“Anything dealing with children or medical needs is huge to me. I love children, and I see how they shape our future. So anything to help them live longer and enjoy life more, I'm all about,” Doolittle said of the Bound for Glory program. Since her shocking ouster from Idol, Doolittle has been busy. She is completing her first album (due out in the fall), working on a Christmas album, and performing and traveling to Africa as part of President George W. Bush's Malaria No More campaign.
The Defender sat down with the 30-year-old Tennessee native to see how her newfound fame has been treating her.
CD: So are you in Chicago a lot?
MD: I do still live in Tennessee (the Brentwood-Franklin area), but my daddy's with y'all. (laughs) Most of my dad's side is in Aurora and he's in Bloomingdale. So I probably come to Chicago about once or twice a year to visit. I love the culture of Chicago, I just love the feel of it. It's kind of like a laidback New York, which is my kind of thing.
CD: So, what has changed most since you were an Idol contestant?
MD: I think, probably, most drastic is that I haven't found a place I can go where people don't know my name or recognize me. I'm an only child, so I'm used to being to myself. It's been kind of fun because I've met some amazing people in the process, but I'm not used to being camera-ready at all times. (Laughs)
CD: What about meeting guys?
Has being famous helped with that?
MD: Not really. (Laughs.) Schedule
wise, I just kind of run in and out of
places. I do occasionally meet people
but it's pretty quick and to the point.
So I don't know how it will happen,
but I think that's the exciting thing
about it.
CD: What has been your most
memorable experience since leaving
Idol?
MD: Traveling to Africa was huge. The last time I went to Tanzania (for
the Malaria No More campaign), I
was part of the presidential delegation.
I'm looking at the manifest to see
who's going to be on Air Force One,
and I'm seeing our delegation leader
(Secretary of the Interior Dirk
Dempthorne), and former lieutenant
governors and then I see 'Melinda
Doolittle–singer.' And I thought,
'How did I end up here?'
CD: Tell us about your album.
Does it have a name yet?
MD: It's like retro soul with a little
bit of grit added in because my voice
can get a little gritty sometimes. The
producer's name is Mike Mangini.
He's phenomenal.
He's worked with Chaka Khan,
Diana Ross and also on Joss Stone's
first two albums. I didn't write songs
on the album, but I think the songs
themselves are timeless and hopefully
the way I do them is also. I love to
tell a story while I'm singing, so a lot
of the songs tell a fun story or a story
that means something to me.
The album doesn't have a name
yet. We're still coming up with that.
CD: How are you going to deal
with the 'post-Idol slump,' that has
left many contestants--and even winners--with poor record sales and lackluster
careers after leaving the show?
MD: I'm just going to have to
depend on God for that one. I love to
sing and would love to do it for years
to come. But whatever God's perfect
plan is for me, I'll do it. The fact that
right now I'm getting to do what I do
for a living is priceless. I'm learning
to live in that moment and take it as
it comes from here on out.
I think the most important thing is
that the people who get the album
love it. I'm not really into the numbers
of it. I'm trying not to even think
about that part.
CD: And what message is Melinda
Doolittle trying to send out to the
world?
MD: My main goal, I think, is to
be the best representation of Jesus I
can be, whether it's on stage or in
Africa helping out, because I feel like
He's been so good to me, and He's the
reason that I'm here.
Leila Noelliste can be reached via e-mail at lnoelliste@chicagodefender.com.
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Photo credit by Guyna Gee Photography
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