|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Nov 16, 2006 13:57:35 GMT -5
I think most people know I'm a HUGE fan of Kellie's and I am sick of all the bashing so I figured I'd start a support thread just in case there were some fans over here.
Here's some facts for you guys.
1. Kellie sold over 80,000 copies of her first CD the first week it was out, which landed her in the top spot on the billboard country charts, and in 9th place and the only country album on the albums in general chart.
2. Her video for Red High Heels debued at #3 on the great american country countdown, a new record for new videos, which usually debut closer to 20 and work their way up.
3. Kellie will be feautured in this week's US magazine. In it, she breaks her silence and talks about the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her mother. She specifically talks about one incident where she was in the kitchen with her mom and Kellie was in the fourth grade. Kellie told her mom that she wished that God would take her away because she would rather be dead then live here with her. Her mother then took out a knife, and placed it on the counter and said, " do it then."
For those who don't know, though Kellie's mom left her when she was two, she returned breifly and managed to get custody of her for two years while her father was in prison until her grandparents eventually got custody of her. She suffered both physical and emotional abuse during this time and Kellie credits her gandmother for turning her life around by being her " angel,". She said she called her mom and she was her best friend. She was devasted when she passed away 4 years ago.
|
|
|
Post by mihee on Nov 18, 2006 12:45:23 GMT -5
Wow I didn't know that. What a horrible thing to go through at such an early age. I like Kellie too.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Nov 20, 2006 17:27:28 GMT -5
here's the article from US. It is really a touching article but also very heartbreaking. I had no idea that she had it so bad. It just makes me like her even more for how she has managed to turn everything around and find the positive. That's not an easy thing to do.
PS: I'm glad I'm not the only Kellie fan over here. lol
US Exclusive: How I survived Child Abuse
American Idol Star Kellie Pickler reveals for the first time her heartbreak over her mother who abused and abandoned her- and how she overcame it.
With a new Fox sitcom in the works, a new video for her single “Red High Heels” (Co-starring sister Courtney, 17), her CD Small Town Girl debuting at number 1 on the country charts, and a new apartment in Nashville, American Idol Season 5 Finalist Kellie Pickler, 20, looks to be leading a charmed life. Amazingly, the bubbly former waitress from Albemarle, North Carolina- who won hearts with her daffy mangling of words like Minx and Salmon- succeeded despite a childhood filled with trauma and uncertainty. Abandoned by her mother, Cynthia Morton, at age 2, Pickler was taken in by her paternal grandparents while her father, a drug abuser, cycled in and out of prison.
Then a chance 1995 meeting with her mom spurred a bitter custody battle that tore the 9-year –old from the only stable home she’d known. Pickler says for two years, she was mentally and physically abused and finally abandoned again by Morton, whose whereabouts are unknown. Here, Pickler tells US’s Shirley Halperin of her troubled- though ultimately inspiring- childhood.
Long-Lost Mother
In forth grade, when my dad was incarcerated for armed robbery and I was living with my grandparents, we were at a restaurant in Albemarle. I had not seen my mother since I was 2. I don’t know how I knew it was her, but we made eye contact and she motioned for me to come. I didn’t know what kind of person she was. My grandparents knew. My grandma, I could see the pain in her eyes. I remember hugging my mom and we cried.
Weeks later, she filed for custody. I’d visited her a few times, but my grandparents and I were completely blindsided. One day at school, my mother picked me up; that’s how I found out I was going to live with her [initially, in the same county]. I threw a tantrum and was screaming. They had to make me get in the car. I was scared.
Custody Battle
I went through so many school systems in the area because she was always on the run. She’s a con artist. My grandma and grandpa looked for me for the longest time. At first, my mother had full custody and nobody knew where I was. I felt like I’d been kidnapped.
I was with her two years, and in that time, she was in six or seven relationships that I knew of. [Pickler has never met her mothers younger child Michael; her dad has two other kids, Eric, 6, and Courtney.] She blamed me, saying men didn’t want her baggage. I wondered why she didn’t just take me back to my grandparents.
Violence at home
She was abusive to me mentally at first, but then it got physical. I remember my mother and I were in the kitchen and I said “I wish God would take me away, I’d much rather be dead then live here with you.” She took a knife out, set it on the counter and said,” Here, do it then.” I was in forth grade. Of course, I would have never acted upon it, but it’s done a lot of emotional scarring.
