Centerville’s Alexis Gomez Ready to Soar at Vandalia Flight Fest
Hometown country star Alexis Gomez talks American Idol, stadium anthems, and returning to her roots to headline the free Vandalia Flight Fest this Friday night.
From American Idol to Home Stage: Alexis Gomez Kicks Off Dayton Air Show Weekend
Like every plane after take-off, the career of Alexis Gomez keeps ascending. Her trajectory has taken her from singing at church, to being a finalist on American Idol, and having her original song ‘Vamos’ selected to be the Official Anthem of the 2024 W Gold Cup.
The latest achievement for Gomez is headlining this year's Vandalia Flight Fest, on Friday, June 12, at the Vandalia Rec Center. The festival is presented by the Dayton Air Show on the eve of the annual celebration of flight, which takes place this weekend.
A 2010 graduate of Centerville High School, it's especially meaningful for Gomez to perform in front of a hometown crowd. Her spirit will be soaring as high as the Blue Angels as she completes a personal journey. Just a few years ago, she attended the Dayton Air Show as a spectator for the first time, and now she’s kicking off the weekend. “A free hometown show, outdoors, kicking off Air Show weekend, means everything to me. I get to bring my music to the people who have cheered me on since day one,” said Gomez. “I can’t wait to get the whole crowd singing with me.”
Music runs through Gomez’s blood, as her father is a musician and sparked her interest in the industry. He taught all her siblings how to sing, and when Gomez was 8, the family started playing together. A connection to her humble beginnings still remains, as her father is a member of the band. Sharing every success with the individual who started it all is especially meaningful to Gomez.
Her music career reached another level in 2015, when Gomez was the eighth-place finalist on American Idol. It opened a lot of doors and provided the opportunity to share the stage with several artists she had long admired. The whole experience was challenging, but one that Gomez would never take back. “I always tell everyone, if you watch the show, it’s exactly what you imagine. A whirlwind of emotions, stress, pressure, and excitement; all at the same time. I swear I didn’t process it all until like three months after I got home. But truly, making the Top 12 changed my life. It threw me into the deep end of the industry and taught me who I am as an artist,” she said.
A highlight Gomez has enjoyed was having her song ‘Vamos’ be the Official Anthem of the 2024 W Gold Cup, an honor that felt surreal. “As a songwriter, getting to write something that inspiring, something that reached across genres and languages, was incredible. I never thought I’d stand in a stadium full of people singing a song I wrote, back to me,” Gomez said.
Dreams are being made true for Gomez, including performing at Vandalia Flight Fest from 8:30 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday night. “Doing what I love, with the people I love, for the people and community I love is a dream every single time,” she said.
From 6 to 10 p.m. the Vandalia Flight Fest will allow the unique opportunity to meet some of the performers from the Air Show, including the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, USAF F-22 Raptor Demo Team, U.S. Army Golden Knights and more. The event is free, but tickets are required. More information here: Vandalia Flight Fest
10 Questions with Alexis Gomez
10. What’s your worst habit? Spending all my money on coffee and hitting ‘Snooze’ every single morning.
9. Who do you first remember seeing in concert? My first real concert was Keith Urban, and Taylor Swift was his opening act. She was a huge inspiration for me and her songs were definitely the ones I learned to play the guitar on.
8. What have you recently binge watched? The Office, on repeat, forever. They recently released all the Superfan episodes and I’ve already watched every season at least five times. No regrets.
7. If you could have personally witnessed any moment in history, what would you choose? I would have loved to be able to be around during the time when Jesus walked the earth. Sounds cliché, but I can’t imagine what that would have been like.
6. What songs would be on the soundtrack of your life? “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel is my go-to when I’m stressed, anything George Strait gets me through the day and what I listen to in the car and worship music keeps me grounded and starts my morning/days off the best way.
5. If you could be on another reality/competition show, what would it be? Big Brother! My grandma and I used to watch it together and talk about exactly what we’d do if we were on it. I’d be playing for both of us.
4. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My lack of organization. I’m a big dreamer with a million ideas, and keeping them all in order and executing them is the hard part.
3. If you could know the answer to any question, what would it be? What really happened to the ancient civilizations in South America? I graduated from Wright State with a degree in Spanish, and Latin American History was one of my favorite classes. It was so intriguing to me that I’m still watching documentaries to this day trying to learn more, always.
2. What three possessions could you not live without? My dog, Cheeky, my car, and my guitar.
1. Where’s one of your favorite places to go in Dayton? My parents’ house and my church are home base, but you can also catch me at Val’s Bakery for coffee and treats or grabbing Huey Magoo’s. See question 10.
