FROM TOP: American
Idol’s head of wardrobe
Laury Smith, head of
makeup Tonia Green,
head hair stylist Dean
Banowetz and vocal
coach Adriana McPhee.LEFT: American Idol’s
2019 #Top6.overdone! Because I want somebody to look
at Laci’s hair and go: ‘Oh, I want that!’
The head of makeup Tonia Green adds
it’s all about capturing an individual’s
personality. “It’s not about making anybody
into something they’re not. We like to keep
it as authentic and unique to themselves
but also step it up a little bit and put some
glam for the stage,” says Tonia as she points
toward Madison who is sitting in a chair
next to us getting her makeup done.
“She came in wanting a smokey eye, and
she’s a minor so we do have to take that in
consideration and make sure it’s not too
over the top. So this was our idea of meeting
in the middle and getting something that
is a little more than what she has done
before but also not very overwhelming and
different than who she is.”
AND IT’S SHOWTIME!
It’s early evening and the atmosphere in
Studio 36 is getting both exciting and
anticipative. The dress rehearsal is done
and the live show is about to start in less
than an hour. There’s a sudden sense of
urgency in the air that you can’t miss but
back in the green room, the #Top6 — to my
utter disbelief – are displaying a remarkable
sense of calm. They’re casually chilling on
the sofa, cracking a joke every now and
then or walking about nibbling on a snack.
It’s hard to imagine that these six young
singers are in competition with each other
for America’s most prestigious singing
title. Looking at them, they could well be
members of a band bonding backstage
minutes before the show.
We are now seated for the show, which is
populated with a most exuberant audience
I have ever witnessed in my life. Everyone
is dressed in spring colors and the show
director is warming the crowd teaching
hilarious dance moves and stretching
exercises. But it isn’t until the familiar
sound of the American Idol jingle plays
on the PA with the massive logo on the
backdrop that you realize you’re watching
American Idol live in front of your eyes –
the world’s greatest music reality show.
A few minutes before showtime, Ryan
Seacrest makes an appearance on the stage
and the crowd erupts in applause. Just
when you’re wrapping your head around the
‘reality’ of the whole scene, the show begins
and Seacrest invites the contestants on the
stage. In just a few moments, when the
three judges take to the stage, the audience
completely loses it. And who wouldn’t! While
Lionel Richie gets a colossal dose of nostalgic
love from the crowd –some even hollering “All
Night Long!”—Katy Perry and Luke Bryan
literally cause a storm among the young
and old in the audience. A group of three
pre-teens sitting next to me are just unable to
keep it together, giggling uncontrollably and
shrieking out Katy’s name. Pictures are only
allowed during the breaks of the live taping
of the show, and it’s incredible the speed
at which the multitude of phone camera
pop up in sync every time a short break is
announced.
The Woodstock section of the show kicks
off with Laci’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s cult
hit “To Love Somebody”. Her celestial voice,
coupled with a most stunning onstage look,
is enough to win the crowd over, including
Katy who says, “First up – bigger the hair,
closer to God!” The #Top6 go on to perform
an impressive range of songs from the
Woodstock repertoire, each adding their own
character to iconic hits like “White Rabbit” by
Jefferson Airplane, (Alejandro), “With a Little
Help From My Friends” (Wade), Joe Cocker’s
“I Don’t Need No Doctor,” (Laine), “Piece Of
My Heart” by Janis Joplin (Madison) and
“Swing Low Sweet Chariot” (Jeremiah).
The Showstopper Section was another
delight. Armed with a new look and new
set of songs, the #Top6 showed everyone
why they’re America’s chosen few. Some of
the tracks that charmed everyone included
“Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry (Laine
Hardy), “Somewhere” by Barbra Streisand(Jermiah), Celine Dion’s “I Surrender”
(Madison), among others.
The judges’ response to each of these
performances echoed just the sentiment of
the crowd – while Lionel was at his nurturing
best, offering valuable tips and hacks, Katy
and Luke minced no words in letting them
know how good they were or how much they
needed to improve.
The show culminated with a most tense,
nail-biting elimination round. Now I have
to say it’s one thing to watch a sequence like
that on television but another experience
altogether witnessing the event unfold in
front of your eyes. The Top 4 that made the
cut that night include Alejandro, Madison,
Wade and Laine. But lo and behold, the
judges decide to use the ‘Save option’ and
guess what – Laci makes it through too.
Having spent time chatting with the
contestants backstage before the show, it
is hard not to feel invested in each of their
performances, wanting each artist to give
their best. It was hard to watch Jeremiah
leave but then that’s what a reality show is.
It was also then that I realized that
American Idol is so much more than just a
TV show—while TRPs matter most, what
also goes a long way in cementing the legacy
of the serial is its genuine role in launching
careers, honing raw talent and presenting to
the world a superstar.“It’s an intense process
because it is very fast.
When they come to us,
we have to take the song,
break it down, make an
arrangement and then
you’re on stage a few
days later,”
says vocal coach Adriana McPhee.