Cornwall High School junior Ameliarose Allen was eliminated from the “American Idol” singing competition, during Hollywood week, and was finally able to speak freely about her experience.
Despite not making it into the field of 40, which performed in Hawaii, Allen was grateful for the week she spent in Los Angeles.
“I never went in with the desire to win,” she said “I think that’s also probably part of my problem. I’m not really competitive as a person. I was there to have fun, make friends, show the judges my art, and see what they thought of it.”
It was in October Allen auditioned for the reality singing competition, just to see how far she could go. She had tried out three years prior, but the producers told her she was too young.
Once in front of the judges, she chose to start with an original song, “Drown,” and was then invited to sing a cover song, “Liability” by Lorde.
Katy Perry said she liked Allen’s hot-pink hair, as well as her style of clothing. After hearing the original song, Lionel Richie told Allen she was going to be the leader of the 16-year-olds who take over his job..
When the judges handed her a golden ticket to Hollywood, Allen was flooded by a mix of emotions.
“I cried a lot. My family was crying. It was a sign you’re going on a journey to see what happens. It was really, really exciting.”
It wasn’t until December that Allen and her mother made the trip to California. She was nervous because it was the first time traveling that far from home, especially by plane.
“Once up in the air, I was looking down the whole time. I wasn’t even thinking about having to compete.”
Reality set in the moment the plane landed and she entered the terminal. An escort was holding a sign for all the contestants. Once they reached the hotel,. Allen attended a meeting with the other 179 contestants before checking into her room. They heard what would happen during Hollywood Week.
It was in the ballroom Allen had the opportunity to run through a song with a vocal coach, in front of everyone.
“I was nervous and I wanted to make sure it sounded as good to them as it did to me. They thought I sounded really good.”
Allen sang “Strange Bird” by Birdy to compete in the first round of Hollywood Week – Lines of Ten. Competitors were broken up into groups of ten and each had to sing a solo. Allen and three others in her line made the cut.
Ninety-eight singers remained for the group round. The singers chose their groups of five to perform one song.
As a minor, Allen was required to do schoolwork during her down time, so she and a friend were able to scope out whom they wanted in their group. They decided to create a group of mainly alternative kids – those who sing indie or R&B songs rather than pop.
For their selection, the group chose Charlie Puth’s “We Don’t Talk Anymore.” Allen was nervous because she wasn’t familiar with the song, but the group practiced until about 2 a.m. the following day. When it came time for their performance, they missed some of the lyrics, but four of the five moved onto the solo round, joining 70 remaining competitors.
Allen chose to sing an original song, “Relax,” which proved to be her downfall.
“I was not a super fan of ‘American Idol.’ I didn’t watch the show religiously, so I didn’t know they don’t like original music, but I was like, I’m going to do it, I’m an artist and I have original songs. I think it sounded really good.”
Once everyone got to sing, the judges narrowed down the field to forty. The singers were split into three groups and waited hours to learn their fate.
“I was lucky to be in the room with some good friends, so I didn’t feel alone.”
Finally, the three judges entered the room and broke the bad news.
“Lionel said it wasn’t about our talent, it was just about timing. In the moment, I was really bummed out because I thought this could really work. Looking back, I was only 16 when I auditioned and turned 17 after I competed. Most of the people in the top 40 are adults. They’ve had more time to learn how to compete with music.”
Allen said the experience was fun and she even made some good friends.
Looking back, Allen said she got what she wanted out of the experience.
“I wanted to leave the competition as a more defined artist and know what I have to work on. Over the past couple of months, I think I’ve changed so much as an artist.
Allen isn’t sure if she’ll try out again next season, but she definitely plans to watch the rest of this season to see how far her friends make it.
To continue following Allen’s musical career, you can find her latest single, “Afterlife,” on all streaming platforms. She can also be followed on Instagram at ameliarose.allen.