I don’t know what triggered the abuse- I can’t remember her drinking or doing drugs- But she used to hit me in the mouth all the time, and she punched me in the face. I would just cry. She made me see a psychiatrist because I cried all the time. She would tell me I was crazy. And, of course, every doctor told me I completely had a right to feel the way I did.
Left Again
When I was in fifth grade, my grandparents got joint custody, so I was able to stay with them certain times. Meanwhile, they fought for full custody. Once, I had bruises on my face and scratches down my arm. We took pictures, but the court dismissed the whole thing. My mother didn’t even get charged with anything. If you’ve ever dealt with the legal system, it’s next to impossible to take a child from their mom. She still had joint custody of me, but one day she didn’t show up to court and I haven’t seen her since.
The last time I spoke to her, I was in seventh grade. It was right after my dad got out of prison. He had her contact information, and I called and left a message. The next morning she called. The thing she said to me was “I just want to get something straight. I figured you were calling about child support money, and I just wanted to let you know I’m not paying a dam thing. “Here I am, this little girl, I’m calling my mamma, haven’t seen her in years. The first words out of her mouth should have been, “how are you? I love you. I miss you. Are you still breathing?” You can imagine how crushed I was. I just said, “You know what, I wasn’t even calling about that. I just wanted to see how you were.” And I just hung up the phone and I haven’t spoken with her since.
Loss to Lyrics
I’ve always had a little bit of a void in my life, and my grandmother, Faye, filled so much of that. Just like you tell your best friend everything, I told my grandma. She was the one person that no matter what I’d done, she wouldn’t judge. When I was little, I would sing my heart out to grandma on the old porch swing. When she passed during my sophomore year in high school, I tried to look at the good side, that now she’s my angel. That’s where one of the songs on the album, “My angel,” came from. I helped write it.
Even though my grandma filled the emptiness of not having a mother, there were things I was really envious of in high school. Because my grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis, she wasn’t able to come to the basketball and football games where I was cheerleading. She couldn’t get out much. That’s where “I wonder,” the song I wrote to my mom comes from. At the games, all the cheerleader’s mom’s would sit in the stands and braid their hair and I was really jealous because I wanted that and it wasn’t fair to me. I didn’t have those small things that you take for granted when your mom is around.
I was very active in high school- I was varsity cheerleader and I taught gymnastics. I took dance and drama class. I sang at graduation. I was a social butterfly. But when I was little, I was embarrassed when my friends asked where my dad was. I would say he was on a business trip. But as you mature, you realize you don’t choose your parents. It’s not your fault what they do and you should not be ashamed.
Idol Encouragement
I can’t remember a time in my childhood not listening to country- the radio, tapes, CD’s. In fact, I didn’t really watch American Idol until I saw Carrie Underwood. Once I saw there was a country girl on, that got me watching.
Before I auditioned for American Idol, I ran into season 3 winner Fantasia Barino at Nordstrom in the South park mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’ll never forget what she said: “Girl, just go do your own thing and be you.”
Once I was on the show, a friend called me and said my mom was in a tabloid. I walked to the Walgreens and bought it. It was actually one of her ex-flings doing an interview about her and how the best thing that ever happened to me was her leaving me. I just started crying. That was the first time I thought about God, is she watching American Idol? Is she voting? It’s hard for me to deal with, but I don’t hate her. She’s a sick person and I pray that she’s gotten her life together.
Everybody goes through obstacles in life. You can choose to be a product of your environment, or you can choose to make your own path. I’ve always tried to go down the right one.
KELLIE AND HER DAD: STILL STRAINED
The week after Pickler was eliminated from American Idol, her father Clyde Pickler Jr, 41, was released from a Florida Prison, where he had been serving time for stabbing a man. The crime was the latest in a long rap sheet that includes driving while impaired, multiple assaults and armed robbery dating back to 1985. The pair reunited for a May 6 homecoming Parade in Albemarle, North Carolina, but the relationship is still tentative. Though she fondly remembers listening to country music as a kid with her dad, Kellie tells US, “I’ve always kind of felt like the adult in the relationship.” Still, the 20 year old, who says she’s casually dating her hometown boyfriend, Will, has not soured on love. “I’ve always dreamed of having that family you can count on, the perfect husband, the perfect fairy tale family,” says Kellie. “I think marriage and all of that is probably the scariest thing in all the world to me. Hopefully many years from now- no time soon- maybe I will settle down and have the family I’ve always wanted.”
