American Idol, The FORT Interview With Carmen Rasmusen

[lobeck]

This morning, I had the pleasure of talking with Carmen Rasmusen, the most recent finalist voted off of American Idol. The energy and enthusiasm that Carmen displayed on the show came through in the interview as well, and it was a pleasure to talk to her. Here's what she had to say:

What made you decide to try out for the show?
Well, my dad called me like an hour before I was supposed to have a tape in for the local competition, and I had wanted to try out for American Idol ever since I saw the last episode last season. But, I didn't really know what to do. So, it was actually a last-minute thing, and I barely got the tape in in time. I won the local thing and then flew out to L.A., and it all kinda fit together. It was really weird.

Did you watch last season?
I watched the last episode, and I watched an episode or two here and there.

Did you have a favorite?
I didn't really watch enough to have a favorite, but I always thought Kelly was really good.

If you could sing a duet with anyone you wanted, who would you choose?
Justin Timberlake.

If you were in charge of choosing a theme one week, what would you like to see done?
Hmmm…a theme…rock.

Do you know what you might sing if that was a theme while you were on the show?
I'd probably sing Avril Lavigne's "Sk8ter Boi".

We've seen a lot of people talk back to the judges this year…do you think that helps or hurts?
I think it actually hurts. I think it's fine to stand up for yourself, but when it gets to the point where you argue with them, I don't think that's very good.

Now, you were originally not in the Top 32, so what was it like when you found out you'd be coming back for the Wildcard Show?
It was incredible! I never thought I'd be able to have another shot. It was awesome…it just made all my dreams come true.

Do you remember where you were or what you were doing when you found out?
I do. I was in the kitchen making a salad, and my mom was in the bathroom. She got the phone call, and she was, like, screaming. I ran in there and I was like, "What?" and she was like, "You're going back!" It was so crazy.

And then, on the show, when Simon announced that you were his choice to move on, what did you think about that?
I was so happy! That was probably the happiest moment of my life. I still remember what I was doing, how I was looking, how he said it…you know, I remember everything about it.

If you were asked, how would you describe your singing style? Is there anyone you would compare yourself to?
Well, my singing style is country, definitely, but I love singing pop, too. I don't know if I could really compare myself to anyone. I think I have my own style, and I don't really think I sound like anybody.

If I said, "Carmen, tell me who's going to be in the Final Two?", who would you say?
The final two…probably Clay and Ruben. But, I don't know who'd win out of them.

Of all the celebrities you met, who stands out the most?
Oh, man…of all the celebrities, Olivia Newton-John was probably the coolest one. Diane Warren was the most amazing person, because she just has this amazing legacy, and she's done everything. She's written all these amazing songs.

What was it like to work with her?
She was actually in the studio when I recorded one of my songs for the album, so I had actually met her before. It was so neat, but I was so nervous.

You're singing "How Do I Live?" on the album, right?
Yeah.

What was your favorite part of the whole American Idol experience?
My favorite? Oh, man…I really couldn't pick a favorite, but one of the most awesome times is when we all rode in the limo to the red carpet event. That was the coolest thing…to walk down the red carpet.

What was it like living in the house?
It was a blast! I loved it. I had never been away from home, so it was like the first opportunity I'd had of having roommates. It was…all of us got along so well.

Now, since y'all all lived in the house together but were also competing against each other, how did that affect your relationships? Did it make it tougher?
No, not at all. We'd, like, practice our songs for each other, and we'd give each other advice. I mean, sometimes it wasn't very good advice because we'd all be jealous of each other, you know (*laughter*). But, we all…everyone was really helpful and nice to each other.

Now, while y'all were in the house, did y'all have the opportunity to go out onto the Internet and check out any of the fansites or message boards?
We did a little. Clay would always go and read the message boards, but I hated doing that. I did that once, and I started bawling. There not always nice, you know what I mean? So, I think I got on the Internet once during the whole time.

So, if Clay went out onto the message boards, would he tell y'all what people were saying?
No, he would just read it, or we'd read over his shoulder. He'd be like, "Oh, Carmen, there's something about you." He'd have to proofread it and scan it before me. Then he'd be like, "Oh, OK…it's good enough to read" or "OK, Carmen, don't read this one." He'd read everything for me, so…

Of all the people in the house, who would you say is the most competitive?
The most competitive? Clay, definitely.

