MK Nobilette – American Idol

By starrymag | March 24, 2014

Q) So what does your future album plans look like, what kind of music do you plan to make?

A) I love folk rock.  I think that would be a good genre for me for my first album.  Also I love strings and I love horns, so something funky.

Q) If you could do a duet or an album with another singer, who would that be?

A) Definitely Allen Stone, I think that we would make amazing music together.

Q) You have said that you’re not totally sad about leaving because your goal was to get to the top ten.  Can you really take satisfaction with that without winning; winning wasn’t the real goal?

A) Of course winning was the real goal, but I like to think of it and look at it in small increments, take it in small increments because I feel like to achieve a bigger goal, you need to have smaller prizes.

Q) Are you aware that while you were singing for the save the judges were talking amongst themselves and debating whether or not they should use the save?  And if you were aware of it, they weren’t even facing you, how that affected your singing?

A) I don’t know how it affected my singing.  I wasn’t completely focusing on them.  There are other people to broadcast that emotion to also.  I think one of the things that the judges would like to see, although they weren’t paying attention the whole time because they were discussing the save, they want to see you interact with the audience and especially from me, that’s what they wanted to see is to get out of my shell a little bit.  I felt like if I was going to leave, I was going to leave with a bang and I was going to give a good performance.

Q) I wanted to know whether or not you were frustrated at all that a lot of the initial attention on you seemed to be about your sexual orientation rather than your singing talent?

A) I don’t know if I was angry about it.  I definitely was a little bit taken back at first, but also that does sort of play—I know there’s completely different, I’m a singer and I’m also gay; but I feel like it’s important to address that.  I’m very proud of that and I’m open about it, so I think it was fine for me.

Q) I guess were you worried that being openly gay in the competition might present you with any obstacles or challenges to face, like I don’t know maybe if you thought that might affect your votes from the audience or anything like that?

A) Of course.  I think it did affect some of my votes from the audience that I said it, but I think it would have affected my votes from the audience if I didn’t say it as well, so I think it was good and bad.  I think it was, yes, I think it was good and bad.

Q) With the judges’ reviews and after they told you we saw you say you disagreed with them. You thought it was a stronger performance. So, were you surprised to be eliminated?

A) I wasn’t surprised to be eliminated because I know that I did fumble on my lyrics and at this point in the competition everyone is so good that if one performance doesn’t stand out as not as good as the rest of them, then that’s the one.

Q) What advice did the judges give you throughout the competition that you think you’ll take away from the experience?

A) I definitely think that I’ll always take away what Harry said because it did hit home, it hit me pretty hard in a good way when he said that it looked like I didn’t want to be there.  I definitely think he was wrong.  Obviously I did want to be there; I would have auditioned, but at the same time I think now going into other performances I always want to tell myself you need to prove that you want to be here, so I think that was an important thing to hear from Harry.

Q) Casey is also a singer, so what were her feelings overall about you auditioning and then making it to the finals for American Idol?

A) She’s a singer, too, she’s really supportive and it was great to have her on my side for all of this.  It was really great.

Q) You were obviously really open about your sexuality and do you have any advice for same sex couples who are struggling with making their relationships public?

A) I think if any of the same sex couples that are listening to this right now are having trouble coming out, I think that the best thing would just to be definitely talk to other people and just be proud about yourself and remind yourself that no matter what happens, you still have you and that’s the most important thing.

Q) You’re California based, so will you be able to stay in LA and cheer on your friends and fellow contestants for the remainder of the show?  Will you want to do that and be able to have the opportunity?

A) I think I will try to come back to a couple of the shows and support my friends.  Immediately I don’t think so, I still have to go home.  I would love to be in San Francisco for a little while; just be home and visit for a little while, because I will be gone for the tour.  So I think I will end up coming back for a little bit before I need to be back for tour just to support and be there for my friends, but also I’m looking forward to going home for a little while.

Q) Can you tell us what some of your work experiences in past summer jobs have been?

A) I worked at the Parks Conservancy for a while in San Francisco.  I worked with Outlaw Radio, which is a queer radio station.  I taught kids how to use radio equipment and do radio interviews.

Q) What goes through your mind when you’re singing in front of the judges?

A) The live performances is not all only to the judges.  It’s for all of America, so you really have to utilize the cameras.  The cameras are around you and when you look into the camera, you’re looking straight into the eyes of everyone watching at home, so you want to utilize all of that.  You want to appeal to the judges, but the judges aren’t just looking for you to appeal to them.  They’ll looking for you to have good stage presence and they’re looking for you to be move around the stage, talk to the audience and talk to the people at home.

Q) What do you plan on doing when you return home?

A) When I return home I look forward to seeing my friends.  Of course, I’m going to keep my fan base going and keep strong with social media and really keep in contact and stay strong, so that I have a good head on my shoulders for the tour.

Q) Now that you’ve gone through the whole process of Idol, did it differ a lot in reality from what your perception was of the show before you got on?