HOW CHILDREN OVERCOME ABUSE
Pickler not only survived a childhood marked by abandonment and abuse, she triumphed. What allows children to overcome such trauma? “It’s a combination of perseverance and the ability to find their strengths and limit their weaknesses, “Dr Stan J Katz, a clinical Child Psychologist in Beverly Hills and author of The Success Trap, tells US. In the case of Pickler, Katz says two things made a big difference: the loving support of grandparents Faye and Clyde sr. and her singing talent. “People who go through abuse can feel they deserve the abuse,” says Katz. The key is building self-esteem-“It’s the ability to see that you have some meaning in the world- that you have more worth then when someone abused or rejected you.”
Pictures and captions
~ “When my grandmother passed away, that was the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome in my life,” Pickler tells US. “I feel like everything else will be so much easier.”
~ “Everyone tells me that I’m the Cinderella Story. I guess that’s a nice way to think of it.”
~ “I have forgiven but I haven’t forgotten yet, “Pickler says of the mother who she says abused and abandoned her. “ I don’t hate her. I’m confused, I’m hurt, but I don’t hate anyone.”
~ I was always that girl that kind of gazes out the window. I wanted to get out and be a bird and fly.”
~ “There’s nothing I can say except I only hope for the best,” Pickler says of the estrangement with her father.
~ “Hopefully I’ll be asked to come back on idol and Perform,” says Pickler.
|
|
|
Post by melanie62 on Nov 21, 2006 14:53:16 GMT -5
Go Kellie !! I supported her and still do. She will go far.. I also bought her cd.. Its awesome !
There was always something special that I felt for Kellie ! My prayers have been answered God saved her !! A Special Person !
Her special angel is always watching her !!
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Nov 21, 2006 17:01:14 GMT -5
I completely agree. The first time I saw her, I knew there was something special about her. She went through more trauma then your typical 20 year old, but she had the perserverence to overcome it. She has a beautiful heart and an amazing talent that will take her far. I supported her from day 1 and I still support her now. I too bought her CD the first day it came out and wasn't dissapointed. Every song is amazing and speaks directly to my heart. She will also be featured in a half hour sitcom that they're developing around her... its about a small town girl who discovers that her biological father is the state's govenor. It should be hillarious since it will be based on Kellie's personality. I am so happy that Good things are happening to her now. God saved this special person and now she is acheiving what she was always meant to do... while her angel looks down on her and cheers her on. GO KELLIE!!
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Nov 21, 2006 18:58:25 GMT -5
Here's another interview. It's great. I just love her.
20 Questions With Kellie Pickler She Talks About Acting, Adam Sandler and American Idol .
Kellie Pickler didn't win the title of American Idol this year, but the pride of Albemarle, N.C., is still getting a shot at country stardom. She's on the charts with "Red High Heels," and just a few aisles over from the shoe department is her debut album, Small Town Girl. Here, the ambitious singer answers questions from fans about finding her talent for writing, being called a ditsy blonde and the country star she'd be honored to sing for.
1. Since doing your American Idol tour, have you noticed yourself relaxing better and not freaking out when you go on stage?
No. (laughs) I'm not necessarily relaxing more, but I am having a lot of fun. I think every time you're on stage, it prepares you for the next time that you're on stage. The more you perform and get out there, I guess the more practice you have at it and the better you are and the more comfortable you are on stage.
2. Do you think your being in pageants helped you at American Idol?
I don't know because I never really was a pageant person. I just did them for a year. I think I've done four or five pageants total because I just wanted to sing. Living in a small [town] like Albemarle, there are not many opportunities that come along -- or any at that -- to showcase your talents. I just enrolled in the pageants to do the singing parts. I had no idea. The other phases of the competition -- swimsuit, interviews, evening wear -- I didn't know what I was doing when I was doing those. I think I was as shocked as everybody else when I won. (laughs)
3. How close were you to not auditioning for American Idol?
My grandpa and I went to Greensboro, N.C., together for the audition. There were like between 8,500 and 10,000 people there at the coliseum. I'm not going to lie. We sat down and everyone around us was doing vocal warm-ups and practicing their song. And I was really intimidated. Not just a little intimidated. I was very intimidated by everyone around me. And I looked at my grandpa and I stood up and said, "Come on, Grandpa, let's go. There's no way in the world they're going to give me a second look!" And he said, "Kellie, what have you got to lose?" And I said, "You know what? Nothing. All I have to lose is that job at Sonic, so I'm just going to stay and wait it out." And thank God I did because look at what I would have missed out on. So, you should never doubt yourself because you never, ever know what's around the corner.
