Olivia Rox and Gianna Isabella – American Idol

By starrymag | March 8, 2016

Q) I was really interested to ask what was the biggest learning experience as far as the entertainment industry that you haven’t already had before American Idol that you got from the process of going through this?

Gianna: I feel like the biggest thing that we learned through like about the industry is that say that somebody buys tickets for your concert and you’re sick or something that you have to really give a performance. So that helped me throughout the competition, because my problem was that I only sang, I didn’t really perform, and as I went through the competition I progressed with that. And that also helped during solo rounds for Hollywood week, because I actually lost my voice and I actually got booed because I gave a performance and tried to do the best that I could under the circumstances. So definitely that.

Q) When you’re performing sick and things like that what exactly in the performance do you increase to make up for your voice, what was it that you picked up that you’re like okay if I kind of focus a little bit more on music?

Gianna: I really just I tried to have fun with it, and I put all the sickness aside and acted as if it was like a regular performance, and I tried to have a lot of more stage presence so that that would not really take away from my voice but help them focus that, even like say for reference the whole concert situation, that if I had lost my voice I could still give a performance and be an entertainer.

Q) How has your faith played a role in your American Idol journey?

Gianna: I just figured that I would keep like my faith because I’ve grown up with it my whole like and all of this I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for God. So I would always pray before I went on stage. That’s why when people would say do you get nervous I would say no, because with the help of God I always pray that he takes away my nerves and helps me just have the best time up there, because you don’t know when you’re going to be going home. So I’d just pray that he helps the judges see my ability and how much I love doing what I do. I feel like when I pray everything just goes away. Backstage I always just do the Father, Son, Holy Spirit really quick before I go on, and I feel like the judges started noticing it because by the last performance they started smiling and then Harry actually said something to me. He told me backstage that it’s so good that I have faith, because that’s really what gets you through this kind of industry because you always need something that’s going to keep you like yourself and remain humble, so definitely that.

Q) Since both of you are minors you had your parents with you, and, Olivia, you did and, Gianna, you did. How are your mothers taking the news of your elimination and, of course, your families?

Olivia: Actually, we’re taking it rather well. It’s obviously a disappointment to be eliminated, but I think that it’s what you do after the fact that shows character. For me I love writing music so much, that’s my number one passion, of course singing, of course, but to be able to possibly write my own record would just be my dream of all time. So they’re very supportive in that as well, so I think we’re doing pretty good. But thank you for asking.

Gianna: But my mom’s taking it really well, as well as my dad. In their eyes I’m already a winner, because making it past Top 10 for both me and Olivia or making it to Top 10 for me and Olivia is just a winner in its own, because passing all of these thousands of people, no matter whether we would have won American Idol or whether we would have gotten kicked off when we were Top 50, the thing is that, like she said, it’s what happens after the show and you just want to keep pushing your career. I expect that me and Olivia will be doing a lot in our future.

Q) Well, with that being said, you’re both so young how do you handle something so big like this when you’re both 15 years old?

Gianna: With the help of our parents; they’re always by our side and the just really keep us grounded, tell us to remain humble. Whenever we feel like it’s getting too stressed out we’ll take for like whether it has to be a year or like two weeks we just have to take a break from everything to calm down. And sometimes writing songs, like Olivia says, because I’m a writer, too, sometimes that helps with stress.

Olivia: I have a saying on the back of my phone, a little sticker that says, “Stay humble and remain positive,” and it’s those words that help me get through.

Q) So, this season has been a little bit different because it’s their farewell season, and in the Top 24 you were able to sing duets with some of the former contestants. What was that experience like for you guys?

Olivia: It was absolutely phenomenal. To get to work with David Cook was a dream come true. Seeing him on the show was really inspirational for me and to actually get to work with him, to get to meet him, and talk backstage, and he was helping me with my in ears, because I had never used in ear monitors before, so it was really interesting, because he was helping me through that transition. He’s a great guy and it was such an amazing experience to actually get to share the stage with a legend like that.

Gianna: I feel like it was an amazing privilege when I got to sing with Nick Fradiani, not only because he was last year’s winner so he’s bright fresh out of the Idol scene. So he knew a lot was going through my head because, as you know, last year there was a lot of younger contestants so they were kind of like his little brother and his little sisters and stuff like that. So he knows how to handle minors a lot, which is really cool. He definitely was a great mentor, because he really helped me just let loose and have fun with it, and I personally feel like that, the duet, was the most fun I’ve had on Idol the entire time I’ve been on it.

Q) What has been your favorite moments of your experience this season?

