Interview with American Idol 8 Finalist Alexis GraceGrace Under Pressure
Patricia Morris Buckley - Associate Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
Listening to singer Alexis Grace, the first female singer to make it into American Idol’s Top 12 for Season 7, you’d never believe that she hadn’t been a media darling for years instead of a mere 24 hours. Interviewed the morning after last week’s results show, she showed grace and style as she took questions from reporters.
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[photo: AmericanIdol.com]
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Listening to singer Alexis Grace, the first female singer to make it into American Idol’s Top 12 for Season 7, you’d never believe that she hadn’t been a media darling for years instead of a mere 24 hours. Interviewed the morning after last week’s results show, she showed grace and style as she took questions from reporters.
ReplyDeleteTake this hot button topic: The other contestants who didn’t make the cut and who she thinks should go to the Wild Card round.
“That is a tough question because everybody was good in our group,” she said. “I mean I would have said that could be top 12 right there. The thing about our group that was in, everybody has something different to offer to America. So, I mean it’s really up in the air. I mean I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that one.”
Pressured to give her opinion once more, Grace again deflected the question. “No,” she answered. “Honestly, I enjoy everyone from Anoop to Jackie to Casey to Ann Marie. I mean I really enjoy everyone’s voice.”
But couldn’t she give us a little dirt on Tatiana del Toro (AKA the Most Hated Contestant Ever)? “Well, honestly, Tatiana and I never really talked a whole bunch just because I kind of kept to myself a little bit,” she admitted. “But what I can tell you about Tatiana, that girl, she is determined and she is going to be something someday - I’m telling you. She is hilarious.”
What she would talk about is her look and the advice the judges gave to her at her audition to “dirty it up.”
“Well, as soon as I left my live audition, I really started working on my look because that was what they told me – ‘You need to work on your look,’ she said. “So, I think over time it’s gotten easier and I’ve kind of really come to know what kind of style I like and comfortable with wearing certain things and knowing what looks good with my look - just playing around and having fun.
“I kind of like the whole like ‘60s kind of soul cocktail dress kind of vibe thing. Yes, I have a lot of input in my wardrobe and my girlfriends as well. We all get together and do shopping and just kind of try to work on it as a product almost - not a product, but just trying to really form my look together because I think that’s very important in this business, too, especially as an artist because you want to be able to identify with an artist. Part of that is their look. Also, I think I might have a little alter ego on stage a little bit maybe.”
Along those lines, she admitted that the whole “small package, big voice” thing does apply to her as she weighs 99 pounds and stands just under 5 feet tall. But still, she tackled a big Aretha Franklin song, a huge gamble that paid off for her. Simon Cowell even compared her to Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. Why take such a risk?
“Well, I knew that I could sing in that range for that one thing. That’s my range. I’m pretty comfortable with that, but I don’t know. I feel connected to her music somehow. I feel like that’s just my style. So, I went with it.”
She also points out that soul and blues are the styles she’s most comfortable with.
“From my hometown, Memphis. I mean you hear blues all the time and my dad is a big influence and my mom too. I mean they listen to soul and my dad plays it. So, when you grow up listening to it all the time that’s what you end up singing like. My dad and I are in a band together back home. So, it felt like not only my dad was there [in the Red Room], but my band member was there. So, the support was really nice there and especially when the judges gave me great critiques. I just knew my dad was so proud of me and it was an amazing moment to share with him. I’ll never forget it.”
One family member not in attendance was her 3-year-old daughter, who is staying
with family for now. “I am nervous,” she admitted. “But, it’s only for a little time and this little time apart. As long as I work hard and dedicate myself to it, I know I can get it done because I have the best family in the world and they’re going to help me out with whatever I need and they’ll be traveling back and forth. So, I’ll be able to get to see her, but not as much as I would like to. This is all to better our lives.”
Meanwhile, she’s got two weeks where she’s not competing (although she says she’ll still be seen on the show in some capacity). What is life like backstage of the show?
“Well, there’s a lot of waiting around,” she said. “Backstage, we’re just all hanging out, trying to keep calm and relaxed. We like to play board games. I’m a big fan of Scrabble and Scattergories. We just sit around, chit-chat and just have fun, just trying to ease the tension a little bit. When you get out there on stage, it’s show time and you do what you’re there to do.”
And that’s when Grace’s real grace under fire comes through. Her apparent lack of jitters and polished performance combined with a powerhouse voice have made her a strong contender for the Top 3 this season.
“I don’t know what [the other contestants] were thinking in their minds while they were singing, but I can tell you what I was thinking,” she said. “I was just thinking, ‘You know what? I’m going to make the best of this night.’ I’m going to take in everything that the people on this show have been telling me and just like cherish this moment forever and just go out there and have fun and perform because that’s what you want to do, right? I mean that’s what I want to do. I did it for my family back home.”