By Melissa Knific
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Just one week prior to the Midwest Talent Search auditions, Dion didn't have plans to go.

Then his managers, Steve Held and Orlando Chapman, encouraged him to try out, saying that it could be a launching pad for his music career.

So Dion auditioned. And the competition, if anything, at least caused a rocketing of emotions.

The 23-year-old Cincinnati native won the search.

"I had to bring my 'A' game in order for anything to happen," says Dion, who's dropped his last name, Jenkins, while performing.

More than 300 people tried out for the talent search, held by Cincinnati hip-hop artist Tony "Hi Tek" Cottrell. Def Jam and MCA Records sponsored the event.

Dion, who lives in Avondale, graduated in November from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, with a bachelor's degree in performance music.

Dion hasn't yet recorded a CD, but he has written a number of songs, three of which he performed for the show.

For winning the competition, he received a free demo recording produced by Hi Tek at his Teklab Recording Studios. Hi Tek, who has worked with artists such as Snoop Dogg and Jonell, says the demo will be recorded this week.

Dion has already been featured on BET's The Way We Do It. When the variety comedy program aired in September 2001, he was part of the four-member band Jonz. The group was voted as the show's best performance later that year.

Dion says he grew a fondness for music around age 12. His mother would sing gospel tunes around the house and his father would play "Distant Lover" from Marvin Gaye's Live at the London Palladium.

"I realized how powerful music was," Dion says, recalling the cheering crowd on each track. "It seems to heal a lot of wounds."

Besides Gaye, he also credits Donny Hathaway, the Isley Brothers, Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder as influences.

Chapman describes the young artist's vocal style as having "a neo-soul vibe with a touch of fusion jazz."

"There's a lot of people who can sing, there's a lot of people who can play, but there are not many people who can fill in a pocket," Chapman says. "He knows when to build (a song) up and when to make it smooth."

Hi Tek, who was among the talent search judges, notes that it wasn't just the music that made an impression on the crowd.

"He was a little more professional than the other (participants)," he says.

Chapman agrees.

"He has an old soul for a young man," Chapman says. "He has depth in his writing."

Aside from talent and professionalism, Dion also radiates confidence. Asked where he sees himself in five years, he is quick to reply.

"I see myself being a household name," he says.

E-mail mknific@enquirer.com