Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 379 – August 8, 2018

You have a great voice.
Thank you so much.
And a great story.
Lord, the story, Eileen. Where are
we digging in at?
I don’t even know where to start
with you. Let’s start with “Idol.”
“Idol” was a great experience.
I have no negative things to say
about “Idol.” I was the first to hit
both platforms as far as “Sunday
Best” and “Idol.” It was one reality
show after the next.
How did that happen?
Oh, God. I didn’t win for “Sunday’s
Best.” I wasn’t the typical, average
gospel singer. I went against the
grain. My whole thing at the time
was that the Bible doesn’t come
the way we want it to; it says come
as you are. I was working with the
fact that some people don’t have
the money to buy suits and ties and
the fancy dresses with the big hats.
Some just maybe have a t-shirt and
some jeans. So it was basically me
trying to bring people to Christ the
way they are. With that being said,
it was kind of like, that’s the reason
why I felt I didn’t win, because to
the average church person I feel
like gospel singers always end up
being a Mahalia Jackson. It’s always
a plus-size black woman.
That’s kind of true.
It’s the truth. So I didn’t fit the realm
of what they were looking for. So I
went ahead and said, well, I didn’t
win that, so I’ll try out for “American
Idol.” I had tried out for “American
Idol” the same season that Fantasia
won, but I didn’t get picked. So then
I tried out a second time the same
year that I got on “Sunday’s Best.” I
went to audition for “American Idol”
first, and the week after was the
“Sunday Best” audition. I did really
want to get picked for “American
Idol,” but I didn’t the first time, so
the doubt was there. My cousin
told me about “Sunday’s Best,” but
I didn’t really want to do gospel,
because I didn’t want the church
judging me. That fear was already
there, but I went ahead and did it,
because I needed to pay my bills.
When I got there I was the last in
line, and I came out top three on
the show. Then I got to “American
Idol,” and I was first in line, because
I slept outside that night. I didn’t
practice anything that day, because
I knew I had to sing from my heart.
At the time there was a lot going
on for me, because I was dealing
with a bad relationship break up,
dealing with not knowing where my
next meal would come from, the
whole nine yards. So I went ahead,
and the song that came to my heart
was, “What If God Was One of Us.”
That was the song that I sang for the
preliminary round. Once I got past
that, they told me that was one of
Simon’s favorite songs.
It’s got to be really stressful
doing all that.
It is. But to me, I feel like it’s also
a chance to share your gift. A
big percentage of people in the
entertainment business just want
to do it to be famous. For me, it’s
about sharing my voice, sharing my
gift with people, letting them know
if I could do it coming from a little
small town of Joliet, Illinois—which
wasn’t much more than a cornfield—
then anyone can. You’d be shocked,
because Lionel Richie is from the
same town. When you leave from a
town that’s like crabs in a barrel—are
you familiar with that term?