Idol Chatter & Voice Views

I’d love to be able to point American Idol fans to some country music, Kendall Beard style, on her MySpace page.

But I can’t. You won’t find any there.

I’ll let Kendall explain.

But, first, some background on the season eight semifinalist.

Kendall, 24, grew up in Lufkin, Texas, and started performing at a young age, traveling around the state with her father to sing at rodeos and other events. She was home-schooled through most of high school so she could focus on her music. At the time, she was singing with Sahara Lane, an all-girl pop group.

She then put performing aside to attend the University of Texas in Austin, where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications studies. She even thought she might work in the business side of the music industry when she headed to Los Angeles for a summer program through the college, complete with classes about the entertainment industry and an internship with Sony BMG.

“But as soon as I went out there and got into classes, I realized I had to be on the creative side,” Kendall recalls. “It (music) just found me again as soon as school was over, and I realized that this is just something I couldn’t live without.

“So I started working with different people and kind of got a band together here in Austin and started recording my own songs and just kind of jumped back into the game.”

And then came Idol.

Before long, her dad was doing the alligator dance on national TV to celebrate her triumphs. Kendall was demonstrating her ability to talk — with her mouth closed — during an Idol video designed to introduce her to the fans.

And, on stage, singing songs like “Before He Cheats” and “This One’s for the Girls” — Kendall was making a pretty good case as to why a female country singer should be strongly considered for this year’s finals.

Kendall recently took time to talk about her Idol experience and her future with Idol Chatter. Here’s the interview.

Idol Chatter: So how did you wind up auditioning for American Idol, especially in Puerto Rico?

Kendall: “I had heard about the Idol auditions, and I thought, ‘Let me just kind of look into it’ and I realized they were already halfway over. I think what I had left was like Puerto Rico, Florida and New York. So I called my dad and said, ‘Well, I think I might try this.’ I think he was really shocked because people have been pushing me to do it, and I’d say, ‘No, no.’ I just didn’t feel like that time was right.

“But something in my gut was just telling me, ‘Just give it a shot. If you don’t do it, you’ll never know.’ So, my dad and I got on a flight in the next few days to Puerto Rico. We kind of chose to go there because, first of all, we’d never been there and, second of all, we kind of researched flights and it was the same price for us to go to Florida as to Puerto Rico. I thought, ‘Well, hey, if I don’t make it, at least I’ll have the beach to hang out at.”

Question: But you wound up making it, which got you to Hollywood Week. What as that like?

Kendall: “Hollywood Week you see on TV as being hectic and crazy, which it definitely is. But experiencing it (she pauses) You know, I always thought, ‘Surely, there cannot be that many crazy people and that many people so upset.’ But the things is, Hollywood Week is such a stressful week, and people are running on no sleep in an unfamiliar environment with a bunch of people they don’t know, all trying to battle out to make their dream come true. It is that stressful. It is that crazy.”

Question: Now viewers didn’t really see a whole lot of you during Hollywood Week. What was your experience like?

Kendall: “My first audition was a little rough. I was in the first line of people to start off the entire audition process. That was nerve-wracking in itself. In that audition, when those judges walked out — us being the first group up on stage and the rest of the groups out in the audience — you could cut the tension in there with a knife.

“I was towards the end of the line in the first group, and I had heard everybody else in rehearsals, and everybody was incredible. And as people started singing down my line, everybody started cracking under the pressure. And I was thinking, ‘Oh, my god, oh, my god. They’re not holding it together. This is not how they sounded yesterday in rehearsal. They were incredible’ And everybody was getting these, these comments. And I was just shocked. They were just cutting everybody down.

“It got to me. I sang. And they didn’t like my song (‘Angel’ by Sarah McLachlan). And they said — I was wearing a little black dress and I thought it was cute. But they criticized what I was wearing. They said, ‘What happened? In Puerto Rico we saw you and you were in a bright dress and we just loved what you were wearing and now you’re up here in black and it looks like you’re going to a funeral.’ And my first thought was, ‘Well, yeah, I was at the beach. I was in Puerto Rico, and now it’s fall and I’m wearing a black dress. What’s wrong with that?’ (laughs) But I think they just wanted something that showed my personality more.

“And then they said they didn’t like the song I sang because that also wasn’t showing my vibrant personality. But that’s about all the criticism I got. Barely anybody in my row had heard anything good. So, at that stage, I thought that could very well be the end for me. We didn’t know what to expect because we were the first ones to go.

“I don’t think my row did as bad as they made it seem we did. I think they were just trying to set a bar for everyone else that would be following us. But they told me to step forward and that I made it through and it was just incredible.”