4. If you could choose anyone in country music to tour with, who would it be?
Dolly Parton. I am the biggest Dolly Parton fan. I love her songwriting. Her songs are just the most incredible songs out there. She's a great singer, a great performer. She can act. She's the whole package, and the personality is the icing on the cake. I think she's great, and I can only hope to follow in her footsteps.
5. Who would you most like to surprise you by appearing at one of your concerts?
Dolly Parton! (laughs) I just really admire her as a person. I think it's great that someone like her who has had to overcome family obstacles like she has -- life obstacles that she has overcome -- still walks around with a smile on her face. I think she's such a pleasant person. I admire her as a person and her career. I would be very honored to think she would sit in the audience and listen to me sing!
6. Do you play a musical instrument?
I can't read music. It's really weird. I can play piano a little bit by ear, but I can't read music. Bucky [Covington, another Idol contestant] was trying to teach me guitar on the tour this summer. Ah, let's just say it was not going so well. Maybe I'll take some lessons and get better at it.
7. Based on your life experience, have you considered or are you writing some original song lyrics?
Yeah. I co-wrote five of the songs on the album. The single, "Red High Heels," I co-wrote that. I think songwriting is a talent I discovered when I was out on the road with American Idol. I had never really written songs before. I was on the road. I don't know if that's what inspired me. I got hooked up with a great songwriter here in Nashville, Aimee Mayo. She's written a lot of great hits for Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Martina McBride. She's just great. She and I got together. We sat on the phone, I don't know how many mornings, until like four o'clock in the morning, just writing. She was great. It's a talent that I just discovered in myself. It feels good to know that I'm getting that intimate with the songs, so the people who listen to them can feel like they're getting to know me more on a personal level. It makes the songs more personal.
8. Will there ever be any dance remixes of your songs, or would you ever consider remixing for dance music fans?
Absolutely. There are so many different music genres and different styles of music, you can't really confine yourself to one thing. I'm very open and optimistic. I like to try new things. Absolutely.
9. Are you planning to dance in any of your future music videos?
Oh, yeah! This girl's gonna break it down one day in a music video! Absolutely.
10. Are you worried that you may be typecast as a ditsy blonde, and would it affect your career either way?
With the ditsy blonde comments, I wouldn't necessarily call myself naïve. I think I'm very intelligent. I think I'm very smart. People tend to forget that I was 19 when I was on American Idol. I was from a small town. I had never eaten calamari before, and I didn't know what it was. It's not about being dumb or stupid. It's just that I didn't know. ... I'd never flown before. I'd never been in an airport. I had no idea what I was doing when I got there.
People forget that American Idol is a television show, and just like any other television, they're going to highlight certain points, and that was something I felt they highlighted. I don't think I'm dumb at all. I think I'm very smart. ... I don't like to say anyone's stupid. I would be easily taken advantage of in this industry if I was not somewhat intelligent. I consider myself a very smart businesswoman. Of course, there are going to be things I don't know, and a lot of times I tend to say things before I think about it. I'm very guilty of that. I let the negative comments like that go in one ear and out the other because you have to keep positive in for positive to come out. Surround yourself with positive people and you'll be a positive person.
11. I was just wondering if you think you will ever get into acting. Have you had any movie or TV offers yet?
TV and film is something I've always been interested in. Just making the music video for "Red High Heels" was probably the most fun I've had all year. It really made the song come to life. I was really myself, and it showcased my personality. I would love to get involved in TV and film. Right now, my main focus is on the album and getting this out here on the shelves and doing the singing part of Kellie's career. Who knows what next year will bring? We're going to look at all the offers and opportunities to come along.
