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American Idol Interview: Janell Wheeler
March 10, 2010 09:52 AM by Christine McDow
Recently we were able to be part of an interview with Janell Wheeler who was voted off of American Idol a couple of weeks ago. The very down to earth star from this seasons American Idol top 24 showed both her innocence and her bluntness during her interview. She also talked about her hopes for the future. Do you think America got it wrong and should have kept her in to be a part of the American Idol top 12?
Question: I was wondering, what was your most memorable moment from your Idol experience?
Janell Wheeler: My most memorable moment. It will probably have to be elimination night for sure. But in a great way. If there was any way to go out, I’m so proud of myself in the way that I did. Several of the girls have even texted me and just said, Janelle, you had so much poise, you were a class act and we look up to you and we really admire the way that you went out, and I felt like I kept it together, I sang my song better than I sang it the first time and I’m really happy with how it went. If I had to go out, I’m glad I went out that way.
Question: The judges seemed to be contradicting themselves. On one hand they want people to change up the song, but then if they change it up too much, they say you’ve gone too far. Was it hard to understand what exactly the judges were looking for from you?
Janell Wheeler: I think I knew exactly what they wanted from me. I just was choosing to do it the second week. The first rehearsal with me and that song was a little more country; however, it lost a lot of its – just rugged sound and energy, so I did switch it back to the rocker version and I felt like it definitely pumped me up and helped me perform better. But I think that in order for me to really have secured a place to the next round, I should have gone ahead and brought the guitar out and performed a top 40 hit like American Boy, which I was definitely planning on doing next week. But I will definitely, as I progress in my future, I will be sticking with a style that I do best, which is so close to my Hollywood audition, the most memorable one, which was American Boy.
Question: How did you find Ellen to be as a judge.
Janell Wheeler: I love Ellen. I don’t think it’s a secret. I’ve told press millions of times, I watch her show religiously. So to me, I just thought she was so refreshing. She represents the American public, people who actually go out and buy the albums, the fans, just America. And I think that she really knows music and she’s so diverse in her knowledge and I think that people need to give her a lot of credit because she did a bang-up job for her first live show.
Question: Why do you think so many contestants were really just done in by the nerves this time?
Janell Wheeler: Being there is so different, being live. The band is really, really loud and aggressive and it’s off – I mean, you get so into it and – and I think that because of that – everyone sounds good when you’re in-house, 100%. Going back, when I did listen to the show, I watched it on my computer, I definitely heard a lot of us having pitch problems and – it was our first show, and we don’t know how the sound works yet. And if you can’t tell, my performance changed from the first night to the second night. I sang the same song, but I sang it differently. I had a better concept of the stage, of the sound, of my vocals with the band, and I really think that is going to get better and better. Each time they get on that stage and they get used to what it sounds like, it’s just going to get better and better. It was difficult to grasp that at first, because it was for a lot of us our first time.
Question: A lot of the contestants got negative feedback this week, so I’m wondering, were you surprised that you ended up on the chopping block, or were you kind of expecting it? What were you thinking?
Janell Wheeler: I’m a very hopeful person, but that day for some reason I just had this feeling inside of me. I couldn’t really explain it. I even called my parents and I said, be prepared because I don’t have a good feeling about today. Of course the reassured me – no, no, no – and I was like, okay, trust me, I know. But I didn’t get the worst comments, I didn’t get the best comments. I don’t think I was particularly the worst and I definitely was not the best. So I was in that dangerous zone, that in-between, because – people tend to think that you’re safe. If you’re in between, if you’re right in the middle, people think you’ll squeeze by.
I think it was just a matter of, people didn’t know how much they had to vote. People were just really trying to save those people that they thought were in danger, and because I didn’t really shine or get really bad feedback, I think I just kind of unfortunately just got lost in the mix.
Question: You mentioned that next week you’re planning to kind of go back to the American Boy style thing. Did you actually have a song in mind for next week?
Janell Wheeler: Yes, definitely. There’s a song currently on the radio and, I don’t know, I might be performing it coming up sometime, I don’t know. You might see me out there, so I’m going to save it.
