Jena Irene of Farmington Hills drives it to the ‘Idol’ top five
FYI
• Jena Irene
• Farmington High School, • 12th grade
• 8-10 p.m. ET Wednesday performances
• 9-9:30 p.m. ET Thursday results
• Fox (WJBK-Channel 2 in Detroit)
• Vote for Jena Irene: 1 (855) 4 IDOL 08
• Onlinewww.americanidol.com/vote
This was the best week ever for Jena Irene of Farmington Hills. Not only did America vote her into the top five in the “American Idol” competition, Wednesday was designated Jena Irene Auciutto Day in Oakland County.
County Executive L. Brooks Patterson honored the 17-year-old North Farmington High School senior, asking the county’s 1.2 million residents to watch the Fox program and vote for her. Apparently, they did.
This week the remaining six “Idol” finalists each performed two songs and the week’s theme was Country and Rock ’n’ Roll. For her rock song, Jena Irene chose to sing Heart’s “Barracuda” as the show opener. Judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. loved it.
“This is the perfect song for you,” Urban said. “You set the bar high with a killer performance.”
Connick praised her voice and encouraged her to break loose on stage and engage the audience. Lopez agreed, adding, “Those are the little things that will help you win.”
When show host Ryan Seacrest pressed Lopez about her comment, Lopez smiled and said Irene did things last week that made a difference, adding, “She could win.
Irene beamed.
Showing her country side, Irene returned later in the show to sing 2005 “Idol” contestant Carrie Underwood’s hit “So Small” with her big, strong voice. The judges were split.
“You are everything ‘Idol’ is all about,” Urban gushed. “You get better and better.”
While Lopez said Irene’s performance gave her goose bumps, Connick said it didn’t work for him — but he noted it probably doesn’t matter because she is popular with viewers.
C.J. Harris from Jasper, Ala., received the lowest number of votes this week, and was sent home from the competition Thursday night.
In an interview with The Oakland Press, Irene shared her strategy.
“Singing two completely different songs is a test to see how we do outside our comfort zone,” she said. “My goal is to show people I can be very diverse.”
She explained that her challenge with “Barracuda” and “So Small” was to create the same feel as the original, but put her musical signature on it — what Lopez called “Jena-fy” it.
“I create the arrangement on Friday (each week) with the help of (Musical Director) Rickey Minor, the band and vocal coaches,” Irene said. “We all put in our ideas. I couldn’t do it alone.”
Describing her voice as “intense and dark,” Irene said having voice coach Randy Jackson call her “the one to beat” is an honor, but fleeting.
“The title (of) front-runner will only last a moment,” she said. “You can screw up and it will affect everything.”
Oakland County’s other contestant this season, 16-year-old Malaya Watson of Southfield, was eliminated from the competition two weeks ago. Her departure, along with contestant Sam Woolf’s turning 18, left Irene as the only minor left in the competition. Woolf was born and raised in West Bloomfield before moving to Florida, where he lives with his grandparents.
Being a minor means Irene is the only finalist who must attend school with a tutor for three hours a day and have a parent live with her.
“My mom and I have been here for two months now, and I am living in my own little bubble,” she said. Although contestants are feeling mounting pressure, “I can’t let all that sink in, so I just think about what I am doing at that moment. I am afraid to let it all sink in.”
Irene said she hopes to see Watson when she returns to Michigan for what the show calls “Home Stories.” The remaining finalists will soon visit home briefly with a producer so viewers can learn more about their lives back home. Irene says she is anxious to see all of her friends, although the visit will be brief before it’s back to the “Idol” stage.
