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 FOX Today I joined Miss Lacey Brown in a Fox hosted teleconference with the media. I composed a question for her which I was dying to ask. Last night, Lacey was the first of the Top 12 to be handed their hat. I do not feel her performance of the Rolling Stones “Ruby Tuesday” was all that off. I am sure she was influenced by a different version of the song which most people are not familiar with. What I found to be quite interesting is that you can hear the exact shutter in her voice just like you hear in Melanie Safka’s version. I believe the downfall was that most people are unfamiliar with Melanie Safka’s version. The good news is…I am not. Melanie's version encompasses a low key interpersonal connection, but lacks the energy you see/hear in the Rolling Stones original. I found Lacey's cover to invoke an emotional and thought provoking experience.
To wrap up Lacey’s final performance on the "Idol" stage, Lacy sang Brandi Carlisle’s “The Story.” Honestly, I felt her performance was right on the money. While Simon and Randy called it sleepy and boring before, it was a perfect fit for her voice. Her moments in and out of her upper register were smooth and this song was definitely her fit. Let's hear what she had to tell the media today....
Derek Michael Sheldon: Lacey, in your version of "Ruby Tuesday," I am hearing an influence in your voice from Melanie Safka’s version. Was she your influence on this performance? If so, do you feel you should have changed your performance more to the Rolling Stones version so more of America could identify with it?
A: You know I definitely listened to her version and there was a little bit of her arrangement that we tried to mix into my arrangement. I definitely tried also to put a new spin on the song. I don’t think my arrangement was exactly like anybody else’s. In fact, I know it wasn’t like anybody else’s but there was some melody lines that I liked. She did a whole lot, so YES and no at the same time. I don’t think if I had to do it over again I would have done it more closer to the Rolling Stones because I really loved the arrangement...When I decided to put the quartet down on the stage with me and have that type of symphony filter the song, I was totally digging it and super happy with it. There is a lot that goes into arranging a song and I tried to make it as close to something that I would put on an album as possible. So if I had to do it over again, I would do it the exact same way but I definitely had a couple of different influences with the melody line.
Derek Michael Sheldon: You said you had a feeling you were going home. Do you think that every contestant in the top 12 feels that way?
A: I definitely don't think that. When Michael Johns got voted off (in Season 7), it was a huge shock to him and a huge shock to everyone else. I think it's an individual feeling, and I can't even describe that feeling. It wasn't a downer moment. I wasn't upset. It wasn't comfortable. It wasn't bad. I wish I would have been wrong about that feeling, but I had it, and I don't think everyone does.
Q: Do you think you got conflicting advice from the judges? And do you think audiences got a good sense of who you are as an artist?
A: The criticism this year has been confusing, and therefore I would change week to week, which would leave the audience questioning who I am. I'm a very different artist with a very different voice that's not suited for a lot of different genres, but I see myself doing more of a pop/folk mix as an album. I would love to do that if I get the chance. There aren't a lot of voices like mine on the radio, so I take pride in the fact that I'm a little bit unique, and I try to embrace that.
Q: Who are you hoping will win?
A: That's a hard question because I'm a little too close to answer that. Every one of the contestants are unique and artists in their own right. I can see any of them winning. It's up for grabs. Someone's got to win it, so we'll see who that is.
Q: After you didn't make it to the top 24 last season, what made you want to come back?
A: I'm one of those people who gets very competitive. I decided it's way too fun of an experience to not try again. Everything about this has been such a blast for me. So I just decided, I'm going to do it twice.
Q: You reacted really well to the news last night and looked like you were at peace with the decision. Is that what you were feeling?
A: I woke up yesterday and had the strangest feeling I was going home. I hadn't been tipped off by anything, hadn't read anything, but I talked to a few of the other contestants and said, 'Look, I'm going home.' And they were like, 'You're crazy. Why would you go home?' They were really supportive and sweet, but something about it was off, so it wasn't that I made peace with it, I'd just gotten used to it.
Q: Can you pinpoint what you think your downfall was?
A: I would probably say energy. They kept asking for energy in my songs, and I kept trying to give it, and they kept saying it was a sleepy performance. They wanted to see more energy because I'm a happy and bubbly type of personality, and they wanted to see that transfer into my music. The issue I was having was I love to sing ballads. I love the emotion of the song. I'm very artsy and that side comes out when I sing, and I kept picking songs I loved to sing and really felt. And maybe it didn't transfer as well on stage. But I wouldn't have changed any of it because that's who I am. Not every song I sing is going to be uptempo.
Q: Did the judges say anything to you after your elimination?
A: All the judges came up afterward. I think they genuinely care about the contestants. Sometimes it's hard to hear their critiques, but they're there to help you. It's a fine line between taking what they say personally and taking what they say to fix yourself. When they came up afterward, they had nothing but nice things to say, like it's just another step into your career, you have great vocals, you're very unique. They want to see us succeed and they don't want us to feel like all hope is lost, because it's not. This is a great opportunity to jump-start my career.
Q: Why did you pick Ruby Tuesday for Rolling Stones week?
A: We had a very limited list. But I love that song. I think it's a great thing for a girl like me to sing on a big stage like that. It has a great message. Even after the 50/50 remarks I was getting on how they weren't really sure what they liked about it, I loved doing it.
Q: Who are your influences, and are they the people you'd like to work with on an album?
A: One of my biggest influences is Patsy Cline— unfortunately, I won't be able to work with her. But I learned a lot from her performances: how to tell a story, how to feel like you've fallen in love again or how to make you feel like your heart's broken. She was a great performer. Also, Pete Yorn, who's just an amazing musician who has a great vibe. I have a lot of indie bands I like and a couple country bands I like. I'm finding influence from everywhere, because I like to clash things a lot, so sometimes I take an emo song and make it folky or take a pop song and make it country.
I wish Lacey the best in all her future endeavors. Stay tuned next week for your next eliminated Idol!
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