Article sur Paris ‘Not your ordinary soul singer’

[felix]

Citation :Published: February 21, 2006

Entertainment
‘Not your ordinary soul singer’
Rockford native Paris Bennett expects to be ‘American Idol’

By Edith C. Webster
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
>> Click here for more about Edith

Paris Bennett has a singing voice that is mature beyond her years, polished beyond her church choir training and good enough to take her to the finals of the nation’s hottest competition, “American Idol.”

Her speaking voice, on the other hand, sounds young, even for a 5-foot-tall, 17-year-old girl.

She accepts her Betty Boop voice, like the success she’s gained on Fox’s hit reality show, as a blessing.

A Rockford native who now lives in Fayetteville, Ga., Bennett has been all the rage among the “American Idol” judges, entertainment critics and fans, ever since she performed an a capella version of a Dixie Chicks tune.

She has survived elimination rounds and will now compete in Hollywood rounds, where viewers call in to decide who gets cut, who advances and ultimately, who wins the title of “American Idol.”

The title ensures a recording contract and fame, but no matter what happens next, with more than 30 million people watching every episode, Bennett already is a star.

In a phone interview last week from Los Angeles, she told the Register Star how she feels about her unusual voice, the advice show biz performers in her family gave her, and why she hasn’t considered losing.

Question: Did you ever get teased because of your speaking voice?

Answer: No, I never got teased for how I talk. That’s what makes me unique. I’m little, and it goes with my height. My voice is a gift ... It’s just like you see a candy bar, and you open up the package, and it doesn’t look like the outside. The chocolate bar has peanuts and everything inside, but you don’t see that on the outside.

Q: Why did you enter ‘American Idol’?

A: Yeah, my mom and my grandmother are in the music business, but this is something I wanted to do for myself and make my own name, so people could see that you don’t always have to take the easy road. I like to be more competitive.

Q: You looked so genuinely surprised when they told you that you were advancing to the finals. Do you remember how you felt?

A: It’s not every day that people get chosen to be in the top 24 when hundreds of thousands try out. It’s a big blessing. I was very happy, very happy.

Q: Your mother (recording artist Jamecia Bennett) was there with you that night. What was her reaction?

A: Everything you saw on TV, that was reality — crying, that was her first instinct, but they weren’t tears of sadness.

Q: Your mother and your grandmother (Grammy Award-winning artist Ann Nesby) are both performers. Have they given you any advice, or are they just letting you do your own thing?

A: Just to stay humble and just to be me ... just to keep God first, stay humble and have fun.

Q: On publicity for her album, ‘Relationships Between God and Man,’ your mother speaks very openly about how difficult it was for her when she was pregnant with you. Does she ever talk to you about that?

A: Oh, yeah. My mom and I are just 16 years apart, so I’ve had my questions: Why so young? She’s not afraid to talk about it, which is why I give her the most respect. Some parents are like it was a great idea, then you think it’s the right thing to do. For me now, it makes me look at things on a lot more positive note, like, yes, people make mistakes, but look at where she is now. Now, she can look at me, and I don’t have kids. If I did, I would tell her the same thing: Face up to the responsibility you have.

source:
http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 15/ARCHIVE