Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Tips you need to be the next Singapore/ American Idol!!! (from www.foxesonidol.com) shld go check it out!!!
1) Have Some Singing and Performing Talent
Yes, I know I just got done saying that being a good singer is not enough, but first thing’s first. It is still the most important factor. You’ve obviously impressed the judges enough to get to this point, but now you have to impress the viewers – and you only have a few brief moments to do it. Make sure you practice, practice, practice.
Also, you need to be confident when you are up there. Look like you belong there. But don’t overdo it and become overconfident, because then people will turn against you, thinking you’re egotistical. Yes, it’s a fine line, but it’s a line you must learn to walk.
2) Song Choice, Song Choice, Song Choice
How many times have we heard this in the first two seasons? Song choice is absolutely key. Several contestants picked songs that they simply could not handle and ended up looking much worse than they really were. You’ve got to find a song within your range and abilities. Not everybody can belt out a song like Kelly, so you have to work with what you’ve got. If you try to stretch beyond your limits and fail, you will look much worse than if you had stuck to something you could handle. Compare it to ice skating – sure, everybody wants to do a quadruple jump, but it’s better to do the triple and succeed than fall while attempting the quad.
Choose carefully, but try to be unique with your choices. The judges are getting grumpy about hearing certain songs over and over again, and the last thing you want are bad comments from the judges just because they’re sick of the song. Also, if a previous Idol contestant really blew the roof off a song, leave it alone. Trying to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” after Clay did it is begging for a comparison – unless you are truly spectacular, you’ll end up on the short end.
Another aspect of song choice is picking something the audience will enjoy. Have fun with it. Pick songs to get the audience on your side.
3) Be Different
Don’t try to be the next Kelly, Ruben, or Clay. You have to be different. Looking back to the first show, Nikki McKibbin was so different that she made it all the way to third place without the talent shown by many of those who fell before her. Several times over, the judges remarked upon her “unique” look (which was not really unique, but was different from the others on the show). From all accounts, Nikki didn’t have that “look” when she tried out for Popstars. She spent a few bucks on a tongue piercing and some hair dye and, voila! She now had a chance to stand out. But don’t become a Nikki clone either – find a different way to stand out while still being yourself. In the second show, Vanessa Olivarez found a way to look unique, yet reasonably commercial, and thus she was memorable in the Round of Eight. That paid dividends to get her into the finals. Just don’t overdo it. If people gasp and cover their mouths when they see you, you’ve crossed the line.
Clay and Ruben were very different from the Idols on the first show. But trying to duplicate them this time around is just asking for trouble – we’ve already seen a couple attempts to be like last year’s contestants, which have failed. You have to be different now from what was different then.
4) Be Memorable
This might seem to be similar to being unique, but it has a different reasoning behind it. You need to be memorable so you will be known by the viewers. Now that we’re past the initial stages, it’s more difficult if you aren’t already mentioned on the first couple shows leading to the semi-finals. But you can still grab attention with a good story, for example about your family or your childhood. If you have a back story, tell it. If you have a unique personality, flaunt it. In American Idol 2, Josh had a great backstory – he was a Marine competing during a time of war. Sure, some people were upset that he wasn’t on the front lines, but mostly he gained additional support because he was military. Like Nikki, mentioned in #3, above, because he was memorable he managed to make it much farther in the competition than many think he should have gotten based on talent alone.
Another way to be memorable is to chat up the hosts before and after your songs. Hell, chat up the judges! As with the unique look, being memorable alone isn’t going to get you into the Top 10 – you need talent as well. But there will be lots of people with talent, so you need to stand out from them.
5) No Karaoke!
How many times did we hear the term “karaoke” from the judges? They want to hear voices as good as Whitney’s. But they don’t want to hear Whitney – let alone your impersonation of her. You may be better off singing songs that viewers are familiar with (though Ryan Starr did a good job with her “Frim Fram Sauce” number), but you have to do it in a way that does not make it look like you are just imitating the original singer. It’s not easy to do – several times over the seasons, Simon seemed to contradict himself by criticizing somebody for trying to be a clone but then criticizing somebody else for essentially being too original – but if you don’t want to hear Simon call you a karaoke singer, you need to find a way to make it happen. That being said, don’t totally destroy a good song just to be original. In the first season, Rodesia utterly ruined “Daydream Believer” and deservedly went nowhere.
6) No Matter What, Don’t Argue With Simon or the Other Judges!
I cannot stress this enough. Simon can be nasty, he can be mean, and he’ll probably continue to get worse – but he’s usually right (though not always). He’s also a lot wittier than you are likely to be. I mean, Paula Abdul hired a comedy writer to try to hold her own with Simon in the first season and she still got whomped by him in verbal sparring pretty much every week. If he criticizes you, accept it and move on. If you argue with him, you will come off looking like an ass (and sometimes an egotistical one, at that). And when I say not to argue with him, this includes running back to Ryan Seacrest to try slamming Simon from there. We have seen many examples of what not to do; here are a few reiminders:
In the first season, when Justin didn’t like what Simon had to say, Justin called on the audience for their opinions to counter Simon and looked so egotistical that it affected votes against him for at least two weeks. Also in the first season, Ryan, after an absolutely horrid performance of “You Really Got Me,” told Simon he just doesn’t like rock & roll. She was lucky to survive the week, though she was gone the next.
