Maddie Walker and Adanna Duru were eliminated from American Idol Wednesday night. Today (March 26) the singers spoke with reporters about their Idol journeys and what lies ahead in their respective careers.
What’s the one piece of advice the judges offered that they’ll take away with them? A: “My favorite piece of advice was [to be] completely in control of everything you’re doing on stage, and [to be] confident in everything that you’re doing. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, then no one else will.” M: “Mine for sure would be trust. You have to trust in your ability, and trust in yourself. You will do what you’re meant to do. Everything will work out the way you’ve practiced and planned. That’s key.”
What was running through their heads the first time they were on the big stage? A: “It was really scary at first. ‘What the heck–I’m on this huge legendary stage! What am I going to do! People are watching me!’ But then it’s like ‘Wait. I’m going to do what I was born to do!’ That’s to entertain and to make people happy, and put smiles on peoples’ faces. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.” M: “When I saw the stage for the first time, I was like ‘Oh my gosh! This is incredible!’ You would think you would be intimidated or scared. But then you get up there and you’re like ‘Wow. It feels like home. It feels right.’ It was an incredible feeling.”
Were they shocked to be eliminated? A:”We don’t really ever see anything that happens coming. We just kind of let it happen and take it day by day. We don’t like to second guess ourselves or regret things. We just kind of take things in and take them as they are. At the end of the day, you have to be OK with whatever happens. You can’t change what happens. Be happy for the other people, be happy that you did what you did and move on.” M: “No doubt. I think it’s not one of those things where you can regret anything. Do you want to be happy, do you want to feel like you did all that you can do? In all reality, I think I was mainly happy for the other contestants. There was no sadness or regret or anything like that. Honestly, I was just so happy to see so many incredible people make it through.”
Did the judges talk to them after the show? M: “I think Harry was kind of upset about it. Because he came backstage afterwards and was, just to us two, ‘Can I talk to you guys alone? It’s really hard to see you guys go, but I see huge things in the future for you.’ That was really sweet of him to take the time to talk to us and try to make us feel better. It was a tough one. At the same time, no matter what, this journey is going to end for everyone. Whether it ends because you win, or it ends because you got cut.”
About last week’s song choices, Adanna’s “Love You I Do” and Maddie’s “Let’s Hear it for the Boys.” Were they thinking of anybody in particular when they sang them? A: “‘I Love You I Do’ is one of my favorite songs from ‘Dreamgirls.’ I saw it when it first came out in theaters when I was ten. That song always stuck out most to me. I never found the perfect time [to perform it] until there was a movie theme. I wouldn’t have done anything differently. You got to take in the criticism. There’s always room for improvement, I’m not saying anyone’s perfect. If I did this entire experience over, I still would have sang that song. I still would have sung all the songs I sang. I’m happy the way everything turned out. You’ve just got to be grateful for being given this experience in the first place.” M: “I really enjoyed my song. I had so much fun with it. It was a very multi-generational song just because, they did make the remake of ‘Footloose.’ I figured that could reach out not only to people who loved the original, but also loved the newer version. I had so much fun with it. Working with Scott and him helping me to figure out the dynamics of what I wanted to do with it was really cool. I wouldn’t take anything back, because I had a really good time.”
What is next in their musical journey? A: “Definitely just constantly staying active. Fans want to see that you’re doing things, they don’t want to see you being sad, or moping. They look up to us, so we have to show them that we don’t stop. You have to keep going no matter what happens. That’s what I’m going to do. Writing, recording–everything I possibly can–performing. Because I love it. It’s what makes me happy.” M: “I’m definitely going to start writing. I’m going to hopefully start recording country, because that’s really my goal and what I want to do. I think in all reality, I just need to keep working and moving forward. It’s motivated me so much and it’s taught me so much that I could have never learned anywhere else.”
On Maddie being the only country artist left in the competition, will there be a missing piece now that she’s eliminated? M: “I think it’s kind of sad that no one’s representing country. It breaks my heart a little bit. I really do think that it should be represented well. I had such a good time and I loved working with Scott. I don’t think I could have asked for a better mentor, because he really is in that wheel house. I was just very very happy and blessed to have worked with him. I had so much fun, and I learned so much. I hope to work with him in the future and hopefully do big things.”
How does Adanna work through the emotional highs and lows of the competition? How did her faith play a role in that process? A: “Stay as calm as you possibly can and know that everything happens for a reason. I have a lot of faith. I’m a spiritual person. I believe that whatever happens is in God’s will. You can’t complain, you can’t keep questioning why. Because there’s some things in this world that we don’t have control over. Whatever you believe in, whether it’s just energy, whether it’s just the universe–the universe has its way of working things out. Some things we just can’t control. If you are given these opportunities, you got to execute in the most controlled, calm, professional manner. It does get scary, and you get emotional, and you kind of want to scream sometimes. But you also have to realize that whatever happens, happens for a reason. When you’re given these opportunities, you have to seize them, and you gotta go for it with all you can.”
