Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Not too many American Idol contestants can say their audition was interrupted by fire alarms.

But that was the case for Jesaiah Baer, one of the featured contestants in Idol’s Long Beach episode, filmed aboard the Queen Mary.

Jesaiah had just launched into her version of Kimbra’s “Settle Down” when alarms started wailing.

The next thing you knew, judges and contestants were being escorted off the set.

When everyone was back in their place and things settled down — sorry, couldn’t resist — Jesaiah resumed her song, displaying a soulful, jazzy sound.

Randy Jackson called her “really, really good” and said he was surprised at the maturity in her performance, given that she’s just 16.

Nicki Minaj was impressed by her confidence. Oh, and the sea captain’s hat was a nice touch.

Here are three more videos of Jesaiah performing, though the most recent is from 2010.

I’ll be posting bio blogs on featured Idol contestants at a later date. Meanwhile, if you want to hear more from Hollywood-bound Idols, including those not featured in audition episodes, head here.

“At Last” from 2010

“Rose’s Turn”

“Heartbreaker” from 2009