In the second season, Josh was in a running verbal battle with Simon for a few weeks and eventually made comments to the effect that Simon was lucky that Josh had Marine Corps restraints on him. The implication was that he would have beaten up Simon otherwise and Josh likely turned off a lot of voters with an attitude like that. Carmen did a good job most of the way through, but then when Randy slammed her, she stood on stage making an "Oh my God" face like she couldn't believe he was saying she shouldn't win the competition. Then Simon said essentially the same thing. When Ryan asked her if she could indeed win, she said yes. Let's face it, no matter how big a fan people might be of Carmen, there were very few who thought she was indeed better than all of the others and could actually win. Is it a coincidence that she was voted out that very week?
And, of course, in the semi-finals of this very season, Kira Scott slammed Simon after one of her performances and then went after Randy as well. Paula, of all people, had to step in and tell her that there is a fine line between being playful and disrespectful, and Kira had crossed it. Kira somehow made it past that round (because of her comment about “thank you” going a long way, many have surmised she gave an untelevised apology) but she didn’t make it to the finals. Was it at least in part because of her rude behavior? We’ll never know for sure, but it certainly didn’t help her cause.
Meanwhile, whenever Kelly, Tamyra, Ruben, Clay, Trenyce, and some others had any criticism leveled at them (in some cases it was rare, in others more common), they nodded their heads and smiled or said they understood, as if eager to learn and do better. That is the way to accept criticism.
I should also note that this applies to the other judges as well. OK, so it’s unlikely you’ll have to argue with Paula, but Randy has been getting more critical and more likely to voice a strong negative opinion as he did with Carmen, discussed above – Simon must be rubbing off on him. Randy has been in the music business for many years and also generally knows what he’s talking about. Like Simon, if Randy criticizes you, don’t argue. Accept it and learn from it.
It's tough to be a pop star. People will knock you for the silliest reasons. You could be knocked simply for being on American Idol! You have to show that you can handle the criticism, and you can start demonstrating that with the judges. If Randy or Simon say you sounded like a horny cat banished from hell, smile and nod (like Kelly). Or furrow your brow and look as if you are listening and absorbing every syllable (like Ruben). If you get defensive, you will lose – both with the judges and the viewing audience. Make it a mantra, right after the last note: "I will not get defensive. I will not get defensive." You can always vent to your mama when you call her later.
Don’t get me wrong – Simon is by no means always right. He has his own biases just like anybody else. For example, when he has said a few times that Clay’s single release only beat Ruben’s because Clay had “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” on it, he’s simply being ridiculous (though he likely believes it). But even if he is wrong, arguing with him on national television will usually earn you negative points.
And because I know somebody will bring it up, let’s look at the situation with Kim Locke in the semi-finals of the second series. Simon told her she didn’t have any personality and she told him he sucked. Does this prove that arguing with Simon is good? In a word, no. Simon was looking for a sign that she had personality. He basically drove her to show the viewing audience more of who she was. While I think she went a bit overboard and wasn’t terribly clever by saying he sucked, the fact is that his tactic worked for her.
7) Treat Every Performance Like It’s Your Last
More often than not, contestants on Idol get better as they go along. Kelly Clarkson took a little while to get settled, but she was on the first season, so she could get away with it then. Clay had to get in via the Wildcard round. Both of them got away with it, but you shouldn’t count on it. Go for the home run on every swing; be excellent every time! Kimberley Locke had one bad performance and that was the first week of the Top 12! It took her a long time to bury that performance, as she inexplicably popped up in the bottom two a couple of times when she was great! Meanwhile, Clay and Ruben stockpiled excellent performances early on so that when they did stumble, they had already established their fan bases and it didn't matter. That's the key.
8) You Are a Package
If we learned anything from World Idol, it's that personality plays a big part in your success. All of the contestants seemed charming enough, but their actual singing skills varied widely. Heinz Winckler had the looks, had the voice, but seemed devoid of a personality (a "sparkle" as one judge put it). Nothing charms an audience more than a self-effacing sense of humor. Clay Aiken is very good at this. It is important to convey confidence, but don't be afraid to make fun of yourself (which is a sign of confidence in itself). Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard are both affable and charismatic, and are not afraid to poke a little fun at themselves. Simon even said as much in his comments to Scooter Girl in the first episode of AI3; he wants to see a sense of humor. The judges will be relieved to know they aren't dealing with a prima donna, and it is instantly endearing to an audience (while arrogance is an immediate turn-off). These are the people who have to vote for you, give them what they want. Remember, this is just like a job interview, smiling and selling yourself is not a suggestion, it's a requirement.
9) Create a Fan Base
The final piece of advice that will help you move along really takes all of the above and wraps them up with a little bow. In order to progress on American Idol, you need to get people calling in for you. To do that, you need to create a fan base. Look at last year’s results. Clay’s fans have become (in)famous for their dedication. Ruben’s fans obviously held their own quite nicely. The final battle came down to such a small percentage that I say we will never know who actually would have won if Fox had provided the necessary phone capacity. Why? Because both men had huge fan bases. I’ve heard from fans who went out and bought AT&T text messaging just so they could vote for Clay or Ruben. Now that is dedication! You truly have to strike a chord deep within people to create a fan base like this, whether it’s by being different, being memorable, just being a flat-out great singer, or – more likely – a combination of all three.
Another option is to try to adopt an already-existing fan base. If you could, for example, convince the majority of Clay fans that you are the second coming – yet you manage to avoid violating Rule 3, above, you have an instant voting machine. Sure, it won’t be easy, but if you see a chance to grab up some votes from pre-existing fan bases, you should go for it.
Conclusion
So, there you have it – the most important advice you will ever receive on your way to stardom. Well, okay, maybe almost the most important. Practice your singing, practice chatting with the hosts, and get ready to become the next American Idol!
5/19/2004 08:06:00 PM
