Star on the Rise
When Luke Roberts plays piano and sings, he is at ease and does so with a purely natural ability. He is confident and plays his original songs with the grace and passion of a seasoned pro.
It is no surprise that a junior mechanical engineering student and Meyerhoff Scholar has many talents, but it was Roberts’ positive attitude and dedication to his craft that made it clear why he won the second season of the international YOBISing online music competition.
Roberts, who is from Laurel, Md., began his musical journey by learning drums when he was young. He soon realized it was a hobby that was going to stick. He eventually learned piano and began singing and writing songs. His father was in a local band, and his brother Daniel, also a UMBC student, plays guitar, piano and sings. His younger brother Michael plays bass, piano and sings.
“Music connected to a part of me and allowed me to let things out that I couldn’t any other way,” said Roberts, who was one of 30 semifinalists out of nearly 3,000 international musicians.
Roberts entered the YOBISing contest in January of 2009, and only those with enough votes advanced in the competition until the contest closed this past May and a winner was selected. He made it clear that he wouldn’t have gotten far without support.
Roberts utilized Facebook and the support of the UMBC community through 40 weeks of the competition to push his song “Turn Me Around” all the way to first place after seven weeks of semi-finals. Flyers, banners, emails to listserves and t-shirts were created by Roberts and friends to promote his participation in the contest.
“It was cool for everyone else, almost like a UMBC victory too,” he said. “People I don’t even know still come up to me and say ‘congrats man!’”
As the winner of theYOBISing contest, Roberts received $18,000, a trip to Los Angeles, VIP tickets to the 2011 Grammy Awards and VIP tickets to a celebrity awards after-party.
Roberts admits he spent most of the money paying for school.
While Roberts has a passion for music and songwriting, he is also very interested in studying mechanical engineering and getting a Ph.D. He is interning at Johns Hopkins where he is doing research on prosthetic hands, and working to develop a glove that can detect if an object is slipping through its grasp.
“Always have back-up options,” said Roberts. “A huge part of me is engineering.”
Roberts does find the time to balance his two worlds. He plays drums and piano simultaneously (one instrument with each hand) in his band, Band of Brothers, with his siblings. They just released a CD and play locally at community events, and will perform at “A Taste of UMBC” during Homecoming on Saturday, October 16.
He also emphasizes that music is sometimes a profound experience, and that he strives to connect to people with his art. This is something that he shares with his brothers.
“I think that the real success of the band will lie in whether or not our music is able to reach people where they are, in a way that helps them to come to a better place,” said Roberts. “If we achieve that, then we will have succeeded. That is something that all of us as brothers deeply want to achieve.”
If you plan to enter the YOBISing competition this year, Luke Roberts will greet you on the website as the host of the third season.
(9/17/10)