Olivia: My favorite on camera moment was when the judges started talking about my merchandise for touring and they said that it should say, “Olivia Rox. Yes, she does,” and I really want to make a t-shirt out of that, because I think it’s the coolest thing that anyone said.

Gianna: My favorite memory of an on camera moment was definitely when I got to sing with Demi, and although it was the same night that I got eliminated I feel like that’s definitely a night to remember. I’m really lucky to have been there that night, because not every 15-year old gets to say that they performed with Demi Lovato. I’m a huge fan of hers, and all my friends actually paid money to go to VIP to go to see her and I didn’t have that kind of money so I couldn’t go. Then to find out that I was performing with her it was extremely insane.

Q) Gianna, I wanted to ask you what are you looking forward to doing when you come back to Jackson, New Jersey?

Gianna: I’m definitely looking forward to doing some more originals like writing, going back to school and seeing all my friends and my cousins and everybody, because before I was going to miss my cousin’s Sweet 16 and I was really upset about it but now I get to go and see her, which I’m really pumped about. I’m going to actually sign up for some acting and dancing classes, because I definitely want to get into musical theater and stuff to do with television and I want to get better at my stage presence, so I feel like dancing could help me with that. And I’m definitely going to brush up on some new languages, because I feel like it would be awesome if I can sing in a couple new languages.

Q) Are there any kind of chill places that you like to go to, any restaurants that you’re looking forward to going or parks or anything like that?

Gianna: A chill place that I’m really looking forward to going to is Applebee’s, which isn’t kind of chill because that’s like the busiest place to eat ever whenever you’re out on a weekend, but I always loved going there with my friends ever since I was in even like 5^th grade. Now I’m in 10^th grade, and it’s still kind of a tradition with us; me and all my girlfriends we’d have like date nights, because we don’t have boyfriends, so we would all hang out together and I mean we’d go shopping and stuff, so I’m really looking forward to that.

Q) I just wanted to ask the both of you what do you think was the most difficult part of your journey on American Idol?

Olivia: I would say the most difficult part was actually getting eliminated, because you’re up there and you’re standing there and you have no idea what the judges are thinking, you cannot read their faces. So really, definitely you have to prepare yourself and you have to realize okay, well this could happen at any time, and I think you have to definitely give your best performance every single time and know that it could be your last. So that was probably the most difficult was to say goodbye to everyone and have to go.

Gianna: I feel like my most difficult part during Idol was getting out of my comfort zone and trying to have a little bit more stage presence and feel the songs, because being 15 I haven’t done a lot of this stuff that some of the songs that I sing about went through, whether it’s divorce or if somebody dies. So I haven’t really gone through that stuff, so it was a little bit harder for me to connect. But I feel like you shouldn’t just sing words, you should sing a story and you should make the crowd feel something as if you had written the song. As for the stage presence, I feel like I was super shy before, so for me to have a sassier side to me, as some people had seen when I performed Annie Lennox, it was just insane. So it was really just a privilege this entire experience.

Q) And what both of you guys miss the most about American Idol as its last season?

Gianna: I feel like I miss the most about American Idol is the critiques that the judges would give us, because that definitely made me get better in just a matter of a couple of weeks. So for me to not be able to hear them say that was an amazing performance or that was pitchy it’s going to be a little bit harder for me, but I’m just going to continue with vocal lessons and hopefully get better and better each week.

Olivia: I’m probably actually going to miss all of my friends, because we made really good friendships on the show, I mean with the other contestants but also I feel like with the crew. You’re constantly together and you’re like a family, you become a family, so I think it’s going to be hard to go back and leave everyone.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans?

Gianna: I just want to tell my fans that I love them very much and I’m very lucky to have supporters like them. Just always remain humble, always be yourself, and always follow your dreams and make them become reality.

Olivia: To all my fans, I love you so much, my Rox stars. You are absolutely amazing. Please remember to always be yourself, you guys are incredible, and stay positive no matter what happens. Always keep a smile on your face.

Q) I wanted to find out from the two of you both of you have each had a parent who’s been successful in the music business. I wanted to find out what has been some of the best advice that they have given you just about pursuing a career in the industry?

Olivia: I would say the best advice that I’ve gotten is to stay true to yourself, because everyone has opinions, everyone has oh you should do this, oh you should do it in this style, but I think the most important thing to do is to come in with your true artistry and know who you are and stay with that.

Gianna: I feel like the best piece of advice that I’ve gotten is perform every performance like it could be the last, because you don’t ever know when your last performance would be, and just always have fun up there, always be yourself, and never try to shy away your main personality from the cameras. Because sometimes people would say, like for example me, sometimes people online would say oh you’re too bubbly, you’re too excited, and then some people would be like I love how you don’t care what people think, I love how you’re just yourself on television. So definitely always to stay true to yourself and always perform like it’s the last performance.

