Whoa! There isn’t a question that eliminated Idol contestant, Siobhan Magnus can’t answer, in a very detailed fashion! In her conference call with reporters today, Siobhan discussed her fellow Idols (she was closest to Lee), being an individual, on Adam Lambert as mentor, on developing “the scream” and her big ideas for the future. Siobhan wants to do it all–theater, film and music, for “whoever wants to hear me scream”…
UPDATE: Added a slew satellite interviews with FOX TV stations
What were her thoughts on Adam Lambert as a mentor, as some people are comparing her vocals and style to him, “It was wicked flattering being compared to him. Right off the bat, I respect him so much for his individuality and his confidence and his stage presence is tremendous. It’s undeniable that he’s born to do what he’s doing. He was extremely helpful as a mentor because he was the first mentor the show ever had that was a past contestant. So he knew firsthand what it was like to be in our shoes. He was very sensitive to that—he knew just what to say, and the things he said were so dead on. I really tried to absorb every single thing he said, every moment that I had with him. He pointed out some great things—not just about technically singing the right note—but about the entire performance. Your presence on the stage, and your motions and things can make it more believable. I was just so honored to get to have that time with him and was such a kind person that he made it that much easier and less scary. I’m so honored to have met him, to have shared an experience with him and to be given advice from him. I hope to see him again soon. He’s a great guy.”
More after the JUMP…
Which of her competitors has she admired for the way they responded to the pressure, and on Mike Lynche’s save, “I think every single contestant is extremely respectful. I love them all dearly. When Mike saved himself a couple of weeks ago, and when the judges save was still available, and he knew at that moment he had to sing for his life, and he couldn’t have done a better job. That was just amazing. I couldn’t think of a better person for them to have used the save on. Because of the shock that it would have been him. Every person has their own personal struggle. Michael and Crystal being apart from their baby—I’ve witnessed firsthand how hard that is for them. The respect I have for Aaron for being his age and going through this is just tremendous. I can’t even imagine do this when I was 16 going on 17, and then he has to go to school every day too, and he has homework on top of it all. He’s just such an amazing kid, with such an incredible talent. Lee is incredible and he’s a brilliant musician. And Casey, he won’t back down about putting down his guitar because that who he is. They’re all just so ambitious and strong and intelligent, and I adore them all.”
Is she disappointed she couldn’t be saved? “No, not at all because I couldn’t imagine it not being used on Mike. That was so shocking that there was the chance of him going home that week. I think we all knew when it was announced, ‘They have to save him, there’s no way he should be going home’. It would have been cool if that didn’t have to happen. I have faith that everything happens for a reason. I couldn’t be luckier to be where am at, to have gotten this far. I love Mike to death. It’s awesome that he’s still in it.”
What happened after her elimination once the cameras were off? “It was hard to get to talking about it, and it starts to sink in. I’m just going to miss a lot of it. I’m going to miss all the people, the amazing people, who run the show and everybody behind the scenes who doesn’t get as much credit as they should. It’s a whole family of people who work so hard every single day. I’ll miss them all very much.”
Who does she think is most likely to win? “It’s so hard to say because each person is so unique and extremely talented and I know the last thing you want to hear is ‘Oh I don’t know it could be anybody.’ But, it heavily depends on the coming themes and sometimes some people are more comfortable with one thing. All the contestants have such an incredible ability to make the songs their own, and I have faith in all of them, and I think they all deserve to be there. Whoever it is that comes out on top, it’ll be for the right reasons and because of those skills. I love them all dearly, and I couldn’t even tell you, because this whole thing has been so unpredictable and such a crazy journey. I can honestly picture any one of them the winner at this time.”
On developing “the scream”, “I’m pretty sure I figured out how to do that in the shower in high school one night. I’m an avid shower singer much to the dismay of my family and my neighbors. I was singing a Kelly Clarkson song, and I went to hit one note and I was able to resonate it in a different part of my head, that I could belt it that high. Ever since I figured it out I stared to use it more and more with different stuff. In school choirs, and in my band, and it became very useful with the style of singing that I like to do. At a particular time it came in handy, I was singing with my friend’s band and we did ‘Great Gig in the Sky’ by Pink Floyd. I had a blast just wailing on those huge notes in a battle of the bands, and we won. One of my favorite singers of all time is Janis Joplin. I learned very much through imitation. When I want to hear a singer that I love, I would try and emulate that, that kind of added up into the way I sing today.”
What did people say to her on the stage after she was eliminated, “It was hard because we’re all so close, and, they’re all such cool honest people. We got to talk afterwards and they said ‘We’ll miss your personality and you’re sense of humor’ I tried to just bring comedy into every day, it helps us all get through. I am especially close with Lee. He’s such a great person, and we formed such an amazing friendship—as I did with every contestant—Lee in particular. We clicked, and I was so glad to have him there. They’re all extremely encouraging. We have this special bond and we know that this isn’t the end, by any means for any of us, and that we will be friends forever. It’s inevitable, just because of what we’ve shared together. I can’t wait to see them again. I miss them already. “
What would she say to people who are disappointed that she’s out, “I would say not to worry because this is the end of one thing and it’s the beginning of a new thing, and I have so many big ideas and things that I hope to come in the future, that I probably wouldn’t have gotten a chance to do without this experience, and I’m so grateful for the entire thing. Hopefully this will just be a gateway to all the other things that I’m inspired to do.”
