character that I did, one of my most major voice acting roles was Kendra in Pinkalicious on PBS Kids. And actually it's a funny story. She wasn't supposed to be in the show, but I walked into the audition room, decked out in pink because I would, I was auditioning for Pinkalicious, decked out in pink clothing. And they said, well, we see your favorite color is pink. And I went, actually my favorite color is black. And my character in the show wears all black. And they wrote in that character because of the answer that I gave in the audition. So I didn't, I didn't have any reference for what the character was supposed to be. So I kind of got to make the character as I went. So somebody else plays her now. So, and she's incredible. I've seen the new seasons. It's, it's wonderful. But the, the, the character growth of Kendra was kind of like me, which was awesome. It was really cool.

[33:26] Eli Tokash: That's so cool. Writing your own yourself into a, you know, a TV show, like what's cooler than that?

[33:34] Echo Picone: It was awesome.

[33:35] Eli Tokash: Yeah, that's sick. Well, let's talk about your TikTok. So some more because I, I'm just, I see it like not, not even joking to you. Like anytime I log into TikTok or go on the app, it's like Echo becoming 16 years old, Echo becoming 16 years old. And it's my favorite thing. I'm like, oh yeah, of course I have to watch everyone because they're genuinely good.

[34:02] Echo Picone: Um, so what, I don't know, like what made you start posting on social media? What has that whole kind of process been like for you?

[34:13] Echo Picone: Yeah. So I've always been posting singing videos on TikTok. They only started blowing up about, oh, what was it? March of 2023, I think. Yeah. It was March of 2023. I posted a video of me singing Screw Loose and I figured out that TikTok loves little clips of things that are impressive. So usually I was posting like whole songs or not very impressive parts of songs, like just the beginning. And I posted that climax of Screw Loose and it just blew up. And I got follower after follower after follower. And I was like, oh my gosh, that's cool and crazy. And I've always wanted this to happen. So I kept posting those little impressive clips and they just kept growing and growing and growing. And now I've gotten such a following that I just like, it's incredible.

I really had no idea it was going to happen. It's always been a dream of mine to like have a following. And the day that that happened, I literally sobbed because I was like, Mom, I'm famous! Like, I was so, so happy.

[35:12] Eli Tokash: I love it. Well, I mean, for good reason, like I'm happy to go on TikTok and I like actually see someone that has a large following because they're actually talented and not just being like a total like numbnut, like on social media, like some of these people are like, why? Like, why is that like so popular? Anyways, I'm happy that you're, you know, you're kind of popping off. Like I mentioned earlier, you do all sorts of songs. Like, how do you kind of pick out those songs? Is it literally you're just singing whatever and you just start videoing or you have like a plan?

[35:40] Echo Picone: I've definitely repeated a few. I try and plan them out, but usually I'm just sitting at my desk singing and I'm like, oh, that sounds good. And I turn on the camera and I post it and people are like, wow. And I'm like, oh my God, you're all so sweet. Like I, it's so crazy to me that that many people have seen me sing. Like it's, it's always been a dream of mine. So I try and plan them out. Usually it's because people request them or it's an algorithm thing. I'm like, Hmm, I think this will do well. I think people will like this. So I post it and sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, I don't really care.

[36:23] Eli Tokash: Well, yeah. Hey, that's right. I love that. And that's an important attitude to have because that's hard. Like I feel, okay. I would never, but my, I don't know if I would never, but right now I cannot get myself to post a singing video because that takes a lot of vulnerability, you know? And then it goes into the whole, oh, like, what are people going to think? You know, like, what is, what does that have? So like, did that, does that ever like come into your mind or are you sort of just like, let, let's, I like it and I, I love singing. So let's just see what happens. Like, I don't know. What's that like for you?

[37:04] Echo Picone: Yeah. So I definitely get a mix of hate comments. Honestly, I post my singing for people who will appreciate it. And if people don't, that's okay because usually the only thing I get hate comments about is unnecessary riffing, which usually is me practicing. So I'll be sitting at my desk and I'll do this crazy riff because I want to see if I can do it. And I'll happen to be filming and people are like, you don't need to riff that much. I'm like, I wouldn't do that on stage. Let me have fun in my room. So it's really, I, it's people who appreciate it, appreciate it. And if they don't, they don't. It's fine.

[37:35] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Well, I mean like, at least it's not like, oh, that riff was terrible, you know, like unnecessary rifting is kind of like a compliment. Sometimes I get it. Sometimes I get it. My sister posted a video of me singing in the hallway the other day and someone said, she's untalented. Tell her to find a new dream. I was like, oh my gosh.

[37:59] Echo Picone: They're lying to your face. People are crazy.

