Friday, October 16, 2026
When Uniondale’s Ruben Campbell Jr., who’s known as RJ, steps onto a stage, audiences sometimes underestimate what the 10-year-old can do. Then he starts singing.
“They give a look of like, ‘Oh, well, this little kid, I don’t know what he’s going to do,’” RJ said. “And then when I start singing, their mouths drop to the floor. And I feel proud of myself when that happens.”
The California Avenue Elementary School fifth grader has found a place among high school performers in Rhythm of the Night, the Uniondale show choir, where he practices alongside students years older than him.
In March, in what he described as his “favorite memory,” RJ competed with the group at the Show Choir of America competition in Orlando, where he won Best Male Vocalist. He was the youngest competitor, according to Uniondale show choir director Lynnette Carr-Hicks, who said the audience stood and applauded his performance.
RJ has also attracted attention online. A recent video from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island where he sang a song and received more than 350,000 likes on TikTok and surpassed 1.5 million views.
For RJ, the recognition has been encouraging, but singing is about more than competitions, views or applause. “For me it’s like a language,” he said.
He sings throughout the day, whether he’s showering, folding clothes, sitting in the living room or cooking. When he’s upset, he said, singing helps him feel better.
“Everywhere you’ll catch me singing. I do it because it’s fun,” he said. “I do it because I get relieved when I sing. Even when I’m mad, even if I’m crying, I just bust a tune.”
RJ first showed an interest in singing when he was around 2. His mother, Jacqueline Fowler, remembers him watching YouTube videos and singing along at his grandmother June Hayles’s apartment.
“He would find a video [on YouTube] and he even sang ‘African Medley,’ and I’m like, ‘How do you know the words?’” his mother recalled, referring to a song by gospel singer-songwriter Tye Tribbett.
Despite his early love of singing, performing for others didn’t come naturally. When he first sang in church, at age 6 or 7, he was embarrassed to do so in front of a crowd. His father, had to help him onto the altar. He gradually became more confident, and eventually told his mother, “I’m ready.”
His path to Rhythm of the Night was cleared in part by his older brother, Jace Hanson, 21, who sang in the choir and played trumpet in the high school band before he graduated in 2023.
Carr-Hicks encouraged him to perform with the group. “I think he was 4 when his mom told me, ‘RJ can sing,’” Carr-Hicks recounted. “She would try to have him sing to me, but he wouldn’t want to do it, and when he finally did, I said, ‘He really has a gift.’”
Carr-Hicks invited RJ to sing with the choir at a benefit concert last fall followed by a gospel festival and a Christmas spectacular. He eventually joined the group for competitions. His twin sister, Eva Campbell, plays violin in California Avenue school, and has performed with the choir ensamble.
“When I first came here and met the kids, obviously I was excited,” RJ said. “I thought they were going to look down at me, but now that I’m here, show choir, it’s like a family.”
Carr-Hicks started the show choir in 2010, and began entering it in competitions in 2012. RJ, she said, has researched its past performances and learned about the choir by watching videos online, and sometimes knows details that even older students do not.
“His excitement about being in the show choir is really cool,” Carr-Hicks said. “I love it. He knows more about the history of the show choir than the kids.”
Music has long been part of RJ’s family. Hayles said she has worked for decades in the Jamaican entertainment industry, including producing albums and working with artists such as Sanchez and Beenie Man.
RJ’s interests extend beyond vocals. He plays piano and saxophone, and has experimented with guitar and ukulele. Gospel is his favorite genre, he said, because it allows him to express himself and incorporate different musical styles.
His joy for music also extends to musical theater. He recently led neighborhood kids in their own production of “The Lion King,” according to Fowler. At home he studies stage productions and musical numbers online, from shows as diverse as “The Great Gatsby” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
His long-term goal is to perform on Broadway. He said he would consider auditioning for a role as a child performer if the opportunity arose and didn’t interfere with school.
“I really want to be on Broadway, even if I get a chance to be a little kid on the SpongeBob musical or in ‘The Lion King,’” he said. “Anything starting from now, and especially when I get older, I would love to be on Broadway.”
Even amid the attention he has received, RJ said he remains humble. Fowler said she is proud of how he balances his musical interests with school.