12. Who can make you laugh very easily?
I laugh at about anything. Maybe myself? I know that sounds weird. I don't talk to myself or anything, but sometimes I say things and I laugh at myself. Sometimes you have to make fun of yourself. It's my friends usually. ... Ellen DeGeneres. Oh, my gosh, love her. Adam Sandler, of course. He is so sweet. I met him at Jay Leno, and he was an absolute sweetheart. He's hilarious. Dolly Parton makes me laugh, too. When you see her in interviews, she is a hoot. Anyone with a great personality. I laugh about anything. (starts laughing)
13. Your grandpa seems like he is very involved in your life and very supportive. Do you and he have a special bond?
Absolutely. My grandparents took me under their wing when I was younger. They raised me, and they did the best they could do to make sure that I had everything that I have. I'm very close to my grandpa, and I was very close to my grandmother.
14. What's your idea of a fun date?
I'm a really cheap date. A cheeseburger -- and I'm good to go. I love cheese, so like a cheddar cheeseburger, I'm really good. Or pizza. I like to go eat, and I like to go to the movies and get the popcorn -- the buttered popcorn because it's always better at the movies -- and then go to Blockbuster and rent a movie and then go home and watch it. I'm just really weird, I guess you could say. I'm a little bit of a nerd. Am I the only person who does that?
15. Do you like scary movies?
That's one thing people probably don't know about me. I'm the biggest fan of horror movies and scary movies. I like bloody, gory, blood-and-guts flying everywhere. I love that kind of movie. Is that weird? You wouldn't think that for me. I've always wanted to be in a scary movie. I would love to be the killer, like the villain. I know people would least suspect me to be the killer, not that I've ever killed anyone, or am going to.
16. Who is your favorite shoe designer?
I love ... correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know how to pronounce the brand -- Christian Louboutin? That's my favorite shoe designer. Steve Madden is great because it's very affordable, and I like him, too. I like all shoes. Let's see, who else. Stewart Weitzman! I love Stewart Weitzman! I wear Stewart Weitzman in the video. There's a scene where I have to punt the football in these red stilettos, and my feet kept sinking into the ground. They're all scuffed up and they were brand new, too. Sad. Bittersweet.
17. Do you have any pets? If you do, what breed and what are their names?
I have a dog back home named Comet. I don't really know what he is. He's a little bit of everything. And I have a dog here in Nashville that I don't know how much longer I'll have because she's really getting on my nerves right now. She has soiled my carpet! Her name is Ellie and she's a Maltese. She is supposed to be housebroken and she's not. She is ruining my new carpet! ... We're going to see how long I can handle her being here.
18. Were you involved in sports when you were younger? What was your favorite?
I used to do gymnastics and dance. I consider those sports because you train for them. They train just as hard as you would for football. I would have loved to have been able to play football in high school because that's my favorite sport. I love football.
19. Who is your favorite NASCAR driver?
Everyone asks me this! And you know what? I never say because NASCAR is a huge, huge sport in the South -- actually nationwide and outside of the country. I never say, because you don't mix religion or politics with your business or with your work. You don't mix NASCAR either. I recently did an interview with a DJ who told me that it was a smart decision not to say who your favorite driver is because one time he was on the air and he was talking about who he was pulling for. And he got about 50 e-mails that day from people who used to listen to the radio but won't listen to it anymore because he was a fan of so-and-so and said that he needs to be a fan of this other person. So I never say because I don't want to get death threats in the mail.
20. You have found success and have yet to let any of that go to your head. Many of your fans (myself included) feel that you will never change. How do you plan on being the small-town girl while also being a country music star?
Before American Idol, I watched CMT or listened to the radio or saw these artists on television doing interviews and thought, "Gosh, I wonder what it would be like to be in their shoes. What would it be like to live the life of Dolly Parton or another country star?" And now I've seen both sides of the fence. I've been the person that saw it from the outside and thought, "Wow, I wonder what it's like." And now I am the person who's finally living that dream, and I don't feel any different. People say, "I wonder what Dolly Parton does for Christmas." It's the same. I don't think you change as a person. You can never forget where you come from or who you are or what you stand for. I feel like I've been very grounded throughout the whole process. I still feel like the same girl that used to get up at 6 o'clock and go to Sonic and roller-skate burgers out. It's just a different job, but I'm still the same person. We all put our pants on the same way. It's not hard. It's not hard to be yourself. It's so much easier to be yourself than try to be someone you're not. It's really easy for me.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Nov 21, 2006 20:47:52 GMT -5
Here's her Bio. its a really good one so i figured I'd post.
