Want to audition for ‘American Idol’? Producer says it’s ‘super-easy’
If you’ve always wanted to audition for “American Idol,” you have a chance on Wednesday.
That’s when Ohioans are invited to register for auditions for the show via Zoom. Those who sign up online will be able to sing for and receive feedback from the show’s producers.
“It’s super-easy, super-accessible,” said Melissa Elfar, one of the producers who will be meeting virtually with potential contestants.
“You can audition on your phone, your computer, you can literally be anywhere. I’ve personally spoken to so many first-timers, people who haven’t been able to audition before because they couldn’t make the drive or it wasn’t in their hometown or whatever. Now they’re coming out and saying, ‘Here I am, now is my chance!’ ”
Elfar has some advice for those who would like to compete.
“Take it seriously. Really prepare. Treat this as if it were a job interview. And when you do audition, bring it! Don’t sing with your hands in your pocket. Really show us who you are. Don’t do what you think people want you to do or act the way you think people want you to act. Be true to yourself, because it shows, and we can tell.”
Once you register, you will be given a Zoom link with a time for the audition. That will take you into a virtual waiting room, where you will receive instructions for the audition.
In the Ohio virtual waiting room for at least part of the day will be Mary Jo Young, who competed in the last season of “American Idol.” Young, 19, lives in Willoughby Heights, Ohio, although she’s planning to move soon either to Los Angeles or Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’m going to be giving people advice before they audition, and just trying to help them calm their nerves,” she said. “I won’t tell people not to be stressed, because they’re probably going to be nervous no matter what, but to try to think of those nerves as butterflies in your stomach, because
you’re excited. The most important thing is to make it fun, because it’s not something you get to do every day.”
After the waiting room, auditionees will be placed into a virtual room with one of the show’s producers.
“The cool thing is that you’re interacting with a live person. We’re going to talk with you, we’re going to ask you questions. And you can ask us questions. We want to get to know you a little bit,” Elfar said.
Auditionees who make the cut will be notified before Nov. 1, and there might be a few more rounds of virtual performances before appearing in front of the show’s judges. For now, though, the emphasis is on reaching as many potential contestants out there as possible.
“Without people auditioning now, we won’t have a show,” Elfar said. “We want to get everyone who has ever thought about it out there. For example, Chayce Beckham, the winner of “American Idol” last season, said, ‘what the heck, I’m on my lunch break, let’s audition and see what happens.’ Just that one little decision changed the rest of his life.”
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