[38:04] Eli Tokash: Yeah, people are crazy. But the people who appreciate it, I appreciate them. So yeah. And a lot of people are appreciating it. Speaking of, like, I wanted to ask, you know, you see, like, obviously this My Days, The Notebook song, I'm on like the theater talk side a little bit. And I see like people posting it. And I see like Ingrid Michelson's like, liking it, commenting and like, it's crazy that social media, you know, like anyone literally can see it. So like, have you ever had a moment where it's like someone that you admire, like saw your video and liked it or commented and you were just kind of freaking out?

[38:35] Echo Picone: I the other day, I posted a video of me singing I Know Things Now. And Julia Lester commented on it and followed me back. And now she's my mutual on TikTok, which I will never get over. Kylie Contral from Descendants did the espresso riff. Yeah. So that was that was great. Yeah, the espresso riff, man. Angelica Hale, Darcy Lynn, Cheryl Porter, like, I am, I watch videos of people doing that all day every day. It is my favorite thing to see people doing that riff. So many people who I have followed for so long have done that riff. And the fact that I originated it and people who I love are doing it is so mind blowing to me. And I'm so appreciative, like, so appreciative of that.

[39:29] Eli Tokash: Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, I feel like within the last like, three months, I'm just like on Echo Picone TikTok, because it's like, if it's not you, yeah, yeah, you know, and they're all like, inspo or something, Echo Picone. And I'm like, no way, like, that's crazy. I've definitely seen an influx of people putting their name and ages on videos, too.

[39:50] Echo Picone: Oh, you're a trendsetter. What can you say?

[39:58] Echo Picone: Hey, man, it works. Honestly, the Echo Picone 16 years old thing was originally an algorithm thing. And now it's just kind of grown into a brand name.

[40:02] Eli Tokash: Oh, really? What do you mean by algorithm thing? Like what did that helps the algorithm?

[40:07] Echo Picone: I guess so. I figured out that if I put my name and age on it, it usually does better than if I don't. Like I was experimenting with that for a while. So I just started doing it. And also, it just helps people like, they can see it on the video instead of having to look on my page for my age or in my username for my full name. I'm like, oh, look at me. This is my age. This is what I'm singing.

[40:28] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Well, it's interesting because like, I see a lot of your videos. And it's like, obviously, like, I know you and I know that you can sing and I've sang at cabarets with you or whatever like that. None of it surprises me. But then I'm like, oh, wow, that's crazy that she is only 16 years old. So like, even I get that whole like, whoa, 16 years old, like what else can you sing sort of thing. So like, I totally see how that could possibly even get more people to stop or like, be like, holy cow, this girl's amazing, you know, sort of thing. And now it's just kind of a brand name that could become 16 years old.

[41:10] Echo Picone: So when like, so, okay, 16 years old, what happens on the 17th birthday? Do we not want to talk about it? It's in 11 days. I changed to Echo Picone 17 years old in 11 days.

[41:22] Eli Tokash: Oh, that's crazy. I'm going to get a birthday cake and write Echo Picone 17 years old on it. I'm not kidding you.

[41:31] Echo Picone: Oh my god, what a legend. So it is a rebrand. It is a rebrand.

[41:35] Echo Picone: It is a rebrand. I could do Echo Picone 16 plus one, but I think I need to stick with that with the age years old.

[41:40] Eli Tokash: I love it.

[41:43] Echo Picone: Yeah, I'm not ready for the day it changes. Also, the number 16 is my favorite. So I'm a little sad to let it go.

[41:48] Eli Tokash: Well, you know, I guess can't stay 16 forever, unfortunately. Yeah, we have actually Julia Lester is coming on here next episode. So do you have like any like questions or like something that like you would want to say to her sort of thing?

[42:03] Echo Picone: I want to tell her that I have been her biggest fan forever. High School Musical the Musical the Series. Love her. Brig and I at that one Broadway Star Project cabaret where we sang her song with Olivia Rodrigo. So good.

[42:24] Eli Tokash: She's always and she's a ginger. Like I follow my gingers.

[42:29] Echo Picone: That's right. She's wonderful.

[42:31] Eli Tokash: She really is so incredibly talented. Oh, ridiculous. You, by the way, would be a great Little Red in Into the Woods.

[42:39] Echo Picone: Dream Roll. Really? Is it really?

[42:42] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Yeah.

[42:43] Echo Picone: Have you done that song on TikTok?

[42:46] Echo Picone: I have. I did it super recently. And I'm doing it at a show on the 26th at the Green Room.

[42:51] Eli Tokash: Oh, secret spoilers. Wait, plug it real quick. We got people to come.