KELLIE PICKLER Small Town Girl
Just two weeks before the release of her debut album, Small Town Girl, Kellie Pickler was still unpacking boxes in the decidedly uptown condominium she had leased in Nashville, her new hometown. “I came across photos from when I went to audition for American Idol, when I was standing in line with all those thousands of people in Greensboro. I just started crying. I couldn’t believe how things had changed in a year, and how unreal it seemed to be where I am.”
The journey that took Kellie Pickler where she came from to where she is today is one of beating the odds, digging down deep, holding onto dreams, and testimony to the enduring power one person’s love can have. Even before she made it to the finals of the fifth season of one of the most influential televised talent shows ever, signed a contract with 19 Recordings/BNA Records, criss-crossed the country with the American Idols Live! Tour 2006, Pickler has triumphed over what could have easily been her destiny. “There’s a difference in running from your problems and overcoming them.” Kellie’s somewhat twisted fairy tale begins at the Stanly Memorial Hospital on June 28th 1986, in Albemarle, North Carolina, a small town 45 minutes from Charlotte. When her parents split up and her mom left, Clyde “Bo” Pickler, Jr. he was left with a two year old baby girl. When he was drinking or doing drugs, she lived with her grandparents, Faye and Clyde Pickler, Sr. He was an electrician, and worked long hours. Her grandmother, stricken with arthritis, became the one person Kellie could count on, My Angel as she would years later immortalize her in the song she wrote with Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey.
“My grandmother and I would bake cakes, plant flowers in the spring and bulbs in the fall. She loved daffodils, and they are my favorite flower too, they are so sunny and cheerful. She had a collection of children’s books, and one of those was a songbook. We would sit on the swing on the front porch, and I would just sing my heart out. Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Grace. I loved to sing. When I was a little older, my grandparents bought me a little boom box, and I sang along with LeAnn Rimes, Shania, Faith, Tammy Wynette, and especially Dolly Parton. I have always loved Dolly Parton, I felt like we had something in common. We both came from nothing, and had big, big dreams.”
If grinding poverty was Dolly’s cross to bear as a child, then being a motherless child and a father who was in and out of prison was Kellie’s. “I’ve seen my whole family struggle—with money, with relationships, with alcohol, and I thought there must be a better way. I wasn’t sure how I would get out, but I knew I would.” In school, she dove into every activity that would put her in the spotlight---gymnastics, drama, varsity cheerleader. “I’ve always been comfortable in front of people. I’ve always been the joker, the class clown. Music and laughter is how I dealt with everything. I’d rather laugh about it than cry about it.” But, her grandmother’s death when she was a sophomore in high school left a void in her life and a hole in her heart that has yet to heal. “Of all the things I have been through in my life, the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through is the loss of my grandmother. She was always there for me, and then she was gone.” Kellie, living with grandfather Clyde, and searching for a way out, entered a local beauty pageant, hoping to win scholarship money to continue her education after graduating high school. “My talent was singing, of course. I sang Broken Wing. Kellie won the pageant. She had her tuition paid to Stanly Community College, where she enrolled in the School of Cosmetology. It was not a good fit, to say the least. “I hated it. I was miserable, being in the classroom everyday, four walls could not hold me in. I was only lacking a few hours when I quit. I went to take a paralegal course instead, ‘because I felt like I knew a lot about the law thanks to my family history. But I wanted more.”
Friends alerted Kellie’s attention to the 5th season of American Idol. “They announced they would hold auditions in Greensboro, North Carolina. So my grandpa Ken and I loaded up and off we went. It was an adventure.”
For Kellie, and thousands more. “You would get a wrist band, and wait. I saw all those people there, and said, ‘Grandpa, let’s just go, they’re never gonna give me a second look. What do I have that these other 10,000 people don’t?” He said, “Sit down Kellie, we’re here now, what do you have to lose?” As it turned out, she had everything to gain. She zipped through the initial phase of auditions---three rounds before she ever got to Paula, Randy and Simon. “By then, the American Idol people knew me pretty well, they knew my story. So I had nothing to hide about my background. All I had to do was sing. I did Since You’ve Been Gone and then about 20 seconds of Broken Wing and the next thing you know, I was going to Hollywood!”
