The O-town Scene

MUSIC PEOPLE Melinda Doolittle| OTOWN SCENE|Wow, you're right on time. You called exactly at 2 p.m. MELINDA DOOLITTLE| I love being on time; it makes me happy. I'm really really excited about this show. OS|Can you talk about your Love 101 show? MD|Love 101 is a theme that I came up with. I love to sing love songs. I think they're all won- derful. I like to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of love. I have the most experience with the ugly part. I tell the story of love with song. It's a fun show. The audience is involved. They talk back to me. I just like to include everybody in the show, and it's such a fun, fun show to do for me. ... It's really intimate. It's just me and a piano, and it's a time for me to show who I really am with song and stories. This will be almost the 25th Love 101 show that we've done, and I'm excited about that. OS|You were very sweet to record a video giving advice to Ultimate Idol finalists. A lot of professional singers wouldn't have gone through the trouble to do that. MD|It's my pleasure. I'm just excited that they would even care to listen to it. I know that the audition process and performing in front of people can be scary. I figured if I've learned something along the way, at least I can share it. Melinda Doolittle is best known as the third-place contestant in Season 6 of "American Idol" (Jordin Sparks won the season). She also has a reputation for being a genuinely car- ing, humble person with an impressive, soulful voice, which was recently described in the New York Times as "a voice that inspires trust." We had the pleasure of interviewing Doolittle this week to talk about her upcoming performance at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center on Wednesday, Aug. 24. The show is sponsored by Foothills and the Roxbury Arts Group, and will also include performances by local Ultimate Idol winner Liz Walker and Junior Idol winners Kaitlynn Jackson and Ethan Harris. (For ticket info, visit foothillspac.org or roxburyartsgroup.org). OS|Your book, "Beyond Me: Finding Your Way to Life's Next Level," came out in 2009 and is filled with personal stories and "life lessons" _ what's one of your favorite lessons that you included in the book? MD|One of my favorite ones is the "chew the hay and spit out the sticks" lesson. It's some- thing that my mother has instilled in me since I was a very little girl to deal with criticism and judgment. It helped me through "American Idol". When someone criti- cizes you, the chewing the hay part is taking in everything and seeing if there is something that you can learn from the criticism, and spitting out the sticks is not taking in something that is meant to hurt you. ... I have an awesome mommy. A lot of those lessons are in there. Contributed OS|Your debut album, "Coming Back to You," did not include any songs written by you, but you've said that you are writing songs for your upcoming album. Has your songwriting been inspired by your experience writing the book? MD|It really has. When I first started on the book, I remem- ber sitting in the meeting room thinking, "I don't know if I have anything to say," and then I just started talking about all my stories and the lessons I'd learned and use every day. ... When I had a songwriting session, I was used to putting it all out there. It made it easier to come up with something. I'll be doing one of the songs that I've written in the show. I'm excited to do that. OS|You're also very involved in charities for children, traveling to Africa twice in support of the Malaria No More project. How do you balance being involved with it and being a working musician? MD|I found out about it on Idol. Season 6 was the first season that they did Idol Gives Back. It was my first time hearing that malaria was even an issue. At the time, the statistic was 1 child every 30 seconds was dying of malaria. It broke my heart. One of the things that's important to me is seeing children live out their dreams. When I found out that a bed net was $10, I thought, "This is easy; I could save a life for $10." I got on board and have absolutely loved being a part of helping children, and the numbers are going down. It's great to be a part of an organization and seeing numbers change because of what it does. It's been four and a half years going strong for me. OS|What was it like to transition from being a successful background singer for musicians like Michael McDonald and Aretha Franklin to starting your solo career on "Ameri- can Idol"? MD|It was one of the scariest things I've ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. When you're a background singer, you have to blend in with people and sound how they sound and not stick out at all. Being an artist is just the oppo- site. "American Idol" helped me find my voice. I'm indebted to them for allowing me to learn, and learn in front of 30 million people. It was quite life-changing, and I'm so glad I did it. And I'm addicted to the show. ... My heart goes out to them. I understand the stress of it and how tired they are and how tired their voices are. I get excited for them, too, because I know what it's like on the other side. OS|What surprised you about doing "American Idol"? MD|Everything. For me, because I was a background singer, I went in confident as a background singer. But the fact that people liked what I did was huge, and the fact that Simon liked what I did surprised me every time. It was the hugest surprise and the hugest relief that he had good things to say. OS|Your next show is the one in Oneonta, do you have anything planned for your down time? MD|I don't know how much down time it really is. I'm pre- paring for my next record. I'm in Nashville, which is home for me, and I'm getting ready to go into the studio. Probably the thing I'm most excited about is the Ultimate Idol contest. I hear I've got some great opening acts _ Liz, and Kaitlynn and Ethan. I'm really excited about them opening up the show. ... I've never been to Oneonta. Do you have a Weg- man's? It's my favorite store in the entire universe. NOTE: When Doolittle learned we do not have a Weg- man's, she said it didn't matter, and she was still excited for the Oneonta show (and she pronounced the name correctly). — Cassandra Miller Aug. 18, 2011 O-Town Scene 11

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