PORT ORCHARD — This coming January, hundreds of kids, teens and young adults from United States and beyond will converge on Hollywood to try to woo talent scouts with their dancing or perhaps singing skills. Port Orchard teen Keonna Evans hopes to be among those performers walking away with contracts from entertainment or modeling agencies. A ninth-grader at Marcus Whitman Middle School, Keonna will be traveling to Hollywood for the International Presentation of Performers (iPOP) convention, a talent show of sorts where representatives from about 200 agencies will be on the lookout for the next star. The event has four separate categories — dancing, acting, modeling and singing — and Keonna plans to show off in all four. “Keonna has a natural singing ability, a one-in-a-million kind of voice,” says Tina Abeel, voice teacher. She’s a girl with internal beauty, and that comes through in her music.”At age 14, Keonna is already quite accomplished: An A student and class president, she’s a star athlete who plays three sports and has been performing at local events. She’s a bit divided between her love of sports, especially basketball, and her love of singing — but is ready to take sides. “I’ve always wanted to be a singer but I didn’t take it seriously,” she says. “… I love sports but every time I sing, it makes me feel good. I love basketball but singing overpowers that. ”Her mother, Donna Williams, says she was encouraged by many people to explore her daughter’s musical talent — not an easy task, considering she has three other children, all involved in sports. And Keonna, too, has been pleading with her to help take her singing to the next level. So several months ago, they decided to start with voice lessons with Tina Abeel. “I needed to know if she had something special. I needed to have someone else, who’s trained, to tell me,” Williams says. That someone else was Abeel, who’s been singing for 30 years and has instructed many aspiring singers. “Keonna is probably one of the most soulful people I’ve met in a very long time,” she says. “She is what she appears to be, there is no pretense. She sings from her heart. ”Keonna has presented an interesting challenge. “When you have a natural talent like that, you can’t put her in a box,” Abeel says. “Everything that’s unique has to stay in there, but you want to infuse technique without changing the voice." Talent agents with the John Roberts Powers in Seattle agreed with the assessment of Keonna’s multiple talents when she answered an open call recently for a talent competition. She was selected by the agency with another small group of area kids reaching for the stars to enter into the Hollywood iPOP show. Getting in was the easy part. Between now and then, Keonna needs to polish a monologue, practice two songs and a one-minute dance routine. Oh, and walk in 5-inch heels. In addition to her lessons at The Gallery, where she’s also a member of a girl band, she travels to Seattle every Friday to prepare for the big show. “It’s really intense because with school and sports, going to Seattle and trying to keep up my grades, it gets overwhelming at times,” she says. “I know it will pay off when I’m in LA in January. ”To help with trip and show expenses, Keonna and her family have been doing fundraisers. Already, she has received several sponsorships that will cover the majority of the trip but her goal is to bring in another $1,500 to defray the costs. She’s been visiting local businesses to share her story and leave behind sponsorship letters, and has garnered several fans that way. Williams says this trip could mean a turning point for the entire family. If Keonna is successful and receives offers, the family would likely move to LA to be closer to the opportunities, at least for a year to see what pans out. After having lived in Port Orchard all this time, it would be a major change. “We’re ready,” Williams says. Move to star central or not, Keonna says the iPOP is going to be a major event in her life. “I want to make the most of the experience,” she says. ''''''