The flight to Hollywood was Pickler’s first time on a plane, and her feet barely hit the ground when she was off and running. “The first week, we call it Hollywood Week, was scary. They were sending a few people home every day. Then there was the top 24, and then when they cut that down to the top 12, we moved into the apartment.” Kellie’s vibrant vocals, boundless energy, bubbly personality and refreshing honesty not only won over the judges, but endeared her to viewers as well, and she made it all the way to the top six, before being voted off the show. The next week, I was in New York doing all kinds of press, then I flew to Nashville to meet with [BNA label head] Joe Galante and signed a record deal. The tour started and in between shows, I was recording my album. It was a whirlwind.” Kellie found a creative partner with producer Blake Chancey who has also worked with The Dixie Chicks, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Jim Lauderdale to name a few. She was also, for the first time, writing songs. “I had tried to do it before, but I couldn’t figure it out. I was making it much more complicated than it needed to be. Then they put me with Aimee Mayo, and it all came together. She and I are on the same path when it comes to songwriting, and she was such a gift to me. She helped me write what I wanted to say.” The results are co-writer credit on five of the album’s 11 songs, including the title cut, and the first single, Red High Heels. The two most poignant and deeply personal songs are I Wonder and My Angel, written about her mother and her grandmother, respectively. “I Wonder was really hard for me to record,” says Kellie, tears welling in her hazel eyes at the memory. “I cried and cried every time I tried. I couldn’t do it. Finally, I called Mandisa (another Idol contestant) and she prayed with me on the phone. Then I went back in the studio and did it.”
My Angel, on the other hand, blossoms with love for the woman who planted more than flowers with her beloved grand daughter; she seeded her dream as well. “I dedicated the album to my grandmother, and wanted that song to close the record,” says Kellie, her smile lighting her face.
With Kellie’s own dreams taking root, she reflects on her past and finds strength and inspiration. “What I’ve learned the last year is that no dream is too big. You can let things bring you down or you can use them to make you stronger. I used everything that happened to me as fuel to get me where I am today. You can’t give up on your dreams ‘cause sometimes, that’s all you have. You should always give yourself the benefit of the doubt.”
|
|
|
Post by soapfan94 on Jan 7, 2007 3:02:50 GMT -5
Kellie fan here, I voted for her all the way!
Thanks for the info!
|
|
|
Post by tarraza on Jan 14, 2007 16:11:05 GMT -5
Another Kellie fan! Thanks for posting all those great articles!
|
|
|
Post by garis on Jan 18, 2007 12:53:13 GMT -5
I didn't watch Kellie on Idol but I've seen her since and I like her. She's very talented and so down to earth. She was on The View today and I thought she did a great job.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Feb 9, 2007 3:10:20 GMT -5
She did AMAZING on the view recently. I give her a lot of credit for singing a song so emotional for her. That took alot of courage to not only write about one of the most painful experiences in her life but to sing it for millions of people. I didn't blame her for breaking down at all. I know I would have. I am so glad they picked that song for the next single though. It's the best one on the album and alot of people are going to be able to relate to it.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Feb 9, 2007 3:15:59 GMT -5
Aw so did I. I was one of those people who voted until my fingers were numb. lol. And I cried when she left the show prematurely. So neeless to say, I am really happy that things are going so well for her. She really deserves all the sucess she's found. Like someone said, she's not only a great singer but she's a good person. That is so rare in the buisness these days. And she should be very proud of herself for remaining true to who she is, despite the pressure. I know I am....as I am defintly one of her biggest fans. She is truly an inspiration to me.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Feb 9, 2007 3:20:49 GMT -5
No Problem. I'm glad you enjoyed them. As one of Kellie's biggest fans, I'm always on her fan sites so I'm constantly finding out new information on her. I will try to post it when I get it. She's such a sweetheart.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Feb 9, 2007 3:26:54 GMT -5
Aw I'm glad to know that people are liking her who didn't watch the show. Kellie is the sweetest person and she is really , as you say, down to earth. One of the things I like about her is that she's real. She never pretends to be anything other then what she is and I respect that. She took alot of heat for that on the show but she also won alot of hearts along the way because of it. She's just one of those rare talents that you know right away that she's gonna be a superstar... and she is, in my book.
|
|
|
Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Feb 9, 2007 3:30:54 GMT -5
Kellie was voted the most successful new country artist for 2006 and will be going on tour with Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Jack Ingrim starting at the end of april. She is also nominated for a CMT award for breakout video of the year so if you want to support Kellie then go over to www.cmt.com
|
|