Idol Chatter & Voice Views

There’s certainly nothing subtle about Zoanette Johnson of American Idol.

She showed up on our TV screens during Idol’s Oklahoma City auditions, shaking her booty at the camera, proclaiming that she needed a golden ticket to match her outfit and declaring that she was ready to “take my crown.”

After a bizarre rendition of the national anthem — she needed Mariah Carey’s help with the lyrics at one point and jolted Keith Urban out of his chair with a high note — she somehow landed that golden ticket.

And the crazy kept coming, right through the Hollywood round, from a bit of tearful drama on group day to a rambunctious performance of an original song during which Zoanette accompanied herself on drums, banging them so hard at one point that a drumstick went flying across the stage.

In an interview with KMSP-TV, Zoanette assured the three hosts that the larger-than-life personality we met on Idol is the real her.

In fact, she’s apparently been plotting a takeover of Idol since she was a very young girl who moved to the United States from Liberia.

She explains that she was sitting in church at age 9 when the pastor asked if anyone had a prayer request.

“Little me — this is how crazy I was since I was little — I jumped up. I said, ‘Look, I want to win American Idol. Pray so I can win American Idol.’ And they were like (she lets out an exaggerated laugh), ‘Little girl, what are you talking about? Sit down.’ But it was a dream of mine, in my heart. I knew I wanted to do American Idol.”

For emphasis, she pounded her chest during the interview, right where her microphone had been placed. It dropped into her clothing and one of the hosts had to help recover it.

And there you have Zoanette Johnson.

Or is it “Big Crazy Barbie,” the nickname Nicki Minaj gave her.

Or is it “Charisma Monster,” another nickname she embraces because, after all, she’s loaded with charisma and “taller than every dude I know.”

Zoanette — middle name Patilda — is now 20, and lives in Tulsa, Okla., though she grew up and graduated from high school in Minnesota.

Here’s video of her performing. If anyone knows of more pre-Idol videos, let me know and I’ll attach those as well.

During Hollywood Week solo round

“National anthem” (Idol audition)

Zoanette playing drums