Melissa's Reader Digest Interview

[Stranger Danger]

[URL=http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2005/10/idol_interview.php]http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2005/10/idol_interview.php[/URL]

Interview With an Idol

BY LINE ABRAHAMIAN
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After months of gruelling auditions, Calgary’s Melissa O'Neil, the 17-year-old high school student-daycare worker-rugby player-Les Misérables fanatic snagged the majority of the 3.65 million votes cast following Tuesday night’s final performance to become Canada’s first female Canadian Idol, beating out Newfoundland’s Rex Goudie. Not bad for a girl who started singing only a year and a half ago and auditioned for Canadian Idol on a whim, fresh off a basketball court. Here, in an interview peppered with “awesome” and “super”—words reserved for peppy teenagers—the girl who impersonated Sporty Spice as a kid talks to us about her win, Rex and what she misses the most about life pre-Idol.

RD: How much sleep did you get on Wednesday night, after you won Canadian Idol?

O’Neil: The night after the finale, we had a wrap party. Rex and I didn’t get back to the Canadian Idol house till about 4:30 a.m., and we went straight to sleep. We had interviews the next day and had to be up at 6 a.m., so we got about an hour and a half of sleep. It was awesome!

RD: What has been the strangest thing that has happened to you since you won Canadian Idol?

O’Neil: The strangest thing happened today actually. These two ladies from housekeeping at the hotel I’m staying at came to my room and asked for my autograph. And then afterwards they wanted to take a picture and I looked bad! And then they made my bed. [Laughs.]

RD: After your Tuesday night performance, did you get a sense that you might have won the competition?

O’Neil: No, not at all. One thing that everyone in the Top 10 learned really quickly was that at results shows, you can never, ever expect anything. And the second you think that something is going to happen, it totally doesn’t. After the performance show, there was so much going on. For the finale, Rex and I had so many numbers to do and so many costume changes, there was no time to even think, Maybe I won.

RD: What was going through your mind right before Ben announced the winner?

O’Neil: Rex was holding my hand really, really tight, and I was just thinking about how tight he was holding it. [Laughs.] And about how happy I was that it was Rex with me up there.

RD: And what was the first thought that popped into your head after Ben called out your name as the winner?

O’Neil: I have to sing! [Laughs.] That’s exactly what I thought, Okay, I have to start singing now.

RD: What did you and Rex tell each other when he was hugging you?

O’Neil: Rex kept telling me how proud he was of me…and I was completely incoherent! I don’t remember what I said to him, I was probably just babbling. You could not understand a word I was saying after Ben made the announcement.

RD: You seemed pretty composed, though.

O’Neil: You know what, it takes a lot to get me superexcited or superstressed. And anything that gets me really excited usually has to with my family; anything that gets me stressed out, usually has to do with my family. It’s a stepping stone, for sure, but it was like one huge, long job interview for the whole summer. I don’t have the job yet. I have to work!

RD: Was there any time after that that you broke down and cried?

O’Neil: No, no, I have no reason to cry! And this whole season, there had been a lot of crying, so maybe I was just cried out.

RD: Do you remember where you were last year when Kalan Porter was crowned Canadian Idol?

O’Neil: I had never watched an Idol show before. This was my first year watching…because I was part of it. [Laughs.]

RD: What specifically will you miss the most about living in the Canadian Idol house?

O’Neil: When it was all the Top 10 living in the house, the first week, all the girls went to bed really early for their beauty sleep, and it was always Aaron (Walpole), Rex and I who were staying up superlate, watching movies and stuff, and I’ll definitely miss that the most. It was awesome!

RD: You still have one more year of high school left. What will happen now?

O’Neil: I will be moving to Toronto and will finish high school through correspondence and a tutor.

RD: Will you miss your prom?

O’Neil: If I’m touring and I happen to miss my prom, that’s okay. It’s something you don’t want to miss, but I’ve never been a person to go out to school dances anyway. [Laughs.] I’ll definitely be there for the graduation ceremony—walking the stage to get my diploma is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I won’t be missing that. But the dance and the dresses and the dates, I can live without that. There’s so much drama that goes along with that. You have to spend the whole day primping—that’s a long day! I wouldn’t miss it if I didn’t go.

RD: What kind of student are you?

O’Neil: My parents want my average to be over 90, but it usually ends up only around 88. But after I hit Grade 11, 90 was just really hard to do. But my parents make sure that I know that school is really important and that my academic work comes before my extracurricular activities.

RD: What are your favourite and worst subjects?

O’Neil: My absolute favourite subjects would be biology, gym and drama. My least favourite is chemistry! I loathe chemistry. My average in chemistry was 70-something; it was horrible!