Is there a technical skill that they got from the mentors, they they intend to put to use in your craft moving forwards? M: “Personally, for me, I really learned how to get my feelings across, even in this last week or so. I really had such a good time knowing what I wanted to do with my face and my voice and how to get the feelings through vocally and facially. It helped so much. I think that was one of the biggest things I needed to work on. If you’re going to perform, if you’re going to sing for a camera or for anyone in person, you have to emote. You have to get those emotions across to them, or they won’t want to listen. I think I worked so hard on that this week. I was really hoping to convey that in my ‘Every Rose Has it’s Thorn’ performance [The song she would have performed last night if she had not been eliminated]. I think that would have been awesome.”
What did they learn performing on the show in front of such a large crowd, that they can take with them for future performances? A: “You learn so much, because it’s such a professional atmosphere. You take in everything that you’re told from the judges, from the mentors, Scott, the vocal coaches, all the celebrity mentors–personal experience. I’m all for self-improvement. I’m constantly trying to figure out how to be better. It’s all about knowing how to improve, and knowing where to draw the line between being happy for yourself and being sad for yourself–which should never be the case. You should always be confident. You should always be grateful. I’m so grateful to have been given this experience.” M: “I really think that I learned so much while I was there. Everyone was so sweet and so kind, because there’s no way to take anything but positivity from being there. You learn so much. For me, personally, it was working the stage and feeling comfortable with moving around and having a good time, without worrying about what others were going to say, if you looked silly. I think that was the hardest thing to get through to me. But once it did, it really paid off.”
What were there relationships with the other contestants like? A: “We were so close to each other! Everyone on the show was so tight. On television, it seems like it’s just a competition, and there’s so much tension–wow they must hate each other! It’s not the case at all. We’re all genuinely happy for each other. We’re hoping to see each other succeed in life, honestly.” M: “I think we’re all working towards the same dream. No matter what happens, even if someone is making it further in the competition–you still support them and you have so much faith in everything that they do. There’s no way to be anything but positive. Everyone deserves the dream opportunities and they are building up their careers. I’m so happy.”
What have they learned about themselves through this whole process? A: “I learned that I can push myself very hard, and I could still perform well under very, very high pressures. There’s lots of pressure, there’s lots of stress behind it. It’s all good. It’s preparing us for what’s going to happen when we do become big superstars (laughs). It’s like superstar college. It’s preparation.” M: “I’ve learned so much about myself, and the industry. You really learn a lot about what you want to do and a lot about what you’re trying to conquer. I think for anyone in this competition, you really ought to learn who you are throughout the entire process.”
What if any surprises did they experience with Idol, M: “I think my biggest surprise was definitely the sing off [Maddie Walker was cut, and then called back to sing 0ff against Rachel Halleck]. That was the biggest thing that hit me pretty hard. You do go in there thinking, ‘You know, I think I did pretty good. I might be OK.’ and then you get things thrown at you, such as that, or in Adanna’s case, her being the wildcard. There’s so many different things that you get brought into that you don’t expect.” A: “For me it was the wildcard, definitely, because–oh man–that was just an unbelievable experience. I’m so happy that it did happen, because otherwise I would not have made it this far.”
Was there any indication about the summer tour? Is there going to be one? M: “We really don’t know.” A: “We really have no idea about that. But we will be getting information about it eventually, which is probably going to be private information until it’s officially announced.”
On Maddie’s illness last week. Was there ever a moment where she thought she might have to drop out of the competition? M: “They were asking me ‘Do you think you can sing? Do you think you can sing? You’ve got to put your health first. Don’t worry about the competition.’ The thing was, people did vote me through, and I wanted to make it up to them, and myself that I could do this. I didn’t want to–just because of being sick and in pain, and not feeling well–that I couldn’t perform. Maybe one day I’ll have a concert, and have the same thing happen. You never know. You also don’t want people to think that you aren’t strong enough to conquer anything. That was the thing I wanted to prove to people–that no matter what happens, I was in it for them, not just the competition itself–but because they were supporting me.”
Was she in a lot pain while performing last week? M: “I think the adrenaline really kicked in. Afterwards, I was shaking, and I had a fever, and I knew it was a terrible idea, but at the time, I felt like it was my only option, because I wanted to make sure that I made it up to people. I was in a lot of pain, but I think with music, and anything else, you can block that out until the right time. I just wanted to put on a smiling face. The thing for me, is there are people in the crowd with signs that had my name on it. How can I sit here in pain and say that I’m not going to sing for the people that have taken the time to make a sign and be cheering for me?”
What was the most important piece of advice that they got from mentor, Scott Borchetta: A: “Confidence in myself, and to trust that I can do anything that I set my mind to.” M: Scott was probably the perfect mentor, because he was in that country vein. He taught me so much about the industry, and about everything–the music, and how I present myself. I think that everything he said to me so far has been gold. I’m taking it as that.”
What performance this season was best representative of what type of artist Maddie would like to be? M: “‘Suitcase’ [Maddie’s audition song] was, because I think that showed from the beginning, and as I improved, that I wanted to stay in this vein. There was a miscommunication with who I was, I didn’t want it to come across like that. I think ‘Every Rose Has it’s Thorn’ would have been my best performance thus far, because it did have that vulnerable side and it showed who I was as an artist. It showed a different way of doing such a classic and iconic song. I think ‘Suitcase’ best represented who I wanted to be as an artist, But ‘Every Rose Had it’s Thorn’ would have topped that.”
