Charlotte Boy Finds His Voice Through Iconic ’80s Songs

CHARLOTTE, NC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Some people just never stop. At 11 years old, that’s Addison Antonoff’s mentality.

As he plays basketball at home, we imagine him thinking, “Don’t stop dribbling… don’t stop shooting.”

“Keep proving people wrong,” he often thinks.

“I like to show people what they don’t know I can do,” Addison tells Queen City News.

Don’t stop reading this article or watching our video report, otherwise you will miss the point.

“I want to sing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,” he told his father Brad Antonoff, before breaking into song in his rec room.

“I’m just a small town girl, living in a lonely world,” Addison sings.

Sound familiar? Well, Journey is kind of his thing.

“She took a midnight train to go anywhere,” the young prodigy continued.

“It’s like his theme song is ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,’ because that’s who he is,” Brad explained.

“Don’t stop believing,” his son shouted.

The words fit him perfectly.

Well, except the part about “the smell of wine and cheap perfume”, but I digress.

“Addison has such a deep love for music; it keeps him alive,” says his mother Pam Badgley.

“It gives me a lot of confidence and belief in myself,” Addison said.

His parents tell us he was born with a list of health problems, including a cleft palate and hearing loss.

“He’s had ten surgeries and procedures before he’s even five years old. We still have a long way to go,” Pam says.

Addison recently underwent ear surgery in hopes of regaining some of her hearing loss.

“I’m always worried about it. Every day I think about his future,” Brad said, emotional. “Where he’s going to be. It worries me.”

’80s rock anthems weren’t meant for a two-person audience. At local hot spots, Addison gets the crowd pumped with hits by Journey, Guns N’ Roses and more.

“I’m a kid and I’m not supposed to know ’80s music,” Addison realizes.

“When he gets on stage to perform, he’s a rock star,” his mother marvels. “They love him. He always gets standing ovations.”

It all started when his music teacher Amanda asked him to sing with her band called Smoking Gun.

Recently he played some air guitar on stage with Lake Norman retro rockers Blue Monday.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” he was asked.

“I want to be a rock star!” Addison said.

He told us he wanted to one day start his own band and call it The Rock Kid.

Addison’s stage presence is a major step forward considering he hardly says a word to other kids when he’s at school.

“But Addison will get on stage in front of thousands of people he doesn’t know and he’ll sing. The stage finally gives him the opportunity to express his voice,” Pam explains.

They are certainly proud of their adorable child, watching him sing the Guns N’ Roses classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

“She has a smile that brings back childhood memories,” the young man sang to us from the comfort of his home.

Addison has two goals when he grows up. First, to be the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Second, to one day become a rock star. So it seems obvious that this could be quite a journey.

You know that pun is intentional.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” is more than a song, it’s a state of mind.

“Don’t let anything stop you. ‘Don’t Stop Believing,’ of course. Take that song to heart,” Pam said.

“It brings tears to my eyes,” Brad said. “Without a doubt, my eyes are filled with tears because of everything he’s been through.”

And when you get over what Addison did, you can be sure he won’t stop, period.