RD: What kind of kids did you hang out with?

O’Neil: I’m a total Gemini, I flit from group to group. I’m your typical over-achiever; I do so much at school that I rarely have time for anything else. So when everybody goes out and parties, or just hangs out, I don’t, because I just don’t have time for it. So I’m not one of the cool kids, I can say that straight up!

RD: That might change now.

O’Neil: Actually, it’s funny because there are kids calling me from my junior high years whom I barely remember. They’ll be like, “Hi, Melissa, remember me?” and I don’t. And it’s so strange, because I’m saying, “How did you get my cell number?” [Laughs.]

RD: And now you’re getting all this attention from male fans?

O’Neil: Not really. [Laughs.] And if I am, I’m not noticing it at all. It’s incredibly flattering if you get attention, but the thing is, I’m going to be so busy in these upcoming months—I’m releasing a CD and then I’m going on tour and singing. There’s not going to be any time to have a relationship or date. And besides, it’s not one of my top concerns at the moment.

RD: Where were you when you heard your song on the radio for the first time?

O’Neil: I was on my way to an interview in a car. It was on Thursday morning. I have a digital camera, and throughout the whole competition, I’ve been taking videos of the special moments for my mom to see at home because she’s not here to share them with me, right? So when my song came on, I took out my digital camera and was like, “Okay, Mom, this is me listening to my single on the radio for the first time.” It was so cool hearing my song on the radio. In fact, in Calgary, there’s this really popular radio station called Live 98.5 and they have this Battle of the Beats every night, and I beat 50 Cent and Kanye West! It was pretty awesome!

RD: What’s going on back home? Is your little brother stuck doing your chores and stuff?

O’Neil: [Laughs.] I have an amazing network of supporters back home. Because my friends know that my mom has to work a lot to support us and my brother has homework—he’s in Grade 4—they have been going to my house and cutting the lawn and helping out. I have quality people around my family and me, it’s really great! But when I do go back home, my mom is going to be like, “I don’t care if you’re the Canadian Idol, do the dishes!” [Laughs.]

RD: What has hit you the most about your new lifestyle?

O’Neil: The one thing that I’m not dealing with that well is not having home-cooked meals. I miss my mom’s cooking very much. What do I eat now? [Laughs.] Actually, we’re about to eat at McDonald’s.

RD: What surprised you about yourself in this competition?

O’Neil: I didn’t know that I could get along with so many people. Usually, I’m very guarded when meeting new people. But I’ve gotten a lot better about that. I’m more accepting of who people are, I’m more trusting, and it’s great!

[lindberg122]

thanks for posting that it was a really good interview.

[melissasmyidol]

thanks for posting that interview!

[Stranger Danger]

Originally posted by melissasmyidol
thanks for posting that interview!

no problem

[hookedonci]

But when I do go back home, my mom is going to be like, “I don’t care if you’re the Canadian Idol, do the dishes!” [Laughs.]

[melissasmyidol]

does any1 know when her bday is...i kno shes a gemini, but whats the actual date?

[jayne]

Originally posted by melissasmyidol
does any1 know when her bday is...i kno shes a gemini, but whats the actual date?

I think it's on July, not sure.

[melissasmyidol]

its soo hard to find a straight answer!! some ppl say june, others july! y dont they put this stuff on the melissa bio??

[Mulch]

Is that/has that article been in Reader's Digest magazine?

[rockonidols]

Thank you for the Melissa O Neil interview, Stranger Danger...

It`s good to know that Melissa is doing fine in BIG T.O.

The City that works at Jet speed....

[melissasmyidol]

okay, i live like 45 mins. from T.O. and i've only heard mel's song twice! the second time i didnt even hear the whole think, just like 20 sec of it!!!

[rockonidols]

I hear Melissa everyday on radio and TV...

[melissasmyidol]

Originally posted by rockonidols
I hear Melissa everyday on radio and TV...

how have u seen her on TV??? does she have a music video for Alive already?? what radio station do u listen to??

[rockonidols]

Originally posted by melissasmyidol
how have u seen her on TV??? does she have a music video for Alive already?? what radio station do u listen to??

I hear her sing on CTV when her promo is on, which is everyday,and she is on all the GTA radio stations....


Her song Alive is #1 ...


Does anyone know how many CD`s sold so far #1 means ?

[melissasmyidol]

Originally posted by rockonidols
I hear her sing on CTV when her promo is on, which is everyday,and she is on all the GTA radio stations....


Her song Alive is #1 ...


Does anyone know how many CD`s sold so far #1 means ?

GTA as in greater toronto area?? cause if so..i live just outside of TO and i've heard her song once! and ive never seen her promo video!! wow...im outa it!!!