Question: How about the group performance? Judging from the show, there was a lot of drama that day.

Kendall: “We got to pick our groups. Lil Rounds was my roommate all through Hollywood Week and so we automatically bonded because she was the first person I met in Hollywood. So it was a group of me, Lil, Felicia Barton and Michael Castro. And we sang ‘Get Ready.’ And it was crazy, because we didn’t start rehearsals for that until 12 o’clock at night and we had to be ready by 7 o’clock in the morning with choreography, harmonies, everything. That was the longest night. No one slept.

“Luckily I had such a great group and with great personalities, and I got along with everybody well. We just tried to make the best of it. So when we got delirious, we were laughing and having a good time, unlike a lot of people who, when they got delirious, they were crying and fighting. So I was just happy for that. I think that definitely contributed to us doing well, not having the drama aspect in our group that so many people did.”

Question: Now, as I said, viewers really didn’t seem a whole lot of you during the Hollywood Week episodes. Do you think that was a disadvantage when it came time to perform during the semifinals?

Kendall: “Air time is always good, and people do feel a connection with you whenever they see you more on TV. I do think at the beginning, people that have more air time, it can be an advantage. But I don’t necessarily think it was a disadvantage because look at Allison (Iraheta). She’s still on there. And no one saw a clip of her until pretty much the night she sang ‘Alive.'”

Question: How about the format change in the semifinals this year. Do you think that worked to your advantage or disadvantage?

Kendall: “There’s two ways of looking at it. Look, the way they did it this year was better for me because they let more people get more show time. Had they not done that, I might not even have gotten the chance to sing in front of America.”But then again, there’s the way to look at it being like, ‘If they had done it, just girls and just boys, I think I would have lasted longer than I did this way.’ And no one knows how it would have turned out had they done it their normal way. Part of me thinks I would still be in there — well, not still in there, but that I would have gone further had they done it in their past format.

“But you know, it’s a TV show. They’ve got to change it up. They’ve got to keep it fresh. And there’s no sense in stressing over what could have been because the fact is it wasn’t like that this year. And I had some stiff competition in my group, I knew that going in. My group, what I was up against, was very hard.”

Question: You sang “This One’s for the Girls” during the semifinals. How did you think it went?

Kendall: “Overall: Good. I definitely agree I did have some pitchy spots. But I was proud of my performance. I went out there and I showed America who I was. I didn’t want to come across as somebody I wasn’t because the odds were I was only going to get one chance to go out and show America who I was as a person and as an artist. My goal was to go out there and be true to myself because I might not have another chance to do it. Looking back, I think I did that well and I think I came across the way I wanted to come across.

“Maybe it wasn’t my absolute best performance. But it wasn’t my worst either. And I was proud of myself. Some people go up there and sing something because they think that’s what people want to hear or they change who they are because they think it’ll get them somewhere faster. And then if it doesn’t work out, they’re really regretting it. I might have could have hit those notes better (laughs), but I couldn’t have gone out there and presented myself any better. So I’m very pleased.”

Question: Were there any perceptions you had about what Idol would be like that turned out to be misconceptions? Anything that surprised you?

Kendall: “I never thought about the bonds you would really create and how close you actually got to the people behind the scenes. Our little Idol family in general was just so incredible, and everybody was so supportive and respectful of each other. The hardest thing with me leaving the show wasn’t necessarily that I wasn’t going to get to sing for America the next week.

“The hardest thing for me was thinking that something I had been a part of since the beginning was going to go on without me. And all these friendships and the journey I had adapted to was going to go on, and I was going to have to go home.”

Question: So what was your favorite Idol moment?

Kendall: “That would have been when we were watching the episode before the green mile (at the judges’ mansion). And all 36 of us (the semifinalists) were out in L.A. … and we all got to watch the show together. All 36 of us piled into this room with this big TV and we turned out the lights and we had food. It was just the most amazing thing. I actually texted my parents as I was sitting there. I remember looking around and remember thinking, ‘I have to make a mental memory of this moment right now because I am sitting here with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met. This is such a surreal moment for me.’ I was getting to see everybody’s individual reaction to seeing themself on TV. And everybody was kind of cheering each other on. And just started crying. At that moment it hit me, ‘I am really a part of this show.’ Just being there and experiencing that with all of them was just an incredible moment I’ll never forget.”

Question: All in all, how would you characterize your Idol experience?

Kendall: “I would say it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. It’s definitely changed me, the way I look at music, the way I look at the business. It’s made me a stronger artist. It’s made me have thicker skin. And I mean, it’s also been, something amazing to jumpstart my career. Even though I didn’t go further than the top 36, I got more exposure than I could ever, ever ask for.