Question: What are you going to do next? Are you coming back to Tampa or Orlando or –
Janell Wheeler: Yes, my parents live in Orlando, so I’m definitely going to head over there for a couple of days and hang out with the family. I think we have a big family barbecue planned in celebration. And then I live in South Tampa, so probably just go back, get my bearings, hang out with my friends and get back to me for a little bit. I’m probably not going to go back to my Weinfield’s job, but – Tampa is such an awesome city and I’m proud to be living there, and it’s been a blast. It’s a playground for my age group there, so I’ll probably just be working on my music, writing and just getting ready for the future. I’m really, really excited to work on some music coming up. I have some tricks under my sleeve.
Question: Do you think you might perform around the Tampa area?
Janell Wheeler: Yes, there’s a very good option. I did sing the National Anthem at the Buc’s game before I left for Hollywood Week, so – I’m definitely not a stranger to performing around there, and I wouldn’t be opposed to performing, of course.
Question: Moving forward with your career and your album, is there any artist out there that you’d like to work with in a dream scenario?
Janell Wheeler: Oh, my gosh, I can’t even list them. A funny song I found before coming out here that I was really getting into was LeAnn Rimes, a version of one of her songs was mixed into a dance track that people would play in clubs, and I just thought that was such a cool idea. I’ve worked with so many different types of artists and I have so many different groups of friends and influences in my life. I really want to strive to kind of bring together all of these elements and all these different types of music I’ve been involved with and kind of, I don’t know, give country a little refreshing take. Nothing too over the top, I love my country music and I’m so inspired by it. But it’s a growing genre right now; I think it’s such an awesome genre to be a part of, and I would love to use a couple different styles to make it my own and really put my stamp on it.
Question: What advice you might have for people who are going to be coming up and auditioning for the next season.
Janell Wheeler: I would just encourage anyone who dreams it to do it, because – I wanted to for so long and I just really never thought I had what it took. Finally a friend of mine convinced me, and I’m just so glad I did it because I really never thought I would actually man up and try out for American Idol, and I’m so glad that I did, and I’m so excited to be a part of it, be a part of this family, and just honored that I made it this far. I still pinch myself, I can’t believe I’m here. So definitely, if anybody wants to or ever even thought about doing it, the worse thing you could do is go to a place with a million people who have the same dream as you and make some amazing friends and contacts. It’s all such a learning experience, even if you get cut right off the bat. I have friends from the first audition that I made and that I’m still in touch with, and I’m so glad I am. I’m so glad they’re part of my life.
Question: Do you plan to try this again next year maybe, since you’re only what, 24 now?
Janell Wheeler: Yes, I’m 24. However, I think that I’ve gotten too far to try out next year. And I think I’ve already put my stamp on American Idol. I don’t have any plans to try out again, but I’m not opposed to it. Maybe in a couple years, give me some time to rethink my methods, get some training in there. But I definitely had such a great experience. I don’t know how I could have a better experience than I did, just from the fellow contestants that made it along with me and the crew and the cast. I really think they’re going to be a part of my life, even if I move on from American Idol, so – I think I’m just going to try to do this on my own. Hopefully I’m Nashville-bound.
Question: When you got the ticket to Hollywood, did you then sit down with some people and come up with some sort of a game plan of what you were going to do when you got out here, or did you sort of wing it?
Janell Wheeler: Unfortunately, a lot of these contestants have bands, and a lot of musician friends. I was working full time in the city. I really was working up until the moment that I left, so I just, in my free time, just tried to prepare as much as I could, got myself in shape, got myself healthy, eating right, exercising, practicing my guitar every day, setting time aside to write, and I really was kind of on my own, and I think that’s what made me unique is that I really was starting from scratch. It’s really exciting for me to keep going forward, especially now that I’ve kind of made the decision to keep pushing and dedicate my life to this
Question: Janelle, do you have any closing remarks?
Janell Wheeler: I just want everyone to know that I am just so thankful to be here, and I have no hard feelings for anyone and I am so supportive of everybody else that is in the cast, and just so blessed and honored. It was such a good experience and I truly think that I’m going to go on and be part of this family for a long time. I’m really, really happy to have represented America, even if it was just for one week.
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Topics: American Idol, FOX Reality TV Shows |
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