Aspiring country music star Pearl Clarkin of Pensacola Beach and Ben Sellers of Gulf Breeze act in a demo music video Clarkin is submitting to record company executives. Pensacola Beach native Pearl Clarkin hopes a country music video shot on the island this summer helps vault her into a singing and songwriting career on the world’s biggest stages.

Clarkin, 14, and several of her Gulf Breeze Middle School friends acted in the locally produced video set to the music of her self-written song “Even Though I Want To.” Clarkin entered the video in Country Music Television’s popular Music City Madness contest, which will announce its 64 finalists on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

“If it’s chosen to compete for the grand prize, my reputation as a songwriter in Nashville is sealed,” says Clarkin, who is spending a year in the country music capital getting specialized voice training from industry experts. Her goal is to compete for the title of ‘American Idol’ once she turns 16.

Videographer Dave Mungai of Gulf Breeze gives instructions to the actors, all Gulf Breeze High students, in the demo music video shot on Pensacola Beach. “If (the video) qualifies, I’ll need everyone in Gulf Breeze to go online and vote for our hometown video as many times as possible,” she said. “These types of contests are great exposure for me until it’s time to try out for ‘American Idol.’

The third annual Music City Madness contest began July 15. It accepted video submissions through Oct. 6. The finalists will compete in a single-elimination, tournament-style fan voting over an eight-week period. CMT.com visitors will narrow the field during weekly voting, and the winner will be announced Dec. 16.

The grand-prize winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Nashville, where he or she will be mentored by legendary singer/songwriter Randy Travis. The winner will participate in a taping of an episode of ‘Unplugged at Studio 330’ and get a private audition with executives from Warner Bros. Records.

Clarkin displayed a remarkable talent for writing several years ago while attending Pensacola Beach Elementary School.

“I got on their nerves with my relentless stories,” Clarkin joked last week. “My GBMS English teachers, Paula Lowrimore and Sonja Nichols, spent extra time encouraging me. They really thought I had a gift with my writing. I got a perfect score on the state FCAT writing test.”

At age 12, Clarkin enrolled in American Idol Camp, a summer camp for music and entertainment wanna-be’s who aspire to be discovered by the hit reality TV show on Fox Network. American Idol has launched the careers of such stars as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks, among others.

Clarkin had no training at the time and went to Boston with only raw talent and big dreams. She never missed a beat and fit right in among teen hopefuls from across the country.

“She shined like a beacon,” Clarkin’s mother, Victoria, said. “The camp director told me that Pearl had it all, the whole package, and would become a bright and luminous star some day. I’m not sure I believed her.”

Last year, Pearl traveled to Los Angeles for American Idol Camp, and the staff chose her original song ‘Even Though I Want To’ as the singer/songwriter showcase finale.

Encouraged by their daughter’s success and success, the Clarkins have taken Pearl to Nashville for a year of specialized training in singing and songwriting.

“Nashville has embraced me in ways I never imagined,” Pearl said. “It feels like I’m living a dream here. I like to come home to Pensacola Beach on weekends, get back down to earth and re-group. If I’m going to try out for American Idol when I’m 16, I have a lot of training to catch up on.”

Pearl sings in public every chance she gets. She has performed at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe where Taylor Swift was discovered; Puckett’s, where Sheryl Crow and the Judds are regular customers; the Jam, where she sang jazz; and at Franklin’s Red House, where she sang her originals, including the promising ‘Does Joe Don Rooney Live Here?’

She’s also met a number of recordcompany executive and big-wigs.

Pearl also realized she needed a demo video to market her talents. Thus, she collaborated with several friends and production specialist Dave Mungai, owner of Choice Video Services in Gulf Breeze, to shoot on Pensacola Beach.

“We were advised to find a beautiful location, work with the best video service you can find and put goodlooking kids in it,” Pearl said. “In Gulf Breeze, that’s easy! At Gulf Breeze High School, everyone is good-looking.

“Mom asked some of her Quarterback Club friends to send their kids to the beach for a day of filming. We had Alexa Booth, Ashley Wilson, Kassidy Milani, Emily Craven, Ryan Freeman, Brandon Sorenson, Payton Lee and my brothers, Donald and Raphe. The lead male role was Ben Sellers. We laughed our way through it.”

Mungai said everything fell into place.

“You can’t get a more beautiful backdrop than Pensacola Beach, and the weather could not have been more perfect for filming,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the time when I can say, ‘Yeah, I knew Pearl back when ... ‘ ”

Winning the Music City Madness contest would be great, but Pearl is keeping her eye on the bigger prize – trying to become an ‘American Idol.’

“I don’t just want to try out for ‘Idol.’ I want to win!” she said. “I’m working really hard for it. A year in Nashville training will take me a long way.”

ON THE WEB

To learn more about CMT’s Music City Madness contest, log on to: www.cmt.com/interact/musi c_city_madness/