Tyanna Jones – American Idol

By starrymag | May 3, 2015

Q) So, what’s the one best piece of advice that one of the judges gave you that you’ll take with you?

A) I would have to say during Hollywood week when JLo told me that if I just keep being Tyanna and keep going on the stage and doing what I love to do, that I’ll be okay.

Q) What do you see your album looking like?

A) I think I’ve mentioned this a couple of times that I’m not the type of artist that puts myself in a box.  Whatever I can sing or whatever I can do to connect with the audience at that moment, I’ll do it.  I’ll sing R&B, soul, pop, anything that connects with the audience.

Q) What was the other song you were prepared to sing last night?

A) Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel”.

Q) What was running through your mind when you prepared to sing your sing-out song?  Did you know ahead of time that if you were eliminated, you would have to sing a song anyway?

A) Well, we already know that we get a chance to sing a goodbye song from here on out, so we know that we get to sing a song anyway.  I think being in that chair and waiting for it to turn green is probably the most nerve-wracking part about the whole thing.  But then, going up on stage is just the easiest part for me.

Q) So, once you hit the stage, you felt okay?

A) Yes, I was comfortable, and I was just ready to sing my song.

Q) I know you just said you were on stage and ready to sing your song, but obviously after they showed that little montage of your moments throughout the season, you got very emotional.  I mean, how tough was it to get through that song?  It wasn’t even a ballad where getting emotional would help you during it.  You know what I mean?

A) Right.  I think the reason why I started to break down was because I was watching how far I had come, and I realized that—it finally hit me.  It takes a while to hit you, how far you actually come in the competition and how much you’ve grown, and just seeing the clips from Hollywood week and from my first audition and just how much I moved on and everything from those places, it really showed me how much that I’ve grown.  Even though people have been constantly telling me that, I saw it myself when they showed me that montage.  And I realized also that all of the things that I was going to leave behind, the people that I’ve grown to love and everything, so, yes.

Q) I want to get your thoughts on Clark’s little confrontation with you there with your mentor, Scott Borchetta.  It seemed like Clark was getting a little frustrated that people were sort of trying to change him, but it seemed like Scott just kind of wanted to make him more capable of going mainstream.  Like, how did you view that whole thing?

A) I think that, knowing Clark personally, I know what he meant by what he said, because a lot of the time, well, all the time being on a show like this, a lot of people want to tell you what they think you should do with the song or how they think you should take on the song.  And really, in the end, it’s about how you feel, and how you feel like if you do go home next week, you want to leave it all out on the stage and make sure that you go home satisfied with yourself. So, I completely understand where he was coming from, and I don’t think that he meant it in a way to offend anybody when he said that.

Q) How has your upbringing in the church has shaped your perspective or played a role in your American Idol competition journey

A) It’s definitely had an impact on my faith in there, because at times it can get really hard, and you’ll start to struggle with yourself and start thinking maybe this isn’t for me, maybe I won’t win, maybe I will win.  And then times you feel really down because you didn’t like your performance of that week, so just me being brought up in the church has really had an impact on my life in general, not just with the show.  My faith and my beliefs have just helped me through a lot of this.

Q) You picked a number of songs this season that were originally sung by strong female vocalists or powerhouses.  Who would you say one of your main musical influences is?

A) One of my main influences is Beyonce.

Q) Beyonce’s “Run the World” as your sendoff.  A little curious, what inspired that song choice?

A) I have wanted to do that song for so long on the show.  I’ve had it on my list a couple of times, and every time it got pushed to the side because I ended up doing something else.  So, I was just really happy I got to do it, and when I did it, I knew that I had to make sure that it was one of the best things that I’ve done on the show because of Beyonce and how iconic that performance is.  Every time she does it, it’s just amazing, so I had to make sure that I put my all into it.

Q) You’ve become a role model to a lot of young people out there, so how do you see yourself as a role model?  And what is the message you would have wanted to impart to all your fans out there?

A) I think that me being so young and me pursuing my dreams, and a lot of young people, people that are my age and even younger, want to be where I am right now, and that’s why I’m so thankful.  But they want to be in this position, and they have dreams to be in this position, whether it’s with American Idol or not.  And just seeing someone their age actually get to do it and make it through the tour and be successful, even though most people didn’t believe that she could or believe her or whatever, a lot of teenagers go through that, too.

Q) I’m going to miss your mom.  I’ve been like the biggest fan of watching your mom every week. Is she coming with you on tour, maybe?

A) I believe she is, for either the whole time or most of the time.

Q) What was it like being so young in the competition?  Did you get a lot of advice from some of the older contestants, or did any of the Idols kind of take you under their wing, kind of as a little sister kind of thing?

A) Of course.  All of us actually took each other under our wings, and we just all gave each other advice to helped each other out with our songs and arrangements and things like that.  And those like myself, I don’t play instruments, so someone like Clark or Jax, they play instruments, and we kind of all just get together and sing sometimes and just jam out sometimes.

Q) What did you learn in Nashville?  I think that going to the Big Machine’s offices is probably one of the coolest things that you guys got to do.

A) Yes.  It was a lot of fun.  I was happy that

to the place where we could possibly have been for the next year of our lives and working with him, so he wanted to show us where we would be and the people that we would work with, and everything.