“Plus being around all those people. You’re around some of the most talented, well-known, respected people in the music industry, and just to be around them and get to pick their brains and learn from them, is just priceless.”

Question: So now you’re off the show, what are you doing musically?

Kendall: “I’m still under contract with 19 (Entertainment). So I can’t really do much out of that realm or that group and, right now, they’re focusing on the show. I’m continuing to write (music) kind of about my experiences. Anything I can do right now, I’m doing.”

Question: I read one story published a while back where it said you were singing mainstream pop music. But you’re going to focus on being a country music artist now?

Kendall: “Ryan asked me that on the show. Have I always known I was a country artist? And the thing is, I started out country, but I don’t feel like an artist can really know who they are until they explore all areas. And I really think that I’ve done that.

“I started out singing country, which is my roots. And I feel like now I know that’s what I do best And that’s where my heart really is. And that’s what I write the best and what I sing the best.

“There were times I didn’t always sing country music. I kind of went toward the pop realm, which I feel like I write a lot of that, too. I think the best thing for me is kind of mixing that. I feel like there’s a big market for that right now.

“It’s all kind of just falling into place. I’m a true believer in everything happens for a reason. And had I not explored my pop side and my country side and done Idol … I just feel like everything fell into where it needs to be right now.”

Question: Are there any country artists you’d compare yourself to? Anyone you think you sound like?

Kendall: “There’s no one I sound a lot alike. I definitely have a pop-country writing style. I have a lot of songs I’ve written kind of Taylor Swift-ish style, but by any means my voice doesn’t sound like hers at all. It’s hard for me to say who I sound like. But I can say the realm I fit into is that country-pop genre.”

Question: So when will folks hear some more Kendall Beard music? A lot of the semifinalists have put music back on their MySpace pages, but you haven’t.

Kendall: “Hopefully sooner than later. I kind of have mixed feelings about putting more songs up right now because I feel like, right now, everybody is waiting for it. I could easily go and throw the stuff back up that I had up. But I feel like I’ve grown a lot since then and I don’t feel like I’m the same person. I don’t feel like the songs necessarily express me and present me as I want to be presented.

“It’s like everybody’s kind of waiting on it, so I just want to make sure what I put up is a good representation. I’m only going to get this chance once where everybody is waiting to hear me. I feel like the time is now. I just want to make sure what I put up, I’m really comfortable with and is the best it can be.

“I’m working on that now, writing wise … middle summer into fall I’m going to be putting stuff back up … I have some stuff written, but it’s not recorded.”

Question: So who should win Idol this year?

Kendall: “Don’t ask me that. (laughs) I don’t know. The way I try to explain it to people, my friends, is that, ‘You were biased toward me because you knew me. You voted for me because you were biased. I was your friend. Try being friends with all of them.’ It’s really getting hard because the best is there.”

Question: So what’s the question you get asked most about Idol?

Kendall: “It’s probably a tie between who do you think’s going to win and what’s Simon really like.”

Question: So what is Simon really like?

Kendall: “I like Simon. He’s tough, but I think a lot of time, he speaks the truth. And he’s right on a lot of times. And I’ll say there are some times when he’s not. He’s a kind guy, he really is. He’s got to entertain just like everybody else has to entertain on that show. He’s not as cold-hearted as people think he is.”

Question: Now that you’re back home, how are people treating you? Are you treated any differently?

Kendall: “It’s been an incredible thing. The support I have gotten from back home, from Lufkin and east Texas and Austin. It’s just been overwhelming. I never dreamed I would get the type of support that I have gotten. People had banners up everywhere, telling people to vote for me. My picture was everywhere. People were filming commercials telling people to vote for me. I had no idea this was even going on.

“In Austin, I don’t have people recognize me as much. But when I’m at home in Lufkin, I mean, I’m constantly getting pictures taken with people, and everybody goes out of their way to give me encouraging words and support. They all go out of their way to let me know they were voting and how much they loved it and how proud of me they were.

“Being able to find out how many people were behind me made this experience worthwhile. If I could hope anything for anybody it would be that everybody gets to have one experience in their life that they get to see how many people really care about them. And this experience was that for me. It was just incredible. It’s really fueled my fire and my drive.”

So, there you have it. Be sure to check Kendall’s MySpace page later this year for that new music.

Meanwhile, here’s a link to Idol’s get-to-know Kendall video, and to her performance of “This One’s for the Girls.” Enjoy.

The interview video, with fellow semifinalist Stephen Fowler.

The performance of “This One’s for the Girls.”