Jaydee Bixby and I had a great conversation back at the Idol Mansion during Top 10 week and it was fun getting a chance to really talk to him at last week’s Idol rehearsal. Bixby shed some light on whether he feels his age is an advantage or disadvantage on the competition, talked about his strategy for the upcoming Viewer’s Choice episode and discussed whether or not he feels he can win. Over the last few weeks, I think that he has been the best in the competition and I would not be surprised if this is my first discussion with your next Canadian Idol.
Murtz Jaffer: You have been one of the favorites to win the competition from the Top 22 stage. The question that everybody asks is, ‘man, he’s so young… how does he manage to do it?’ How do you attribute your age in the competition. Is it a benefit or a detriment?
Jaydee Bixby: I don’t know what “detriment” means!
MJ: (Laughs). Advantage or disadvantage?
JB: (Laughs). Being young obviously, people look at my talent as a little more like ‘wow, he’s only had this many years to get it to where it is. So that’s definitely a positive thing for it. Anything that’s negative, I guess is ‘oh he can’t put enough feeling into the song. He hasn’t had enough life experience and emotions and stuff.’ For 16, I have had a girlfriend or two. I have had my heart torn out and put back in.
MJ: (Laughs).
JB: From what I have seen in my short life on this earth, is it’s enough for the songs that I sing. It’s definitely a huge positive contributor for me moving forward into this contest.
MJ: Well, just like you said about the girlfriends breaking your heart, they told you last week when you sang “I Want To Break Free” that you don’t know the meaning of the song but obviously you do right?
JB: It was so hard ’cause I talked about this with Byrd. I said ‘yeah, this is going to be a good song right?’ “I Want To Break Free.” Walked out, walked down those steps and the little girl to the left of me (her name is Jaycee by the way, I talked to her after the show, she’s a sweetie). I looked down and I gave her a little tickle on the arm and how could I not smile at that?
MJ: Right, because you started in the middle of the audience for that song right?
JB: Yeah. I looked back and I didn’t think it looked weird. If I was singing some sort of Swedish Death Metal song, it would look weird. The judges criticize me for smiling through unnecessary parts but when I walked out and saw that little girl holding up the ‘Jaydee Sign.’ I couldn’t. She’s such a sweetie. Big ‘ol smiley cheeks. Gave her a little tickle on the arm. Seeing that was just the highlight of that performance, I have to say. It would have been cool to talk to her after the show but she came back in the autograph line and she was just really happy.
MJ: One of the questions that I wanted to ask you about was when people say that ‘Jaydee sounds amazing but every song sort of sounds country, so he should switch things up’ but I don’t agree with it because you haven’t even been in the bottom 3 yet so why would you switch when it is obviously working for you?
JB: It’s ’cause it’s what I am going to be doing on the show. I want to make a CD of it. Like “I Want To Break Free?” That was probably my hardest-choice song because I had never really listened to Queen. You knew the “We Will Rock You” because of basketball games at school and stuff, but I picked that song just ’cause on the forums and stuff, everybody was saying that he’s doing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
MJ: Everybody said that!
JB: I hated that because I really don’t like that song. Every karaoke place that I have been to, I have heard that song. And for “I Want To Break Free,” everybody thought I added in the “baby,” that was part of the song.
MJ: It wasn’t something that you added in.
JB: It wasn’t something that I added in. Some people are saying ‘oh, he’s doing another Elvis thing.’ No way man. That was Freddie (Mercury). He went “baybeee.” Not “baby.”
MJ: The thing is you have never been in the bottom 3 right? So I guess there is no reason for you to change what you are doing right? Why not stick with the country?
JB: That’s one of the biggest things for me. The audience I want to play to, the audience that I want to enjoy my music and will buy it, are the kinds that enjoy country music and are obviously the kind who have more access to a telephone during this competition. I have been very lucky with my fans. They have been very supportive.
MJ: How far in advance do you know what the themes are going to be for each week and can you tell me about how you pick each song?
JB: It’s about, for themes, we can know them far in advance but we usually think about the things maybe a week before or two weeks. And we get like a list of songs that are cleared and right then that’s where you say that if there is any song not on the list that you may want cleared. Like for “Make Believe.” It was cleared like an hour before.
MJ: So did you have a back-up plan?
JB: Yeah, I always have a back-up song planned. I was very lucky to have my song cleared. Some people haven’t had their songs cleared ’cause there are some artists. Some artists will clear after Top 10 because they figure that these are the best so they’ll let them do it. Some artists, you have got to do a video and send it to them. And they pick, like ‘okay, this guy is good enough to do the song.’
MJ: Exactly because they don’t want their stuff looking bad right?
JB: Yeah. All that is put into consideration when you are picking a song.
MJ: How many times do you practice before you perform and how do you memorize? I know that if it was me, I would be like reading the lyrics, but I find that a lot of people here like to listen to the song a few times.
JB: For me, that’s how I have always ever learned songs. Singing along with them on the radio. On the CD that I am listening to and just getting into the song. That’s the difference between a musician and sort of like a concert musician. Somebody who can play and read music but when you take the music away, they don’t know. I don’t need that happening to me so that’s how I learned my guitar. My dad taught me. It’s better to be able to hear it. We have workshop days, like the one you had the chance to come and see. Whenever we have workshop days, those are our days to practice. Songs that I have picked, I am usually just going through my setlist with the band.
