'I definitely heard a lot of us having pitch problems,' she says of rocky first week.
By Katie Byrne
Janell Wheeler on Wednesday's "American Idol"
Photo: Fox
Janell Wheeler had a standout moment during Hollywood Week when she sang a stripped-down version of Estelle's "American Boy" and played her acoustic guitar.
Unfortunately, she left the guitar at home for her performance of Heart's "What About Love," getting the boot Thursday night along with Tyler Grady, Ashley Rodriguez and Joe Muñoz. We caught up with the bubbly blonde on Friday (February 26) to talk about nerves running rampant and what's next.
Q: The judges seem to be giving a lot of mixed messages this season. Was it hard to figure out what they wanted?
A: I think I knew exactly what they wanted from me. I just was choosing to do it the second week. [Laughs.] The first rehearsal with me and that [Heart] song was a little more country. However, it lost a lot of its rugged sound and energy, so I did switch it back to the rocker version. I felt like it definitely pumped me up and helped me perform better. But I think that in order for me to have secured a place to the next round, I should've gone ahead and brought the guitar out and performed a top 40 hit, like "American Boy," which I was definitely planning to do next week.
Q: It seems like nerves got the best of a lot of contestants this week. What do you think was behind the anxiety?
A: Being there is so different, being live. The band is really, really loud and aggressive, and it's awesome and you get so into it. ... Everyone sounds good when you're in-house. But going back, when I did listen to the show ... I definitely heard a lot of us having pitch problems. It was our first show, and we don't know how the sound works yet. If you can't tell, my performance changed from the first night to [results] night. I sang the same song, but I sang it differently. I had a better concept of the stage, of the sound, of my vocals with the band. ... Each time they get on that stage and get used to what it sounds like, it's just gonna get better and better. It was difficult to grasp that at first, because it was, for a lot of us, our first time.
Q: Were you surprised to be going home, or did you expect it?
A: I am a very hopeful person, but that day, for some reason, I just had this feeling inside of me. I couldn't really explain it. I even called my parents and said, "Be prepared, because I don't have a very good feeling about today." Of course, they reassured me. But I was like, "Trust me, I know." [Laughs.] I didn't get the worst comments; I didn't get the best comments. I don't think I was particularly the worst, and I definitely wasn't the best. I was in that dangerous zone, that in-between, because people tend to think that you're safe. If you're in-between, if you're right in the middle, people think you'll squeeze by. ... Because I didn't really shine or get really bad feedback, I think I just got lost in the mix.
Q: What did you think of Ellen DeGeneres' live debut as a judge?
A: I love Ellen, I don't think it's a secret. ... I watch her show religiously. So, to me, I just thought she was so refreshing. She represents the American public, the people who actually go out and buy the albums — the fans, just America. And I think she really knows music and she's so diverse in her knowledge, and I think people need to give her a lot of credit, because she did a bang-up job for her first live show.
Q: What's next?
A: I think I'm just gonna try to do this on my own. Hopefully I'm Nashville-bound!
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