New Idol judges prepare for season
Carey, Urban, Minaj join returning Jackson
PASADENA, CALIF. — It can be all too easy, when considering American Idol at times — parodied, ridiculed, complained about, picked apart, taken for granted and kicked around at times — to forget that, at its core, it’s a nationally televised talent competition in which young, sometimes very young, singers are vaulted from obscurity to household fame in a process that lasts all of 14 weeks.
When newly minted Idol judges Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj appeared alongside returning judge Randy Jackson to promote Idol’s return Wednesday, more than a few celebrity gossip sites expected Carey and Minaj to resume their rumoured spat.
Instead, the two remained civil and courteous toward each other. And when a visiting writer from Canada asked about the process of picking an Idol — and how a 15- or 16-year-old can possibly prepare for being thrust into the public spotlight — the conversation soon turned meaningful.
Days earlier, that same writer asked Katharine McPhee, who finished runner-up in 2006 at age 21 and is now one of the lead players in the Broadway ensemble drama Smash, the same question, and McPhee admitted that, looking back on her Idol experience now, she found it to be both exhilarating and intimidating. In hindsight, McPhee said, she wasn’t prepared for either. Who could be, at that age? Jackson said Idol can be an invaluable proving ground for a young singer who listens to advice — even when it seems to be conflicting advice — and takes the process seriously.
“If you listen to us, for the people who really pay attention, we’re actually giving them a lot of amazing advice every week,” Jackson said. ‘Change this.’ ‘Do that.’ ‘That song was too big.’ ‘That’s the wrong kind of song.’ ‘The key was too high.’ ‘What are you doing? Look at what you’re wearing — you don’t look comfortable.’ If they listen to what we’re saying and take it in, it can make all the difference. We’re really trying to help them.
“You wait for them to bloom. You believe in them early, but you’re also waiting for them to come to fruition at some point. It’s about who can grow through this.”
Carey said Idol’s frenetic pace is one of the things that energizes her most about the process.
“It’s tough when they don’t listen and come back and make the same mistake over and over, because you know they have the potential,” Carey said. “That’s where I get frustrated.”
Jackson said the contestants who don’t listen are often the first to go.
“Look, it’s hard to listen when you’re 16 and you have tons of people at home and millions of people watching — cheering, booing, whatever. It’s hard, but that’s what it’s like.”
Carey, for her part, said she takes Idol seriously, rumours of a behindthe-scene spat aside.
“There are some strong personalities here,” Carey said. “I knew, starting this process, that there could be a difference of opinions. This is a very passionate panel. The fighting is what it is, but this is American Idol: It’s bigger than that.
Minaj concurred. “Even up until the last day before I had to sign my contract, I was still not 100 per cent sold because I felt American Idol is so big that you can’t do it unless you commit to it fully,” she said.
McPhee, for her part, said she was and still is grateful for her Idol experience.
It was intimidating at the time, though, she admitted, especially for someone so green.
“It really does feel like it happened to a different person,” McPhee said quietly. “Sort of an out-of-body experience. … I’m grateful it did what it was supposed to do, which is get you that platform to get you to the next level.
She had ready advice for any young singer considering a run in a TV talent competition like Idol.
“I would never say, ‘Don’t take it too seriously,’ ” she said. “It’s very serious. It’s something that could really change your life.
“I really did not know myself when I was on the show, as a musician. It’s one thing if you can sing — that’s great. Good for you. But you need to know who you are as a musician.”