What are some her big ideas? “One thing is that I’d love–to do some more theater. I love acting, and I’ve had a lot of experience in different kinds of theater—musicals and Shakespeare and I love acting. I do aspire to someday be in something like ‘Phantom of the Opera’ or ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’—any kind of opera or Broadway-type musical. I love acting and singing and the two of them together is just so much fun. I also am a huge horror movie fan and definitely aspire to at least make an appearance in a wicked gory kind of horror film, with all the props and the special effects makeup that I’m just so fascinated by. A big dream of mine since all of my brothers and sisters are very artistic too would be to collaborate with all of them. My oldest brother Rory is an extremely talented filmmaker and someday I’d love to be in one of his films and we could all come together and create a ‘Magnus work of art’.”
On admiring Courtney Love of Hole—is that the musical direction she’d like to take? Would it cause nervousness in her fanbase and with record executives? “It easily could. I can understand that being a cause of concern, but my tastes are in no way limited to that style of music. I love every kind of music that moves me, and I hope to be able to create a sound that is my own because it takes from everything that I love. From jazz and soul and R&B and blues to rock and punk and big bands—I love everything. I’ll hopefully eventually be able to create something that is my own sound but that also takes from everything that I ever loved—not just Courtney Love and Rob Zombie (laughs). “
Does she see herself as a role model for being an individual? “It’s definitely something that’s important to me from the beginning, to show people that’s something I care about and I take very seriously. I’ve always been an independent person and a different kind of person, but a very stubborn and strong-willed. It’s very important to me to get that across that I’m not going to change to please other people. I do what I do because it rests well on my heart and who I am. The positive feedback that I’ve received from fans was tremendous. I couldn’t ask for anything better than receiving letters from younger girls who said to me, ‘I get made fun at school because I’m different, but watching you has helped me accept the fact that it’s OK and it’s a good thing to be who I am and not back down just because other people intimidate me’. I’ve received letters where I’ve been brought to tears just because I achieved something that has been a goal of mine for so long—to be able to influence the lives of, especially, young girls in a positive way—just to show them that who you are on the inside is a beautiful thing and you shouldn’t let anyone take that away from you because we’re all perfectly made as who we are. To be able to have that connection with fans through this whole experience, and know that I’ve reached people—even if it was just one person—that’s what I’m here for. I’m just so honored.”
How did her boyfriend help her through her Idol journey, “He’s been great this whole time. There’s a kind of pressure on him throughout this that a lot of people don’t recognize. Him being able to be strong while we’re apart has been extremely helpful. I knew that I could call him every night and vent about whatever happened that day, or if I was really happy or I was really sad, he was in it with me even though we were 2000 miles apart. He definitely played a huge role in getting me through all this.”
How will she celebrate her homecoming with her family and her boyfriend? “I can’t wait to see everybody. I’m sure we’ll have a big family dinner. Family dinner for us means we have 30 people sitting down to dinner, and babies and people of all ages. I can’t wait to see my cat, give her a big kiss, and my dog. It’ll be great.”
More on her glass blowing apprenticeship on Cape Cod and has it helped develop her voice, “I started working in the glass shop about 3 years ago and It was such an incredible job because you learn so much every day. It’s all chemistry, it’s all science, but it’s happening in your hands. I love that about it. I could sit for hours and watch my boss make the most amazing things, and tell me what he was doing and how he was doing it. If the shop was slow and we didn’t have a lot of customers, he’d have me get on the torch and he’d tell me how to do something. There were times when he’d be working on a huge piece and he’d need me to come over and hold the other end and blow in it, ‘cause he couldn’t reach. I think that glass blowing does require a certain amount of breath control, but it’s not something that you’re pushing really hard, because glass is glass and it’s sensitive. But I’m also very vocal in my job when customers come in and my boss is working on something and he can’t stop and explain, I’ll have to explain for him so I do a lot of talking and have to be comfortable talking to strangers about what’s going on. It might sound silly but, even that’s a big help in, just communicating with people. It gets really loud in the shop, from the vents that are on because it gets so hot, and then my boss will play really loud music to get in the zone (laughs). It’s such a cool job and I miss it a lot. In many ways has helped shape me as a person—my work ethic and my ability to communicate with other people, and just learning about the art, which is fascinating.”
What are some of her favorite rooms to play in Cape Cod? “My favorite place unfortunately isn’t there anymore. It closed just before I left. It was called the black spot, right off of Main Street in Hyannis. This little hole in the wall place—whenever our band would play all our friends would come. It was so small and it was so packed, that people would be out on the sidewalk watching in through the windows. I love that stuff because you’re right there in it with your friends and the people who came to see you. That’s one of the coolest ways to perform. Carrie’s blues bar, which is also right off of Main Street, I’ve played there before and had a blast. I’ve done a ton of shows at Barnstable high school. I’ve missed that so much. I’ve missed the high school plays, and the battle of the bands and doing Shakespeare by the sea at Hyannis Harbor in the summer. I love the [Cape Cod] Melody Tent because it’s such an intimate place. One of the best experiences I ever had in my life was at the Melody tent the first time I got to see Hanson, when I was 14. I’d love to play there some day and have that intimate setting with fans.”
Which Boston area bands are her favs? “I love Drop Kick Murphys, I love their Boston pride, their Red Sox Pride, and my Dad’s wicked into them too. We’ve gone to see them together. And Boston, of course, they’re amazing, Aerosmith—there’s a lot.”
Closing remarks: “Thank you to everyone who ever believed in me, and supported me and even thank you to the people who were naysayers, because that made me fight harder. I have the coolest fans–all the Siobhanbons and Siobhanbies (laughs). It’s been such a wild ride and it’s not over, it’s just a new chapter. I hope to take this as an opportunity to start thinking even more about what’s next for me, which hopefully is going to be an array of things—from theater, to film, to recording and performing all over the place for whoever wants to hear me scream.”
Interview: Fox NY
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