Now, you were 17 when the finals started, correct?
Yes.

OK, so your mom stayed with you in the house?
Yeah, my mom stayed…and my dad, my grandma, and my sister.

Until you turned 18, right?
Yeah…they all took turns.

So, what was it like having your family in the house with you?
It was fun. It was good having someone I could run to if I was sad or to get a message or to just help me deal with the stress. I loved it.

And what was it like after they moved out?
It was fine after they moved out, because by the time they moved out I was so close to everyone else, so they were just like my family, anyway.

What are you going to miss most about living in the house?
I'll probably miss all the sleepovers we always had, and staying up late talking…Trenyce and I would always stay up until, like, 3 in the morning talking every night. So I'll miss just talking with everyone and being with everyone. They really became my family.

But, y'all will be together for the tour…
We will…we will. And also for the finale in a couple of weeks.

Right, right…Now, Simon picked you as his Wildcard choice, but he also seemed to deliver some of the harshest criticism you got. What did you think about that?
Well, I don't know…I thought Randy was pretty harsh, too. So, I don't know…I really was proud of how far I got. And I knew Simon believed in me, despite what he said. I mean…he picked me to be his wildcard, so obviously he believed in me. And he's a really nice person, but he's Simon, and that's the character he plays…you know, he's gonna be Simon.

One thing I noticed is that you seemed to get more and more comfortable being out there on stage. Was that the case?
Yes, definitely. I'd always, always get nervous, but it also became like home every time I stepped out there. And that's what I want to do…I just want to keep on getting better.[/b]

Now, if you had to sit at the table and judge your own performances, which would you say was your best and your worst?
My best was probably Motown Week ("You Can't Hurry Love"), and my worst was probably Billy Joel Week ("And So It Goes").

In one of your biographical videos, you said you had a lot of dance experience. Do you want to incorporate that into your future career? Do you want to concentrate solely on music?
No, I definitely want to pursue all my talents.

Is there anything you'd go back and change about your time on the show if you could?
I would probably not be as nervous in front of the judges, and I'd just go out there and have fun and not worry about that so much.

Speaking of performing in front of the judges, which do you think is tougher—performing like in the semifinals in front of the judges…
The judges, definitely.

So you think it was easier performing in front of the live audience?
Yeah.

If you would bring anyone on the show as a guest judge, who would you pick?
Justin Timberlake.

While you were in the house, what was the funniest thing that happened?
Oh, man…lots of funny things happened. Probably…oh, probably after the Herbal Essences shot when I was walking down to get my picture and I tripped over one of those big lights, and it came crashing down on me.

Oh, wow…were you OK?
Oh, yeah…I was OK, but everyone was watching (*laughter*)

What is something about you that people would be surprised to find out?
Wow…I don't know…well, I love rock music.

I'm going to throw some names out to you, and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind, OK?
OK

Ruben Studdard?
Big.

Paula Abdul?
Sweet.

Kim Caldwell?
Nice.

Clay Aiken?
Heh…heh…heh…(*coy laughter*)

Randy Jackson?
Mean.

Ryan Seacrest?
Cute.

Kim Locke?
Aw…my sister.

Joshua Gracin?
Uh…he's OK.

Trenyce?
Oh…I love Trenyce.

Finally…Simon Cowell?
My hero.

Wow…really?
Well, without him, I wouldn't even be on the show.

Now, given your answer to "Clay Aiken"…is there anything going on between you two?
You never know…

OK…Now, is there anything you would have liked to have sung but didn't get to for whatever reason?
I wish I could have sung "Blue" by Leann Rimes. I didn't because I picked "Wild Angels" instead of that for Country Week.

If you had the chance, would you go back and pick "Blue", do you think?
Um…probably. But, I did good with "Wild Angels". But, I just love "Blue". It's my favorite song, but I thought it'd be too country for the show.

Now, you're getting ready to graduate from high school. So, what are your plans in terms of college? Do you plan to go right to college? Are you going to put it off for a while?
Well, I've been accepted to BYU, and I was originally going to start in the summer. But, since we're going on tour, I won't be able to. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to start college. It depends on if I have a career, if something has taken off, you know…I'm not sure.