Q) I was wondering if both of you could tell me one specific thing you learned from your Idol

Olivia: So one important thing that I learned from my Idol mentor was to make sure you look in the cameras when you’re singing and keep your eyes open, because for me whenever I’m singing the song I get very into the lyrics, very into the melody that I kind of forget about everything else that’s happening. Which is a good thing when you’re singing at home for yourself, not so much when you’re singing for millions of people at home. So that was probably the best advice I got was to open up to everyone.

Gianna: I feel like the best advice that I’ve gotten from my Idol mentor was just to push myself really hard, because I couldn’t be able to hit some of the notes at first and then Nick was like you have to push yourself past your comfort zone, and then I actually hit some notes that I didn’t even know I could hit. So definitely pushing myself to be better than I was yesterday and then on and on so I can be the best that I can be.

Q) What was it like; they did things a little differently this week, so I was wondering what it was like for you to wait, what it was like waiting to be called to the stage? Did you feel like maybe that affected your performances or it made it more difficult to perform?

Olivia: I actually don’t think it affected the way we performed, in fact it may have actually—

Gianna: Increased it.

Olivia: Yes, increased it. It may have actually improved our performances, because we had something to live for, we had something at the end of the tunnel; we’re like we have to be better than this person, or you know what I mean. So it was definitely intense when we were sitting in the chairs waiting for our names to be called because, as you know, you sit there and you’re just starting to count the faces and you’re like, “Oh, they’re really good. Okay. Their performances were amazing last week. Okay.” So it’s definitely intense, but I definitely think it did not affect the performance, in fact it may have just improved upon it.

Gianna: I feel like I prepared myself to be in bottom 3, because I know I could have done way better performances last week. But not only that, I always want to prepare myself for the worst because last week I got really emotional when I saw some friends go home, and then I was happy, and I was nervous, and all these emotions combined, which caused for a shaky performance. So I just prepared myself for the worst thing to happen, because I didn’t want to have to go up and be in bottom 3 and start crying and unprepared. So whether I was right away through the Top 8 or if I was in the bottom 3, like I was, I would have still given the same performance, which was with every piece of my being singing.

Q) Olivia, what did you think of what Harry and J. Lo said about your performance about how it didn’t come together or Harry was looking for some vulnerability from your singing; what was your take on that?

Olivia: Well I feel like the song that I ended up choosing really is not a vulnerable song. But I do think it’s funny, because I went into this week with a very vulnerable song, I was going to do Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack, and then they were kind of like, “Oh, I don’t know. I think maybe you should do a more upbeat song.” So then I came back with Trouble. I probably should have done more of a mellow song to showcase more of my voice and to just maybe perhaps sit on a stool or something and just really focus on the emotion of the song. For Trouble it was really fun for me, because I just let everything go. Any thoughts that were in my mind honestly just fell away when I started the song, and that was really refreshing for me because in this competition you’re always stressed, like oh my gosh was I better than this person or that person, and I felt like this last performance I wasn’t doing that and that was really nice to just let go.

Q) Is there anything else you would like to be sure we share with fans?

Olivia: So I want to thank everyone so much for tuning in and for voting for me. You guys are absolutely amazing. I absolutely love all of my Rox stars out there, #roxstars, you are amazing. I had such an amazing experience on American Idol; I definitely will never forget any part of it. If you guys want to stay up with me, if I’m making an album or if I’m touring, you guys can follow me on social media. All of my social media is under Olivia Rox, R-O-X, except for my YouTube channel, which is Olivia Rox Music. So please, pretty please follow me. I also have a Web series called Roxumentary that has been going on for about a year now, so if you guys want to follow that you can just kind of see a real time blog of my life through music. Thank you guys so much for everything. I love you all.

Gianna: I just want to say thank you to all of my OG’s, which is like original fans, and I just wanted to say thank you for always supporting me in what I do and always staying by my side through the hard times and the good times. And I just want to say that this experience of being on Idol was extremely amazing. We worked, both of us, super, super hard to get to the point that we were, and I feel like in my own way I was a winner, in my mom’s eyes and my dad’s and everybody in my family’s, and even in my eyes, just because making Top 10 is the hardest thing ever, especially being only 15, so it means so much to me. And I just want to let you know that I’m not giving up music; I’m going to keep writing, I’m going to keep recording, I’m going to keep doing everything that you have to do to get in this industry, and I’m so ready. If you guys want to follow me on social media you can follow me on my Facebook, which is Gianna Isabella Music, my Twitter, which is @GiannaIsabella, and my Instagram, which is @giannaisabellapetrone.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*