MJ: Are you looking forward to playing an instrument on the show again?
JB: I already did it. I already played an instrument for “I Got A Woman.” It’s really been with availability with what songs. Like we got Standards coming up. I can’t play for that because it’s orchestras and fancy stuff. Definitely how they have the judges choice or you have your favorite (like pick one off the internet), I’ll make sure that all the songs that I can put on, I can play.
MJ: Nice.
JB: So I always got the guitar.
MJ: You always seem ready on Monday. Is it hard for you to ever memorize? You seem like somebody who can just hear it once and you got it?
JB: For me, Monday is sort of a weird day. Because I sort of act silly and have fun. Before I go out into the audience, I see the show. I look at Rick the camera guy, he lets me look in and I can zoom in to anybody’s nose. I zoom in on my mom and dad and I see them sitting there.
MJ: And that doesn’t make you nervous?
JB: No, once I see my mom and dad there… I am a little on edge before but once I see them there, it’s just phew.
MJ: So they take a lot of time off to be here all the way from Alberta right? I have seen you dad almost at every show that I have been to.
JB: My dad’s retired so that’s been very lucky for me and I have got a younger sister so she’s getting passed around to all the relatives but she’s been having a good time. She’s already been up to see a couple of shows and my mom’s business is situated all over the world and there is a main office here and she can come and do work here. We have been very lucky. It sorts of feels like we live here now. Just from walking around the city.
MJ: I can see you’re a little more Toronto now too! Definitely a change.
JB: I just got a haircut today! It’s different alright. I am sort of meeting them halfway. What the judges said, they don’t want too much country or whatever. So I can look city.
MJ: City slicker.
JB: “But I ain’t ne’er gunna change how I speak here.”
MJ: I think that what a lot of people don’t get to see is all these great people behind-the-scenes that help you with every performance. There’s obviously Byrd who helps with the actual singing, JD who helps with the staging, and Orin who helps with the arrangement. How important are they in what we see every week?
JB: Without them, this show wouldn’t be a show. Debra Byrd. She doesn’t like to be called Debra first of all. It’s Byrd.
MJ: That was the first thing she said to me to right when I met her!
JB: She’s such an easygoing, lovable… and she genuinely cares about you. Right after, she’s like “how did you feel about that performance?” She just makes you feel like whatever you do, Canada’s going to love it. It’s nice to have that confidence. Most of the confidence I have to say (and speaking for all of us) is ’cause of what Debra… I mean Byrd (I have never called her Debra before!) does for us. Having JD there, I am used to having that tap on your back… that’s when you go out. Let me get started on Orin. He’s just the grooviest funkiest cool dude. My favorite thing is at the of every show, when he plays that solo (starts playing air guitar…) and then he jumps (jumps). It’s so amazing. It’s like he knows us better than we know us. He’s like ‘this is really digging for your style and this would work good.’ We see Marc when it is just the piano, Byrd and I and then the CD’s go over to Orin and they make it a production. Marc really gets what we really feel strongly about over to Orin, it’s just a phenomenal line of things to do and it works out really well.
MJ: Since you have never been in the bottom 3, I would consider you to be the favorite in the competition. Do you look at it that way or do you see it as just luck.
JB: I have been very very lucky and very very grateful for not being able to experience that, because I have seen people go in there and it shakes you up a lot. I feel so much for those guys who have been in it and I applaud them for going out there and being able to perform and sing. They bring it. In a way, I am sort of wishing that I could go in there to feel it. Greg, he got put in it and never even had a chance to…
MJ: And Tara, the same thing.
JB: My mom always said things happen in three’s.
MJ: (Laughs).
JB: I made it to Top 5 and that was my waterbreaker initial goal and I am very very comfortable with where I am. No matter what happens, I just made it to Top 5 and I am happy. I am not going to get bugged in school ’cause I was always bugged for being the Elvis kid, the nerd. ‘Why do you listen to Elvis, he’s dead?’ I have heard that from teachers. I have heard that from peers and students alike. People at work.
MJ: And even here.
JB: Here, I get a lot of criticism and it has worked for me and I am not going to change. In my mind, I have no reason or no belief that I am going to be the next Elvis, the next what have you be. I enjoy Elvis’ music and I like to sing it because it makes me feel good and I believe that is going to come across in my performances and that’s fine. If they say “Elvis is dead, he sucks.” Well, look at him. Can you walk into a room and say “do you know who Elvis Presley is?” It doesn’t matter what language, what country. Elvis Presley. He’s known. He’s the king of rock and roll. Always will be the king. Maybe I can be Prince or something.
MJ: (Laughs). Okay, so we have a few guys left in the competition. Odds are that is that a guy is win. Do you think that you are going to be the Canadian Idol?
JB: That’s what my mom and I talked about. We sit and have conversations. It’s weird because just yesterday, I was sitting in class worrying about my final test. I gotta pass this and math isn’t my strong suit. I got a chance and talked to my mom and laid things out. I still can’t believe I got Top 22. I am still getting over that. She just said, “no matter what happens, you will succeed in whatever you do.” Necessarily, #1 isn’t always the best thing. Whoever wins, I applaud them for it. Congratulations. I have gotten a chance to know these people. Either way, I get to say I won or I know the winner. It’s a win-win situation being right where I am right now. No matter what happens, it should be cool.
MJ: That’s perfect, thank you so much.
JB: Thank you.
