Between answering phones and scheduling appointments at Jean Paul Salon and Spa in Stuyvesant Plaza, Melissa Sgambelluri is trying to make a career in music, and she may well be on her way, having recently earned a spot on one of the more popular shows on television reality talent contest American Idol.`
Sgambelluri, 24, bested thousands of other singers to earn a chance to compete in Hollywood in November against some of the country’s best young musical talent. The results of that competition have not yet aired.
But her journey to Hollywood began long before she ever stepped on the plane in November.
`Ever since I was a little girl, I sang everything,` said Sgambelluri.
A regular performer around the Capital District, Sgambelluri has opened for former `American Idol` contestant Bo Bice at Northern Lights, and has performed at University at Albany’s Parkfest in 2006 and the Park Playhouse in Washington Park.
Sgambelluri said she was not an avid watcher of `American Idol,` but people were always telling her she should try out.
`I’ll just give it a shot,` she said, `Why not?`
Her first shot at `Idol` fame came at a New Jersey audition in August. She didn’t make it through the preliminary rounds and never even had the chance to step foot in front of judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.
Those who know how talented Sgambelluri is ` including her coworkers at the salon ` knew she needed a second chance.
`We said, ‘No, that’s not acceptable ` she’s got a lot of talent,` said Sgambelluri’s manager, Kelly Wolfe, and they decided to do something about it.
After learning of another audition two weeks later in Memphis, Tenn., the staff at the salon set to work raising money to finance a second chance for Sgambelluri.
Her coworkers raised close to $2,000, and sent Sgambelluri to Memphis to try again ` this time with different results.
When Sgambelluri arrived in Memphis, she joined 16,000 other people who had showed up at the audition with the same dream.
After 13 hours of waiting, Sgambelluri was given 20 seconds to perform in front of the show’s producers, eventually being sent on to see the judges, something she guessed only about 80 of the 16,000 got to do.
Standing there, getting ready to sing in front of three of America’s most famous faces, was a surreal experience, said Sgambelluri.
`Throughout the whole audition, you feel like it wasn’t happening, ` she said.
Sgambelluri said she thinks waiting for several hours might have had a calming effect on her nerves.
`I thought I would be a wreck,` she said, `but I was OK.`
Sgambelluri’s said she listens to a variety of music, from jazz to rhythm and blues, and is influenced by all genres.
`My CD collection is crazy,` she said.
Sgambelluri said she had the chance to sing two songs in front of the judges, since the sarcastic, and sometimes cruel, Simon Cowell, wasn’t overly impressed with Sgambelluri’s first piece, a rendition of Christina Aguilera’s `Ain’t No Other Man.`
Despite Cowell’s disapproval, Abdul asked her to sing again.
For the second song, Sgambelluri said she chose George Gershwin’s `Someone to Watch Over Me,` earning `yes` votes from Abdul and Jackson, making Cowell’s vote moot.
Despite the fact that Cowell disapproved, Sgambelluri said she appreciated his style because he would be rifling through papers, or looking away, making it a `challenge to get him interested.`
After getting the nod of approval, Sgambelluri said, her mind went blank, and she even collided with a locked door on her way out of the audition room, prompting Jackson to inquire if she was all right.
She, of course, was more than all right.
`We made complete fools of ourselves afterward,` she said, of the celebrating she and Wolfe, who joined her for the final part of the tryout, did. `I was so excited to call my parents.`
Wolfe said she too got caught up in the thrill of it.
`It’s 100 percent emotion when they come out with that golden ticket,` said Wolfe.
Eventually, that emotion would take Sgambelluri from the audition room to jumping in a fountain outside the arena ` a clip of which made it on TV during the airing of the Memphis episode.
Out of the 16,000 people who showed up in Memphis, 17 made it to the next level.
So far, Sgambelluri’s preliminary audition hasn’t aired, but she said it’s possible it might show up on the `Rest of the Best` episode on Feb. 7.
In November, Sgambelluri joined more than 100 other contestants in Hollywood to begin filming the show’s Hollywood round, where the field of contestants was narrowed to 24. Sgambelluri knows where she stands, but she’s not allowed to talk about it.
`They pretty much own me for a while,` said Sgambelluri, referring to contracts that contestants are required to sign that prevent from things like public performances and speaking about the results before the show airs.
Not that people don’t try to get that information out of her.
`I have a lot of people taking me to the side, saying ‘You can trust me,’` said Sgambelluri. So far, she’s kept her mouth shut, just as she did until the results of the Memphis auditions were announced.
Not that it kept people from talking.
Sgambelluri said people would come up to her and say, `I heard Simon said you were horrible,` and other rumors and speculation.
All of this made the end result more sweet, she said, when rumors were put to rest by the shot of her in the fountain, celebrating with her golden ticket.
This time around, she will need to carry the secret with her until the finalists are announced Feb. 15. Only she knows if she’s going to need to book a plane ticket back to Hollywood.
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