A) I actually have never watched the show before the show.  I maybe watched it once or twice I think when Bo Bice was on it, so I haven’t seen it in a while, but it was a complete new experience for me.

Q) And back to the sexuality question, did you discuss that at all with Adam Lambert when he was part of the show earlier on?  Did he give you any advice?

A) I did talk to Adam Lambert a little bit and he had just said that he was proud of me for doing it.  Yes, I think we both are on different standpoints.  Adam didn’t say, talk about his sexuality when he was on the show because he felt like it didn’t matter, but for me, I feel the opposite.  I feel like it is a part of me and I feel like that matters, and if I wanted America to get to know me and know who I am, then they should know my sexuality.

Q) Last night, before you sang, you went over to Rickey Minor.  What were you trying to figure out before you sang?

A) When I went over to Rickey Minor, we were just talking about the end and the beginning of the song, because it had been a while since I had rehearsed the song with the band and I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.

Q) It’s been mentioned about the tour already, so have you and the other singers been talking about that recently, about what it might be like to travel the country and perform almost every night?

A) Yes, I think everyone is just really excited for the tour.  I think it’s going to be a really good experience for all of us and I think it’s a lot less pressure.  I think the tour is going to just be a lot of fun.

Q) What did you learn about yourself during the American Idol experience?

A) Before American Idol, I was still a performer and I was still a musician, but I never thought that being a musician was an achievable goal for myself as a career.  I think through the process of American Idol I realized that that’s the only thing I want to do and I’m definitely going to make that happen.

Q) How about a highlight moment?

A) A highlight moment on Idol was when America voted me into the top 10 for the top 13; that was an amazing, amazing experience.

Q) last night I can only imagine how difficult and emotional it was for you to sing your final song.  I don’t think you could have chosen a better song to sing for the save, but how were you feeling going into that performance?

A) I felt really solid about it.  I just wanted to give a good performance before I left and I think did, so I’m proud.

Q) Looking back at the person you were when you auditioned for Idol, I’m sure that feels like forever ago, what advice would you give to that person for other people who audition in the future?

A) Just really sell it like you live every performance like it’s your last performance and really make sure that you want to make sure you want to be there, exactly what Harry said, just prove to the judges that you deserve to be there.

Q) I was wondering if going on the show and auditioning this season were you hoping to open up more of a dialog about LGBT people on television, or do you feel like that’s just something that kind of happened because you were on the show, not something you actually set out to do?

A) I didn’t mean to like to say it to my advantage or anything.  I just think it was an important thing to know about me when I said it, but I am hopeful that I will be a good role model for other queer people, who are afraid to come out or afraid to think that they can’t do something as big as American Idol, so I really hope that that does influence a lot of people.

Q) Do you feel like you accomplished everything you set out to do when you tried out this season apart from winning?  I mean, making the tour is a really big deal.

A) Yes, I didn’t even know that the other things were happening and my aunt called me and told me just to try out and she said why not.  She’s a big fan of the show, so I tried out and it was sort of like however far I make it, I’m going to be proud of myself for even doing it in the first place.  The fact that I made it to the summer tour, which was my goal other than winning, of course, is amazing and I feel very proud of myself.

Q) MK, when you were talking about the tour, who do you think is going to be the most fun on the tour?  Who is going to be somebody who is going to be keeping everybody loose?

A) Caleb is such a funny guy, I think Caleb will definitely be one of those guys.

Q) Dexter has said that you were always making everybody laugh.  What sort of things were you doing to keep everybody loose?

A) Oh man, we just all have so much fun together.  We’re constantly jamming; we’re constantly laughing with each other.  I think we’re just funny.  Me and Dexter have our little pranks, so I think, yes, I think we’re all just so close and we all make each other laugh; it’s constantly a good time with them.

Q) Can you tell me about one prank?

A) He always comes up and like tickles me or something and he has this thing where I say, oh, Dexter, and it cracks him up.

Q) I know that you’ve performed Pink’s “Perfect” before in the past and you’ve done with a guitar, so how was that without the guitar and what went behind the staging with the mirror?  Talk us through your process with the selection.

A) The song that I picked is a song that’s very extroverted.  It’s definitely the first song that I sang that was two other people.  Like when I sang “Satisfaction” it was about me and all of me, it was also about proving something, and they’re all the songs that I sing are about myself; and this song is more to my fans and to the rest of everyone to say like you’re worth it and don’t give up and just believe in yourself.  It’s a positive song and I think the message behind having the mirrors on stage was that the original song or the first lyrics are “made a wrong turn once or twice, dug my way out,” and I think that that’s sort of like talking like showing other people like I’ve made mistakes, too, and like telling yourself it’s okay and then turning around and giving that message to everyone else saying you can do it.

Q) Did Randy give you good advice in your mentoring sessions?

A) Yes, Randy always had good advice.  He was pretty solid on with the judges.  They all had a lot of the same of similar comments all the time, which I found really interesting.

