Student Stewart Taylor’s audition for American Idol’s “golden ticket”

Catherine Chiocchi
Arts Editor

If you thought you saw a familiar face flash across the television screen while watching the premiere of American Idol Season 9 this week, you were not mistaken. Junior Stewart Taylor sang his heart out in front of the judges at the show’s Boston auditions.

“The entire day was so surreal,” said Stewart of the experience. “I had been watching American Idol since I was seven or eight, and here I was, a 17-year-old, finally auditioning for it. I got to make my dream a reality.”

Getting in front of judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi is not as easy as it looks on TV. The editors make it seem as if thousands get their 15-seconds-of-fame with the celebrity judges. However, Stewart had to go through three rounds of auditions for the show’s producers before being selected to try his luck in front of Simon, Randy, and Kara. Only 65 applicants made it in front of the adjudicators at the Boston auditions.

“All the footage on TV is very manipulated,” said Stewart. “Most of the time, the bad singers are not even auditioning in front of the judges.”

The audition process for American Idol was not completely unfamiliar to Stewart. He also auditioned for the show last year in New York, but, according to Stewart, was turned down after singing for about 10 seconds.

His first audition for Season 9 was last June. Out of the 7,000 hopefuls filling Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Stewart was called back by producers to audition again in July. His final audition for the judges was August 12.

Stewart assiduously prepared for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I talked to previous contestants to get an idea of what the process was like and I practiced every night,” said Stewart. “I had to prepare myself without any help, since I couldn’t afford voice lessons at the time.” He even read books with positive messages so he could maintain an upbeat attitude.

When the big audition finally arrived, Stewart felt confident walking into the room. After making some small-talk with the judges, Stewart said Kara immediately called him up to the desk so he could show them his book of original songs. “I wanted to use songwriting as my gimmick so I could stand out,” he said. “I wanted to show them that I wasn’t just a singer.”

Stewart chose to sing “Touch My Hand” by David Archuleta, the Season 7 semifinalist, for his audition. But after he announced his choice to the judges, Simon Cowell stayed true to his cantankerous reputation by telling Stewart to sing something else. According to Stewart, Simon told him to sing one of his original songs.

Stewart said he sang the first song that popped into his head, since he didn’t prepare a back-up piece. According to Stewart, this led to unsatisfactory results. “The song didn’t have that extra oomph,” said Stewart. “The audition ended up being plain and mediocre.”

The judges decided to not send him through to the Hollywood round of auditions, but not before offering some guiding advice. “Kara was very sweet,” he said. “She told me I needed to work on the melodies in my songs, but that I should continue songwriting.”

Out of the 65 applicants that got to audition for the judges, 31 were given the “golden ticket” to Hollywood.

Stewart was able to come away from the experience with new insight into the entertainment industry and the endurance it takes to be a performer. “So many great acts get turned down, but they become successful because they stick it out,” he said. “It takes a lot of stamina to be a performer.”

When asked if he plans to audition again, his answer was an emphatic yes. “I’m totally going to audition next year and I’m never going to give up until I achieve my dream,” Stewart said.