Singing nanny Brooke White spoke with reporters Thursday after being eliminated from
American Idol Wednesday night, one spot shy of the final four. USA TODAY listened in on the conference call.
Q: How did you deal with nerves and all the pressure, and push through that to do the show every week?
A: I don't know if you really have a choice. You totally feel like you're sinking, and then it's like, "OK, swim!" You've got to. I was here to do my absolute best and be as true to myself as possible, and I can say in my heart that I think that I was able to do that.
Q: What do you think was your strongest performance?
A: Absolutely,
Let It Be.
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Mormon |
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Jason |
Roll Hall of Fame |
James Taylor |
Paula |
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Van Halen |
Fleetwood Mac |
David Archuleta |
Brooke White |
Carly Simon |
Carpenters |
Michael Johns |
Let It Be |
Help Me
Q: What was going through your head last night?
A: I kind of anticipated it. I felt so grateful and happy, and then, boom, it hit me, this is done, this is over. The finality was sad, and then the fear of going back into the real world and what does the future hold, and also an excitement. It was emotional, and I hoped so much that I could have been stronger.
Q: You wrote lyrics on your hand this week. Can you talk about any other tips you used throughout the show to jog your memory?
A: I had not had any problems with the lyrics up until
You Must Love Me, and all of a sudden it freaked me out. And I started thinking, "Oh, my gosh, what if this happens again?" When I was singing the song in rehearsal, I felt like "palm trees" was not sticking in my brain. Even the practice of writing it down on my hand helped me remember it. We don't use teleprompters, and I was playing an instrument and singing on two songs, so it was a lot of things to remember in less than a week's time.
Q: Were there any songs that you would have loved to perform on Idol?
A: Absolutely. I would have loved to sing a Fleetwood Mac song or a James Taylor song.
Q: What were you planning to sing next week for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme?
A: I was thinking of singing
Help Me by Joni Mitchell. Love her. I spoke to Carly Simon on the phone this morning. It was amazing. She was incredibly supportive, very generous in her comments. It boosted my spirits and gave me motivation and hope to keep going in the direction that I am. I do relate to her and those singer/songwriters from the '70s. I hope I can make that happen in 2008 in a modern way.
Q: Interesting that two of the last five (contestants) were Mormon (White and David Archuleta). Can you talk about that?
A: It's been a great part of my life. It's helped me make a lot of decisions. It brought me a lot of peace throughout the competition.
Q: Did you have a certain amount of survivor's guilt from Carly (Smithson) being voted off last week though you forgot your lyrics?
A: I don't know if "guilt" is quite the right word for surviving. I was grateful. I emotionally connected with the song and I gave it everything I had, so for whatever reason, people felt motivated to vote. But that's beyond my control.
Q: What was your thinking going into last week's results show?
A: I've been packed for two weeks. The contestants are so strong, and you just never know. Ever since Michael Johns went home, there's just always this question, "How long do I get?" It could be any week.
Q: What are you going to miss the most about the show?
A: The friendships with the contestants! We're going on tour together, which is going to be really a great time, but this experience is unlike anything else I'll think I'll ever have again.
Q: Simon (Cowell) always says it's difficult to maintain friendships because you are competing against one another. Do you think that's true?
A: Um, no. I can only speak for myself, and I'm not very competitive by nature. It's not like we had two similar voices (within the contestants this year). It was just a matter of what people like. One of the vocal coaches (told me), "You know, Brooke, when I'm listening to The Carpenters, I'm not saying they're so much better than Van Halen." It's just two different things. If you're constantly caught up in comparing the two, then you're missing the joy of the music.
Q: You struggled with confidence. Can you speak about that?
A: It escalated at times on
Idol, and other times I felt like I had a better handle on it. It was very much a roller-coaster ride. I've had such incredible support from fans, which helps. Finding that inner confidence is something that has definitely been a struggle for me, but I'm learning and I'm growing. It feels good to work through it and face that challenge.
Q: Where would you like your career to go after this?
A: I want to be a singer/songwriter. Build an album around that organic sound. Keep it real, keep it raw, keep it fresh. I want to play the piano, I want to play the guitar and be very involved with the music and just connect with people on a very honest level.
Q: Backstage, was there any boost up of Jason (Castro) after Paula (Abdul) said his second song was bad before he had even performed it?
A: Jason's a very laid-back guy. He was OK. We call it fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants television. Things change, it can be very confusing. Paula, bless her heart, made a little mistake, but last week I also stopped my song and restarted. You know, we're just humans doing our best and you move on.
Q: Who are you rooting for?
A: I'm rooting for all of them. I know that's probably the most boring answer in the world, but for all different reasons each contestant is very special. I couldn't single out one person. I don't know if that'd be fair.
Q: Last week, Carly said the voting might be off because the girls are voting for the guys. Do you agree?
A: The boys are awfully popular this year, and I know that because their fan mail came in great humongous stacks and we girls got three a day. The boys are very talented and charming — to be a boy this year would probably have been helpful. They're great, but so are the girls. I've got to give them all props. Everyone's been so good.
i hope this thread will grow,since i was as emotional as brooke.lol
she gives me chills 
