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Print Interviewed by Lee Ann Alexander Four years and four idols ago, a little show named American Idol (AI) debuted as a national audience-interactive talent competition. Billions of votes, tens of thousands of contestants, and millions of viewers per night later, AI is the undisputed No. 1 show in America. It just chopped the ratings’ knees off of the Winter Olympics. It dominates midweek dinner time and consumes water cooler chat for co-workers all too happy to critique the previous night’s show. Enter 19 year-old Katilin Johnson from Austin, Texas. The daughter of pastor and international speaker Rex Johnson. and an active Aposotlic in her own right, Kaitlin burst onto the scene and instantly gained a horde of fans proud to have “one of their own” among the elite Hollywood finalists. Since footage of Katilin’s celebration at the Austin auditions aired, the Apostolic/Pentecostal (A/P) community was quite obsessed with Kaitlin’s presence on the show. Whether critic or fan, no one can overlook the remarkable fact that the A/P community was represented in the single most popular TV show in the country.
I did not know Kaitlin before AI. But when buzz about her presence in the show started circulating, I mentioned it to my roommate. To my surprise, she instantly lit up with recognition and a “Kaitlin and I have been friends forever! Lee Ann, you were with me when I bumped into her the first night at Youth Congress. Remember?” Only vaguely, but thanks to my roommate’s longtime friendship, I was able to get in touch with Kaitlin, who graciously agreed to talk about AI. Here, in her own words, is Kaitlin’s account of the entire experience. This interview took place throughout the week of March 1-8, 2006. ---------
KJ: Well, I made it to the third round of the Hollywood week. I auditioned three times in Hollywood. I made it through the first two times but was cut in the rooms after I sang for the third time. No, I did not leave the competition because of anything that Simon or anyone was saying to me. I was cut. 90&9: Did you ever dream you’d make it that far in the competition, or did you feel like you should’ve gone farther? KJ: Honestly, the whole reason I tried out was for the fun of it and to see how far I could go. I prayed that God would take me out whenever He felt right, and so I was happy at how far I got. That’s as far as God wanted me to go. I thought just making it to Hollywood was an extreme accomplishment. 90&9: Tell us a little bit about your singing background. KJ: Well, I have, of course, grown up singing in church. I had my first solo in church when I was six. I never have had any formal training. My parents sing, so I was just raised to sing. I love various singers and musicians, but none have influenced my style. I like so many different kinds of music, there is no way I could sound like any of my favorites anyway. I just sing with the talent God blessed me with, and whatever comes out is all Kaitlin! 90&9: Take us back a few months to the original tryouts—what prompted you to audition in the first place? KJ: Well, like I said in the first question, I heard that AI was coming to Austin, and I love the show. So I thought, and my family thought, why not try out for the fun of it and see how far you can get? So my mom and I went to the convention center where the tryouts were held, and I tried out! 90&9: I understand Simon had something catty to say when you first walked in. Tell us about that experience. KJ: Actually Simon didn’t say anything catty to me. When I walked in, nobody really said anything to me. I just got up and sang. After I sang, Simon made a remark that I looked like a girl who could sell flowers. I was a little puzzled, and I smarted back, “Well, I could sell flowers.” But he passed me through regardless! 90&9: What song did you sing and how did you think you did? KJ: I sang “Lean on Me.” I think I did the best I could considering the waiting for hours just to audition and the nerves! 90&9: How did the judges vote for you? KJ: Well, once I was done singing, all of them gave me good feedback, and I got a “yes” from each of them. I was pretty happy about that! 90&9: Good feedback? Do you remember any specific examples of the judges’ comments? Did they compliment your voice? Choice of song? KJ: I do remember what each of them said because I was shocked. Paula commented first and said that she liked the tone of my voice. Then Randy followed, saying how he liked the raspy sound in my voice, and Simon finished, saying that he liked me! So all three were good, and I was very pleased with their comments! 90&9: Once you made it, how were you supposed to prepare for the Hollywood experience? KJ: A few weeks after I made it [selected to go to Hollywood], I was sent a list of 12 songs and was told to learn two of them. I also had to fill out a ton of paperwork and send it back in. It was about two months or so later that I flew out to Hollywood for the grueling week! 90&9: What did the paperwork consist of? KJ: The paperwork was just pretty much me signing off saying that whatever happened in Hollywood, if I was to get hurt or when the show airs and they used a clip of me, I couldn’t sue! That’s about it, and there were questionnaires for me to fill out just telling a little bit about myself. Just stuff like that. They just wanted a background on me! 90&9: Were you ever asked “Why do you want to be the next American Idol”? KJ: Yes, I was asked that several times, and I actually had to say it to the judges the first time I sang in Hollywood. I told them, “I want to be the next American Idol because I want to be the first preacher’s daughter to win this competition!” 90&9: How nerve-wracking was it to compete in the theatre alone? (Or was it similar to a typical Sunday night service?) KJ: It was very nerve-wracking to compete anywhere. Just singing in front of the “famous” judges was a nervous experience. It was nothing like church! At church I’m not nervous like I was there, and you’re not singing to make it through to another round at church like you are there. Very, very different! 90&9: What song(s) did you sing and why were those songs chosen? KJ: Well, the first time I sang in Hollywood, I sang “If” by Bread. This song was on the list of 12 songs I was sent before the Hollywood week, and everyone had to sing one of them on the first tryout. The second day I sang with my group “In His Kiss,” your typical group oldies song that was chosen from a list of about eight group songs. The third day I sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which we had to choose from a list of 95 songs. 90&9: How did the judges respond to these choices? KJ: They didn’t respond in any way to my choice of song. They were tired of hearing the same songs from the contestants over and over again (especially on the first and second day). 90&9: Are the judges different off camera? KJ: They were the same on camera as off camera. We didn’t really get to see them off camera very much. Every time the judges were in the room, the cameras were rolling. 90&9: Do contestants stay in rooms together, or did you have