 Q) What did Harry say to you after you’d been eliminated and did you ever get any type of explanation as to why the judges didn’t use their save on you?

A) I didn’t get an explanation at all, but I did talk to Harry about, saying like he thinks I’d make an excellent record and he definitely wants me to record; and he thinks I shouldn’t give up and just keep trying and keep pushing and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Q) Were you anticipating they might use the save, like were you expecting it at all?

A) I wasn’t expecting them to use the save.  They talked for a long time, so I did think for a second they might, but that’s all right.

Q) It seems to be a recurring problem this season that the band is off or something when you guys performed.  It’s happened to multiple contestants so far, so I guess could you talk about that a little bit, like was something going on with the band?  Do you think the finalists just needed more rehearsal time with them?

A) I definitely think that more rehearsal time is always going to be something that is a good thing.  We actually in the long run don’t get that much rehearsal time and I think that’s why I fumbled.  I don’t think it was the band for me, specifically.  I think I came in at the wrong time and I think that more rehearsal would have definitely fixed that problem.

Q) Overall what do you think you’ll miss the most about your experience on American Idol?

A) I’ll probably miss hanging out with the other contestants and having all these positive people that are pushing you.  The biggest support out of everyone’s supporting was definitely my family and the other contestants.  The other contestants are everyone’s biggest support.

Q) When you were on the show, what did you do to shake off a bad week and start fresh again?

A) You kind of have to just tell yourself this isn’t it, you know, like keep pushing forward.  The reason I didn’t look upset last night is because when you look upset, people want to see you confident that you’re going to continue and do something and that this doesn’t mean that it’s the end; this is just the beginning.  And I think that’s what I was trying to get by last night.

Q) What song were you planning on singing next week had you still been on the show?

A) Good question, I was going to sing “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders next week.

Q) Talking about songs, was there one song that you wished you had gotten the chance to sing on the show, but you weren’t able to?

A) I think it was one of the songs that I wish I could have done on the show and I think I couldn’t do it due to clearing issues, it’s also he’s a small time artist and I don’t think many people would have known about him, Jeremy Passion’s “Lemonade.”

Q) We wanted to know how is Idol different from what the viewers see on television?

A) I think when you watch on television, you don’t expect the contestants to be so close and so much of a family, and then behind the scenes of Idol, we’re constantly together, constantly just loving each other and hugging each other and laughing with each other; and we all love each other so much.

Q) And how is being on Idol benefitting your music career?

A) It’s benefitting my music career intensely.  This is just the beginning.  It set me up with a great fan base who I will continue to bring amazing music to and hopefully they stay with me through that, too.

Q) MK, when the finalists imitated one another in the packages last week I think it was, it seemed like everyone just thought you were so chill and relaxed; that kind of seemed to be the running theme.  Now when you’re on stage, the judges have been criticizing you for not owning the stage and needing to loosen up more.  But I guess do you think maybe the judges are confusing who you are and your personality with a lack of stage presence?

A) No, I think that they are right.  I think that I do need to up my stage presence and that is something that I struggle with and I hope that that’ll get better.  Actually, I know that’ll get better through tour and then after tour I hope it’ll even get better and better.  I wish it had gotten better during the show and I think it did, but I started from very little confidence and now I have confidence to at least be on the stage and sing the songs well and I think that’s a start.  I think the judges are right.

Q) So far this season only one guy has been eliminated; do you think that’s kind of bad news for the girls and it almost seemed like they’re doomed at this point in the competition?  What are your thoughts on that?

A) The guys are really, really strong this year and I don’t know.  There are amazing girls, too, so it’s really too early to tell what’s going to happen with the winner of the show.  I keep thinking in my head like it’s going to be this person, it’s going to be this person, but then next week someone does a killer performance and then the whole thing just shifts, so I think it’s way too early to tell.

Q) Were you surprised to see Majesty and Dexter in the bottom three with you?

A) I know Dexter had some problems with his inner ears with the sound, so I don’t know how that came across.  Also it’s different, I didn’t watch the show on television; I only saw it live.  I know that it’s different when you watch it on TV, but I think they both did killer performances, so I don’t know.

Q) Caleb made a comment a couple of shows ago about asking if you think the judges’ comments affect the voters, like who they vote for.  Do you think that’s true; do you think what the judges say affect who gets more votes and who goes home type thing?

A) I think there are so many people watching the show that it really depends on the viewer.  I think that some of the viewers definitely take in the judges’ consideration, but then I think some of the people are completely blown away sometimes by what the judges say and completely disagree with them, so I think it really depends on the viewer.

Q) I know you said your opinion kind of changes about who you think is going to win every week, but at this point who do you think might win the competition?

A) Like I said, I think it’s way too early to tell.  I don’t think I have one person that could win right now.  I think that last week was a killer on everyone’s part and I have no idea.

*CONFERENCE CALL*