So as some of you may know I auditioned yesterday for the TV show, The X Factor. For those of you that do not know what that is, it’s basically the English version of American Idol with Simon Cowell as a judge, and they brought it over to the States; winners of this show such as Leona Lewis win $5 million in a recording contract… basically just like American Idol. Anyways, the auditioning process went like this:
April 13, 2011- Registration Day
1. Be in line in Newark’s Prudential Center by 5.30 in the morning
2. Obtain ticket and sign release form
However I didn’t get there by 5.30 because I had class starting at 10 with a test and paper included in the mesh of all that. So by the time I got there, which was around 4 PM, there was no line. What I didn’t know was that the tickets were first come, first serve: the people that were there the earliest would go first for the auditions. My one friend, Fedlene, who also auditioned, was there since 5 in the morning and had to wait for about five hours to get her ticket. You can imagine that the lines weren’t exactly small.
April 14, 2011- Audition Day
1. Be in line between 5.30 AM-7 AM or else you’re cut from the audition
2. Go through a process of “shoots” which is when a helicopter/camera crew take footage of the crowd cheering and being all excited for the auditions, which will take anything from one hour to three hours
3. Take your seat in the Prudential Center (which is on your ticket) and wait until they call your section to audition
4. Wait line for a free booth and audition in front of one judge. If it’s a yes, you will go through a second process after exiting one side of the P. Center. If it’s a no, you will directly exit on the opposite side of the P. Center after having your entrance wrist band cut from you.
Since the ticket itself said to be in line by starting at 5.30 AM, I woke up around 3.30, drove myself to Newark and arrived around 4.30, and there were already people on line by then. I stood in line until about 7.10 when the producers began taking shoots. This took about three hours and we only just entered the P. Center around 10 AM.
Now, since I arrived so late the day before, my ticket/audition section location was upstairs in section 118. What they did is they started around the right side of the arena and went clockwise, taking row by row of each section on the bottom levels first, and then moved up to the top areas. This sounds easy, but when you have approximately 20,000 including guardians, siblings, and performers, it is not the smoothest process.
During when the other sections were being auditioned, since it was a slow process and I was only on the second floor, audition-ers had the freedom of walking around the arena, get something to eat, nap, leave the arena to go get something to eat and come back (only if they had the wristband and ticket with them could they return). I spent most of my time until about 4.30 when my friend auditioned hanging out with her, walking around the arena, practicing in the stairwells, etc. Keep in mind that she was there early yesterday so she obviously went much before I did. And yes, she only auditioned around 4.30 PM. You can imagine how long I had to wait afterwards. Around 9 PM they called my section down and around 10 PM I auditioned. The girl in front of my auditioned the cliché “I Am Beautiful” song by Christina Aguilera and she was, I’m putting this lightly, a little tone deaf and she got in. I, however, was turned down flat and left the arena a little around quarter after 10.
17 hours awake, around 16 hours in Newark, and 12 hours in the arena itself: all for a simple no. It was fair to say that I was morbidly upset when I got home yesterday: not wanting to talk to anyone, not wanting to listen to music, not wanting to sing because I was very close to having no voice because of exhaustion, haven’t eaten all day, working on all of three hours of sleep in two days.
However, when I woke up this morning I had quite a few thoughts going through my head. I felt lighter, refreshed, and no need for resentment. I don’t need a stupid TV show to make me famous: one that excludes people because of their weight, color, age, or because I’m too short or my nose is too big- and most importantly: excludes people who are really talented. When I saw that my friend didn’t make it in (and she is incredibly talented) or that this girl that I know who is strictly opera didn’t make it in, I knew that the chances of me making it in were slim. I guess this wasn’t the path that was chosen for me: to gain stardom by a silly TV show.
“'Cause they might try to tell you how you can live your life
But don't, don't forget it's your right
To do whatever you like, you like
'Cause you could be your own spotlight …
You could be the star, you can shine so bright” (Patrick Stump’s “Spotlight”)
So I’m going to continue doing my own music thing, regardless of what stupid TV producers tell me. I learned that I don’t need that easy route to fame: if I really want it I’ll work hard for it because it’s my life and my music.
