A year ago, Chris Rene and James Durbin could have bumped into each other at any Halloween supply store and no-one would have noticed them.
They were just struggling young dads with astounding, if secret, talents, as anonymous as the next guy in line at the cash register.
Now, of course, Durbin has been vaulted into stardom thanks to American Idol and Rene, as unlikely as it seems, is following in the path Durbin blazed. Rene (28) is now in the spotlight as one of the top 12 performers in The X Factor, created by the erstwhile Idol magnate Simon Cowell.
Lightning has struck twice in Santa Cruz.
Just as, last year, we got to know Durbin, now we are getting to know Rene, whose audition on The X Factor has become a YouTube sensation, collecting more than seven million hits.
Until he became forever known for his startling performance of the original song Young Homie on The X Factor, Rene, from an accomplished musical family, was a high-school dropout who had struggled on and off for 10 years with addiction. His latest stab at rehab has given him six months of sobriety right when he needs it most. He is competing to win the first season of the American version of The X Factor, and late last month, the show was broadcast live for the first time.
"Doing it live is way different," said Rene in a recent phone interview from Southern California in rehearsals. "There's more nerves involved, for sure."
Rene was born in Riverside, California, but grew up in Santa Cruz and Soquel, attending a string of local schools from Sherwood Preschool in Soquel, Main Street Elementary School in Soquel and New Brighton Middle School.
He was also home schooled for a good part of his youth and attended The Ark alternative high school.
He was steeped in music, thanks to a gifted musical family. He is the grandson of Leon Rene, a songwriter of the 1950s who penned the Jackson 5 hit Rockin' Robin and other songs. Rene's father was Googie Rene, a soul/jazz vocalist who recorded on Leon Rene's label. Googie Rene died in 2007.
"My Dad used to play piano all the time and I remember when I was a little kid hearing him play and his music just always being around," he said. "My mum would also have great music around the house. She was constantly listening to all kinds of music and that got me inspired, even as a kid."
Rene's older brother, Gabriel, was a big inspiration; Gabriel is the long-time keyboardist for the neo-soul group Soulstice. Sister Gina - also a member of Soulstice - was a big supporter as well. Gina Rene, in fact, was also part of the first season of The X Factor until she was eliminated from competition.
It was with his older brother Mike, a talented drummer, that Chris Rene first started performing.
The two Rene boys teamed with neighbour and buddy Tas Szemeredi to form a punk band called Diversion in the mid-1990s. Chris was just 12 years old.
"I remember going to Little Tampico in Soquel with my Mum and I was just whining that I needed a guitar. She got me one and it was on with the show after that."
It was at age 18 that Rene first realised he was an addict.
"I got further and further into it, and realised that it was going to be a lot harder to get back," he said.
He called his years in and out of rehab a "beautiful struggle".
"I've been to rehab more than once. I've tried many times," said Rene, who before The X Factor earned a living as a rubbish collector. "The reason for that was I was just lost. I wasn't done using. Life is good now, but then I just wasn't ready to stop at all."
Now, he's got a 3-year-old son - "His name's Ryan, he's strong as a lion," he said.
And, he said, his improbable new opportunity on The X Factor had convinced him to get straight once and for all, despite the pressures of an unfamiliar new routine as a sudden celebrity.
"I've not seen my son since the 7th of October and it's sad for me," he said. "But this is better than hauling trash. I gotta do my dream and I have to sacrifice time with him to make a better future for both of us.
"And that's what I'm doing."
The competition continues Thursday.
• The X Factor screens on Thursdays and Fridays at 7.30pm on TV3.