Do you know what you might want to study when you do go?
I'm not sure…I kinda want to go into broadcast journalism and eventually have my own show…kinda like Katie Couric.

If someone came to you and said, "Carmen, I want to try out for the show", what kind of advice would you give them?
I'd say believe in yourself. They're going to say mean things about you, but that's part of it. Just believe in yourself, and you can do it.

Now, when the judges gave their criticisms, do you think they were really trying to help, or do you think they were being overly harsh for dramatic effect?
I definitely think they were being dramatic, but…I mean, it's a TV show, you know? There were some things…like, "You're a little pitchy" or "You need to smile more", and that's fine…but sometimes they went overboard. But, that's just them, you know.

Do you have any kind of contact with them outside of the actual shows we see on TV?
Oh, yeah. We talk to them before the show, we see them after the show…they're really nice people.

What about the guest judges…do you know in advance who they're going to be?
We know like the day of…or maybe the day before.

Tell me about singing "God Bless the U.S.A." and recording that.
Wow…that was incredible. It was so much fun. I got chills every time we sang it.

And you can say you're now part of a group that has a top-selling single!
Yeah, I know! It's crazy…

If you had to name your first CD, do you know what you would name it at this point?
My first CD? Hmmm…I had a name the other day, because I was thinking about that. Give me a sec…

If you could work with anybody songwriter-wise or producer-wise, who would you like to work with?
I'd love to work with Diane Warren. I think she's an amazing songwriter. And, I'd actually like to work with a couple of rock groups like Newfound Glory or Blink-182 or something like that. I think they write a lot of good songs, too.

Do you have any acting aspirations?
I do, definitely. I'm going to follow my dreams when it comes to acting. I really want to be in the movies or on TV or something. Oh, and I thought of the name I came up with for my CD…It'd be called "Energize".

Well, Carmen, that's pretty much all I've got for you. In parting, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?
Tell them thank you so much for voting for me and for letting me get this far. I know it sucks to have to push redial and redial all the time, but thank you so much for doing it. I appreciate it.

Carmen, thank you so much for the time…
You bet!

…and Congratulations and Good Luck.
Thank you so much.

We'd love to have you stop by the website and say hi, so if you have the chance…
OK, I will…definitely.

Great…Well, take care, Carmen and congratulations again.
Thanks…bye!


Thanks to Carmen for taking the time to talk to me and to FOX for granting me permission to interview this year's finalists.

If you would like to contact the author of this interview, send e-mail to lobeck@fansofrealitytv.com.

[Google]

 

[QueenP]

Great interview, lobeck! Awww...she seems like a sweet kid. Good luck to her in the future!

Dang..wish she'd answered the Clay question...the little hussy!

[CopperPenny]

Poor Carmen -- Randy was quite mean to her. I wish Carmen nothing but the best! She seems like such a sweet person and has great possibilities ahead of her!

[TheFlying]

Trenyce and I was always stay up until, like, 3 in the morning talking every night

That wasn't something I was expecting.

Josh?
Uh...he's OK

Kim Locke
Aw..my sister

[nofx242]

Great interview but one comment she said about if there was a rock theme.

Do you know what you might sing if that was a theme while you were on the show?
I'd probably sing Avril Lavigne's "Sk8ter Boi".

That is a really bad song same repetitive lines. I think really bad song choices have been then big problem with her and a few other singers so far. Not even the best singer can take a really bad or overplayed song that sounds like it should be at a wedding party (ie celebration) and make it sound good.

[TheFlying]

That is a really bad song same repetitive lines.

Uh, it's not a great song or anything, but it definitely doesn't repeat itself apart from the chorus by far.

[LYONFAN]

I loved her answer to Randy - mean

That sort of sums it up in one word.

I think she would have done a good job with that song, she has the right image for it.

[TK421]

Good interview, lobeck. Carmen seems real sweet!

[Terena79]

Her response to the Clay question was kind of strange.. Just today she was on two talk shows, Caroline Rhea and Good Day Live, and she said she was as single as can be, with no boyfriend, and that there was nothing between her and Clay.

[skedaddle]

Amazing what this girl of 18 has experienced over the last few months (even if, as a friend of mine from London said, she "can't sing for toffee"). She could really make it in the entertainment industry in some shape or fashion, I think. Her self-composure is impressive!