Rule #15 – Simon says

Remember this…Simon knows what he’s talking about. As a contestant you may not want to hear what he has to say. And disagreeing with Simon might seem like the popular thing to do. The point is that he’s been doing this for a long time in multiple countries and he knows what [...]

Rule #14 – Know the difference between “unique” and “memorable”

A lot of contestants make the mistake of trying too hard to be “unique”. What they don’t understand is the huge difference between “unique” and “memorable”.
For example, Sanjaya was unique. The problem was that the only thing that made him unique was a wacky hair-do. At the end of the day, no [...]

Rule #13 – Any air time you get should be of you singing

Resist the urge to ride the mechanical bull at the local bar or to take a midnight dip in the hotel swimming pool when you should be practicing for your next individual or group performance. That is, unless your goal is to get more air time on television showing how you can’t take anything in [...]

Rule #12 – Your favorite song isn’t our favorite song

Just because a song is your favorite song of all time, doesn’t make it a good song choice for you. If it doesn’t showcase your vocal talent it’s not a good song choice. See Rule #9 for more clarification.

Rule #11 – We’ll just see what America thinks

If you get a bad critique from the judges (especially Simon) when you think you did great, do not under any circumstances look out at the studio audience and say “we’ll just see what America thinks.”
Despite the rousing round of applause you will get from the studio audience for defying Simon, most of America at [...]

Rule #10 – Uncomfortable song breaks

Don’t pick a song that has long instrumental breaks, say more than 5 seconds. You’ll end up trying to fill the space with a bunch of oohs, ahhs, and oh-yeahs. Or worse yet, you’ll try doing some silly dance move that you have no right doing and end up looking like a moron.

Rule # 9 – Song choice, song choice, song choice!

If you are considering singing “Somewhere over the rainbow”, “Unchained Melody”, or “Amazing Grace” force yourself to pick a different song. We’ve heard them before. We’ve heard them belted out by winners and divas. We’ve heard them sung better than you can sing them. We don’t want to hear them again.
Song [...]

Rule #8 – When it comes to A.I. history does not repeat

Never sing something that was performed by a past winner. You can’t top Kelly Clarkson’s winning performance of “A moment like this” with the fireworks in the background and the raw emotion. So don’t try. Stick to something that won’t get you compared to a previous champion.

Rule # 7 – Your previous employer matters

If you have ever been a stripper, a nude model or have ever been employed as an “adult entertainer” of any kind don’t bother trying out. You have no chance of winning because sooner or later your resume will catch up with you and you’ll be back to working as “an actress”, “a dancer” [...]

Rule #6 – You’re not as good as you think you are

If you walk into the first audition and tell the judges you are the next American Idol, you won’t be. America eats up the girl next door, waitress turned superstar, not the “I’m the next Celine Dion” wannabe