'American Idol' contestant has roots in Thousand Oaks
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Sabrina Sloan

Local girl and "American Idol" Top 16 finalist, Sabrina Sloan has insight into what's going on behind the scenes of the top-rated TV show.

She began singing when she was a child living in Thousand Oaks, having moved here at age 1 in 1980. She recalls her first public singing performance was atop a table at Chuck E. Cheese.

At an early age she was performing in the children's choir at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village.

Until she was voted off on March 8, she had an inside look into this season's "American Idol." She began by standing in line in Minneapolis last year to get a bracelet that allowed her to come back the next day and stand in line again. With her bracelet on, she arrived at 5 a.m. and waited until her group of four got to sing for about 20 seconds each in front of the show's producers.

Whatever she did in those 20 seconds allowed her to come back the next day. "They cut a lot of extremely talented people. It's not just about singing; it's the whole package- how you look, personality, something they can market," Sloan said. "I know there are a lot of very talented people who did not get through."

But she did. Maybe it was her experience. Sloan has performed on Broadway as Dynamite in the hit show "Hairspray." Maybe it was her confidence.

On her third day in Minneapolis, she found herself in front of the executive producers. They made the decision on who got to come back the next day and perform for the judges.

The songs she'd prepared for the audition couldn't be performed because the show didn't have permission from the copyright owners. None of the John Legend or Christina Aguilera songs she wanted to use were allowed.

"I really had to dig to find songs I could use," said Sloan. "I ended up singing an Alicia Keys song."

She didn't want to use a Keys song because she's often compared to that artist, she said.

But it worked. Sloan was asked to return the next day and perform in front of the three known best by their first names- Randy, Paula and Simon. Even with her Broadway experience and hundreds of previous auditions, she was nervous with lights, cameras and the possibility of 37 million people watching her tryout. Also, there was a man dressed in an American flag sitting next to her, she said.

"There's this panic factor- knowing they can bring you in, make you cry and put you on TV," she recalled.

Her audition was never aired- just her coming out the door with a ticket to Hollywood, the next round of competition on the show.

"Randy liked me. Paula liked me. Simon said I need to make good song choices," Sloan said.

She made it through Hollywood week, where the judges cut down the more than 100 contestants they gathered from auditions around the country. When she was put into the top 24, the judges called her "the one to beat."

That was quite an accomplishment, she said, not only because of all the people who'd competed from all over the country, but because a week before Hollywood she was in a serious car accident that left her with broken ribs, a black eye and a sprained ankle.

Her injuries were never mentioned on the show. Her experience on Broadway wasn't noted either. Sloan, who'd been a big "Idol" fan for the past five years, was surprised by how much of the interviews and other information is cut out by editors. But as she watches the show now, she sees things she never noticed before.

"It's totally different watching it. I can see people are getting tired," said Sloan. "I know Melinda (Doolittle) is a great person and Chris Richardson is very kind and giving."

She made lifelong friendships on the show, she said.

"It's not really about who's the most talented or the best singers anymore- it's about who America is voting for," said Sloan. "The judges have power in what they say, but America votes."

Still, it's not a winner takes all. Runners-up get lots of attention from important people in the music industry, she said. If she hadn't been voted off on March 8, she would have been in the top 12. If she'd held on to make it into the top 10, she would have been included in the show's summer tour.

She continues to go to the "Idol" set and visit with those who are still on the show.

"I like to see them, do interviews on Idol Chat, talk to the producers and hang out with Paula," said Sloan. "Paula is a great lady."

When she left, Simon said it was because of her song choice. She wishes she'd been given more time on the show so the voters would have had the opportunity to make a connection with her, she said. But she understands that's what all the contestants wish for themselves.

"I got great exposure," said Sloan. "I would do it again in a heartbeat."