Q) Just going into the studio and just getting the feel for things, that’s a big thing for someone your age

A) Yes, it really was.  I’m used to working—the studio here on American Idol was just a smaller studio, but his had all of these buttons and knobs and things, and it was just a huge studio with instruments in it.  It was really cool.

Q) Jax found out she was singing with Steven.  Did you find out anything about who you might be singing with?

A) No, I haven’t.  They haven’t told me anything yet.

Q) When you were saying that to Rayvon in the bottom two, did you think you were safe, or do you think that he is just not going home.

A) Oh, I kind of already had the feeling that I wasn’t going to make it through.  But of course, you still have a side of you that hopes that you do make it through because you don’t want it to end, but I’m just so proud of him, and I’m so happy for him, because he fought his way through the Twitter save so many times, and he’s still in it, and he’s going really, really strong with it, too.  So, I’m proud of him.

Q) Why did you think that you wouldn’t be going through?  What did you do, or what did you think that made you think that?

A) No, it wasn’t that I was not satisfied or anything with my performances last week, but it was just a feeling that—it was kind of a feeling of me actually being satisfied with the performances, but knowing, because there’s so much great talent and that I’m still young and I don’t have as much experience and things like that, it was me being satisfied with whatever the outcome would have been.

Q) You started the show so strong as a frontrunner, and you’ve killed your performances as of recently, but you had like a little bit of a rough patch in the middle when the judges kept kind of looking for something different from you.  I guess, could you talk about that a little bit?  Were you just sort of trying to find yourself, or maybe you were finding it a little bit difficult to deal with all the stress and criticism the competition brings?

A) I don’t know.  I guess you could say that was what the problem was.  All of the stress that comes with the competition and all the things, everybody in your ear wanting you to stuff with certain things and you not really having time for yourself to just kind of regroup yourself, things like you would like to do, is kind of more stressful.  It gets frustrating at times, but this is what I signed up for, so I still have to go out there and try my best and do my best at this stage.  So, I guess my rough patch was just from all of that, all of the feelings that I was feeling at the time.

Q) At this point, who are you rooting for to win?  Are you leaning towards one person in particular maybe having more of a shot to win the whole thing?

A) I can’t really say because everybody is just so good.  Everybody’s just really deserving of the positions that they’re in, and whoever ends out on top deserves it as much as everybody else.

Q) Were you looking forward to maybe singing with anyone in particular in the finale?  Based upon what you’re saying, maybe you were hoping Beyonce or somebody?

A) Yes, I would like to sing with either Beyonce, Sia, Rhianna, Janelle Monáe, just somebody that could be up there and kill a song with and just perform and do well.

Q) We’ve had the privilege of learning more and more about you each week, but what are three things or fun facts that your fans don’t know about you?

A) I actually kind of tell them everything, but I don’t actually know.  I’m Jewish.  I guess they don’t know that.  And I don’t wear makeup, and my favorite food is pizza.

Q) Have you thought of a dream tour list, something maybe a few songs that you would love to sing on tour?

A) I really want to do a song by Sia on the tour for multiple

and such, and maybe writer and artist.

Q) What did you learn from Scott Borchetta?

A) I think the biggest thing that I learned from him, from Scott, was that as a music producer, he really wants to work with someone who knows who they are as an artist or who they want to be as an artist and is really working towards that.  So, he really wants you to have an understanding so that he can have an understanding and be able to work with you.

Q) If you had stayed in the competition longer, would you have sung a Sia song?

A) Oh yes, I was actually planning to do one next week.  I was going to do Titanium, but on the tour, I’m definitely going to do one of her songs.

Q) I know the experience has meant a lot of hard work, but what’s been the most fun part of the American Idol journey for you so far?

A) I think the best part about it was two things, actually.  Of course, performing, performing was the overall best part.  It just was something that I was able to do and something that, even personal feelings, and I was feeling down, I could always count on getting on stage and performing and just being in love with it.  And also, just meeting so many wonderful people along the way, like the contestants and the people who work on the set, so kind and amazing.

Q) So, will you be coming back to Jacksonville for a little bit before you start preparing for the tour?

A) Yes, I come back Saturday, I believe.  And then, I only stay for Saturday and Sunday, and then I come right back out here Monday to prepare for the finale.  Short trip, but it’s something.

Q) Ever done any acting?  Do you have any plans to maybe try doing anything like that?

A) I really love the show Empire, and to work with all of that cast would be such a dream come true for me. I love Tiraji.  She’s amazing.

Q) Did you get to talk to the guys when they were on the show?

A)  No, we didn’t get a chance to talk to them, but it was great seeing them perform, though.\

Q) have you ever gone to see a summer tour yourself?

A) No, I never have seen American Idol on tour, any of the tours, but I’m glad that I actually get to be a part of them, because I know many of the people that I look up to now were a part of those tours.  And now I’m going to be one of those people that people look up to.

Q) knowing that the cut is from ten down to five, do you think that was a good thing in the fact that you’ll get to showcase your talents more?

A) Yes, I think that the whole idea was because there’s only five now, we have a longer period of time on the tour to do a set.  So, it should be a lot of fun and a better way to show ourselves as artists.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*