[42:57] Echo Picone: What is it? It's on the 26th. It's at the Green Room. It's I think it's called the Tony Award winner. I don't know the exact name of it.

[43:06] Eli Tokash: But yeah. I love it.

[43:09] Echo Picone: 26th Green Room. See you there.

[43:11] Eli Tokash: There you go. If you want to see for yourself live and in person.

[43:16] Echo Picone: Oh, wait. No, you won't be. You'll still be 16. So you can see it while.

[43:21] Eli Tokash: Echo Picone's 17 years old.

[43:23] Echo Picone: Oh, you will be 17. Oh, shoot.

[43:25] Echo Picone: I will be 17. I turned 17 on the 1st of September.

[43:30] Eli Tokash: Oh, you're saying September 26. I thought you meant August 26.

[43:34] Echo Picone: Oh, yeah. No, it's sorry. It's September 26.

[43:36] Eli Tokash: OK, OK. Makes sense. Well, I love that. What about like dream like collaborations? Like, would you ever collab with someone like on TikTok? Because I see like you and Brig like doing videos and singing. And I'm like, oh, my God, stop my heart.

[43:43] Echo Picone: Yeah, I've been collabing with a bunch of people. I'm I'm working on recording some music right now. So that's why I had Brig up at my house.

[44:02] Eli Tokash: Nice.

[44:02] Echo Picone: He's going to be featured on some of my music. And I mean, I'm having people like Ava and my best friend Kira. So I collab with a bunch of talented musicians. So I'm usually not like musicians like instrument wise. Usually my dad does all of that because he can play literally any instrument somehow. So Average High School Romance is all the music on that was done by him. All those vocals were me. My friend Kira sings backup on that. So, yeah, I love collabing with people.

[44:31] Eli Tokash: Welcome back to Take A Bow! Today, we have the incredible Echo Picone with us. Echo, it's so great to have you here!

[45:01] Echo Picone: Thank you so much for having me! I'm really excited to be here.

[45:21] Eli Tokash: So, let's dive right in. You mentioned that your love for singing and music started with Sesame Street. Can you tell us a bit about that?

[45:41] Echo Picone: Absolutely! I grew up watching Sesame Street, and I was just captivated by the music and the characters. It really inspired me to start singing and performing. I remember singing along to all the songs and just feeling so happy.

[46:01] Eli Tokash: That's amazing! And now, you've been in some incredible productions, including Trevor off-Broadway. What was that experience like for you?

[46:21] Echo Picone: Trevor was such a special experience. It was my first off-Broadway show, and I got to work with some really talented people. The story is so heartfelt, and I felt honored to be a part of it.

[46:41] Eli Tokash: I can only imagine! And I know you also got to see yourself on Disney+ in Pinkalicious. How did that feel?

[47:01] Echo Picone: It was surreal! Seeing myself on a platform like Disney+ was a dream come true. I grew up watching Disney shows, so to be a part of that world was just incredible.

[47:21] Eli Tokash: That's such a cool experience! You also mentioned understanding your voice. How has your vocal journey been?

[47:41] Echo Picone: It's been a journey for sure! I've learned so much about my voice and how to use it effectively. I've worked with amazing vocal coaches who have helped me find my unique sound.

[48:01] Eli Tokash: That's so important. And I know you have a talent for impressions as well. Can you share a bit about that?

[48:21] Echo Picone: Yes! I love doing impressions. It's a fun way to express myself and connect with different characters. I think it adds a unique flair to my performances.

[48:41] Eli Tokash: That's awesome! And speaking of connecting with audiences, you've gained quite a following on TikTok. How has that platform influenced your career?

[49:01] Echo Picone: TikTok has been a game changer for me. It's allowed me to showcase my talents in a different way and connect with fans. I love creating trends and sharing my music with a wider audience.

[49:21] Eli Tokash: That's fantastic! And I know you also write your own songs. What inspires your songwriting?

[49:41] Echo Picone: My songwriting is inspired by my experiences and emotions. I like to write about things that are relatable and meaningful to me. It's a way for me to express myself and connect with others.

[50:01] Eli Tokash: That's beautiful. And at just 16 years old, you have accomplished so much already! What are your goals for the future?

[50:21] Echo Picone: Thank you! I hope to continue growing as an artist and exploring different avenues in music and acting. I want to keep pushing myself and see where my journey takes me.

[50:41] Eli Tokash: I can't wait to see where you go next! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us today, Echo.

[51:01] Echo Picone: Thank you for having me! It's been a pleasure.

[51:21] Eli Tokash: And to our listeners, make sure to connect with Echo on Instagram @echopicone and follow us @takeabowpodcast. Until next time, take a bow!