An ‘American Idol’ experience

By Emilie Pembroke

I remember standing there, my heart beating so fast I thought it might jump out of my shirt. My palms were sweaty and I could feel my legs trembling beneath me. I took the deepest breath and gave it all I had.

But in 15 seconds, it was all over. I walked away replaying the moment in my head over and over again. I was rejected.

Was it all for nothing? I would like to think not. Along with 10,000 other hopefuls I auditioned with, I too hoped to be the next American Idol.

I began preparing for the American Idol, Season 6 auditions weeks in advance. After singing what felt like a million songs and deciding what would be the perfect one to audition with, I decided on “The Shoop Shoop Song” by Cher.

I spent two nights sleeping in my car waiting for the gates to open to the Continental Airlines Arena, located in East Rutherford, N.J., When the gates opened I ran full speed to the line.

I spent hours on line with the most diverse group of people. I was surrounded by some of the most talented people (and some not so talented). I was interviewed, sang and had my picture taken by several news stations.

I auditioned in front of two executive producers for the show. They let me sing for maybe 15 seconds before dismissing me. I never got to audition for Simon, Paula or Randy, and you might be thinking I must be pretty awful because the people you see on TV are the biggest jokes. Well, I was probably one of the first 300 people to audition, and maybe two people had made it to the next round.

I’m not sure how many rounds you have to go through before getting to Simon, Paula, and Randy, but I’m pretty sure the judges knew what they were looking for — ratings. You could probably be the best singer and get passed up if you don’t “look the part.”

I’m not bitter about the whole audition experience. I guess I just didn’t have the right characteristics that would lead me to the next round.

The fact is, I felt used by the end of the audition. They had tortured me for two days, posing for pictures, singing for different reasons, waving my hands in the air for what seemed like forever — all for their TV show. It was all a gimmick. I think they know what they want, but they just try to be fair and give everyone a chance.

Although I’m not a big fan of American Idol and I don’t watch the show because it makes me mad, I do think it was a great experience. Singing is something I love to do and I am very passionate about. I will not let this one audition discourage me from doing what I love to do, but I do know that I will never try out for American Idol again.