family along? 90&9: Did you find your competitor’s friendly or intimidating? KJ: My fellow competitors were super friendly! I got to know a lot of them very well. It was so neat to meet so many people who are from all over and all different walks of life. Of course some were intimidating because they were incredible singers. I remember the first day I got there [Hollywood] and saw how many there were, I told my Mom, “There’s no way I’ll make it through the first day.” Well, luckily I did! 90&9: Did you get a lot of questions about being Apostolic from judges, or other contestants? KJ: Actually I didn’t get any questions from the judges about being Pentecostal. I was able to talk to one of the competitors, who did make it to the top 24, about my religion. He came up to me and asked what religion I was because he knew I was a preacher’s daughter. We had a long conversation about church and how his grandparents are Pentecostal and how he was able to visit their church at a young age. This guy’s name was Patrick [Hall], and he was just cut last week [February 23] from the show by having the second lowest number of votes. But I thought that was neat that we shared that interest in church! 90&9: A lot of people feel that competing to become the next American Idol would challenge your beliefs. Did the AI experience threaten you as an Apostolic? KJ: It only challenges your beliefs if you let it. I knew that if they wanted me to do things that would challenge my beliefs, I would be gone. But they never did, even as far as I made it. They want people who are themselves. They have realized that America wants people for who they are, not what the show has made them to be. AI never threatened my beliefs in any way. I just let my light shine. As Rich Strawcutter preached about at Youth Congress this past year, “I ate my burrito in the lunchroom.” 90&9: Do you think the AI experience would be different for an A/P guy? KJ: I don’t think so. But I don’t know! It never got to the point of how I look, so I don’t know how different it would be. 90&9: The A/P movement boasts of its musical talent with statements like “Nobody can sing like Pentecostals.” Based on the competition you faced, do you feel those statements are accurate? KJ: I do think that Pentecostals have great talent. Do I think we have the best talent in the world? Honestly, no. I think we have anointing like no other, but vocal wise I don’t think anyone can out-sing Celine Dion, whether you are Pentecostal or not. Ha ha! When Pentecostals have the anointing and Spirit moving through them while they sing, then that’s the best singing by far! 90&9: Have you been receiving a lot of positive support from the A/P community? KJ: Definitely! Everyone in my church was behind me, all of my friends, and my parents’ friends. I get tons of emails saying how awesome they think it is that I tried out! So, yes, I have gotten a lot of positive feedback. But if I didn’t have positive feedback, I still would have done it. It was such a great experience. 90&9: I’m sure you’ve probably encountered some negative feedback. How do you feel about that? KJ: Who doesn’t encounter negative feedback in their lives? I personally don’t care what negative things people have to say. I know what I did was right. I never compromised my beliefs, and if I had, that’s between me and God, not all of the blogs. Ha ha. I was able to get out there and show who I was and what I was about. I was able to meet people and talk to them about God and church that nobody in our faith will get the chance to do. People are always going to talk about things you do, you just can’t let it affect you. I even heard absurd rumors going around that I was out of church and rebelling against my parents. I think that’s hilarious that people would be saying that just because I’m doing something against the grain and mixing myself with people who are not like me. How else are “we” as Pentecostals going to reach the world if we don’t take some risks and put ourselves out there among the world? (By the way for those spreading that rumor, I am very much in church, and my family was 150 percent behind me.) 90&9: Were you even aware of these responses while you were competing, or was it only afterwards that you realized how many people were interested? KJ: I was always aware that people are going to talk, and word gets around very fast! I did find out more that people were talking after I had competed. It is funny about how we talk against gossiping, but over the past few months, all that has been happening is gossip about me going to American Idol! 90&9: How have the last few months changed your life? KJ: The last few months have drastically changed my life! I have been able to meet some great people. I was able to be a part of the biggest show on television, which is super cool to think about. And I think it’s got me thinking more about what I want to do with my singing and what avenues might come my way in the future! 90&9: What does the future hold for you now? KJ: Honestly, I don’t know what the future holds. I’m going to keep living my normal life and singing for Jesus. I think that one day in the future I would like to make an album. That has been a dream of mine since I was like 12 years old. Who knows what God has in store for Kaitlin Daile Johnson? We’ll just have to wait and see! 90&9: If one of your Apostolic friends wanted to audition, what advice would you give him/her? KJ: Go for it! It’s a chance of a lifetime! I think if a Pentecostal person won, it would be awesome! Go be who you are, and let your light shine! 90&9: So who do you think will be the next American Idol? KJ: The next American Idol will definitely be a guy (I think), and I’m rooting for (drum roll, please) . . . Taylor Hicks (the gray haired guy). I love him. I think he’s great, and he is so unique! A total winner in my book!
ninetyandnine.com © 2006 Lee Ann Alexander ----------- Lee Ann Alexander is responsible for the promotion of a more duct tape-friendly universe. She publishes her propaganda on Duct Tape, Dixie, and Me, a blog hosted on ninetyandnine.com. |
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90&9: I’m sure the last few months have been something of a
whirlwind. First of all, it was not clear from the TV coverage how far you made
it on American Idol. Can you set the record straight about how far you
made it on the show?