When I first got to the Rose Bowl, the location where auditions were held, I didn’t know what to expect. Most people were quiet and just waiting for everything to begin. It started at 5 in the morning with a lot of promotional shots that lasted well until 11 am.

After the shots were done the producers began explaining the audition process. There were 12 tents set up in the stadium and we would go in groups of four. They emphasized that personality would be counted just as much as singing skill in these first rounds before seeing the celebrity judges.

Hours passed and a huge line formed to audition in those 12 tents. There were approximately eleven thousand people auditioning that day. It wasn’t required of us to stay in the stadium so I often walked around the outside area to cool off because it was too hot inside.
Outside people rehearsed their songs. Most people sang very quietly but a few sang really loud. It was easy to see who spent the most time practicing and who didn’t. I met a lot of people as well. The people I met were in choir and their voices were really small. I asked them if they’d sing louder once they auditioned and they said “yeah but I’m trying to save my voice” which for some reason sounded a bit weird to me. One girl, though, had a really interesting timber. She sang “Killing me Softly.”

I would say most people sang slow songs but most people that a golden ticket in the first round would dance and have a lot of motion. Also, a lot of people with amazing singing ability did not get through and I’m thinking it’s because they didn’t have a lot of personality (whatever that means.)

The whole experience was worth it. I got to meet a lot of people in which I could compare myself to and I was happy to find out I wasn’t alone. I got really inspired by the people that sang better than me because it’s more apparent what I need to work on. And I got to meet a lot people who are my friends on facebook now.