IF HER arresting smile and vocals were not being used to win the hearts and minds of judges and audiences across the globe, Melinda Doolittle’s talent might have been put to use to cajole enemies of the state into submission.
“I know it sounds weird, but I have always wanted to work behind the scenes with the CIA or FBI and be like Jack Bauer on 24,” she added with a playful laugh, “I want to be the female Jack Bauer.”
Thankfully, she took her skills to the stage, most recently that of Sagicor Christmas Jazz held at Ilaro Court. Even though the season six American Idol alumna did not perform as much as was hoped, Doolittle certainly made her presence felt and new music is currently making the rounds with the release of You’re The Reason on November 12, 2013 (11-12-13).
“It is an EP . . . and it features six songs . . . . There are three of them which I wrote and it tells my story of what I am going through right now and then we added a song from American Idol which is Home, from the musical, The Wiz which is my favourite musical in the world,” she said.
Her easy, breezy stage persona was a direct reflection of her personality, making sure to be even nicer after noticing the interviewer was a little hot under the collar from a previous interview gone hopelessly awry.
You’re The Reason is her third studio effort, and the Never Giving Up singer believed it was the best representation of herself. It was also her first independent effort.
Explaining her step away from being on a label, she revealed: “ . . . .You get to a point, maybe not everybody, but I got to the point where I wanted to own my own music and have my own say. My first record was my record and they were great people, but they had a say in everything. I didn’t have much of a say in anything.
“I have grown up a bit and I know what I would like to do and it just came down to me doing what I wanted and being able to own it myself and I wanted to free myself and I am glad I did.”
Before becoming one of the more notable voices on American Idol, Doolittle was a back-up singer for the likes of BeBe and CeCe Winans, Aaron Neville and Kirk Franklin among others. Interestingly enough, a peek at Melinda’s biography revealed what she beleives is strong evidence of divine intervention in her amazing voice.
In previous interviews, she revealed that when she first told her mother she wanted to sing in a youth group talent show, her mother encouraged her to “pray hard,” which was exactly what she did along with persistent practice.
“The night of the talent show, I got to the youth group,” said Doolittle in another interview, “My youth pastor had heard me sing before and he knew the potential for disaster but he still believed in me. When I walked onto the stage I heard the music start, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth and a different voice came out.”
Following her third-place position on the sixth cycle of American Idol, she released her debut eponymous album in 2007 and Coming Back To You in 2009.
Even though she auditioned for fun, she credited American Idol with giving her the push her musical career needed.
“ . . . For me American Idol is the one show where at the end of the day the contestants have something to show for it. They are working, even if you don’t hear their name all the time, they are out there working. I definitely think it is relevant in that way and that it is worth it for contestants to go on the show,” she said.
As to be expected, there were challenges to not being on a label, but she was still happy for her freedom.
“[There are] so many challenges either way – challenges with the label and challenges without, and for me the challenges with the label outweigh the challenges without. Obviously, it is your own money you are putting in, so there are expenses that you are not used to paying, which is probably the biggest challenge. And, if people don’t like it then it is all on you, it is your fault,” she continued, “At the end of the day, I am so glad I did it.”
As she gears up for a full album release, she beamed as she spoke about the future project, even while remaining tight-lipped.
“There is an artist that has been kind of my mentor and the person that I look up to the most as an artist, Gladys Knight . . . hands down . . . and I get to work with someone who worked very, very, very closely with her on some of my favourite songs. That’s all I can say.”