Brooklyn resident and “American Idol” hopeful takes her shot

BUSHWICK — Will a local Brooklynite get the coveted golden ticket?

Twenty-four-year-old singer Meghan Fitton, a Bushwick resident, auditioned for the iconic singing competition show “American Idol” during its 18th season.

For the show’s third season on ABC, the singer auditioned in front of the show’s judges, musicians Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

Fiitton, a native of Foxboro, has always loved to sing.

“I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember,” she said. “It’s always been a high priority in what I want to do. One of my earliest memories is singing, performing. My parents bought me a Fisher Price Light Bright Stage.You pulled down a lever and curtains opened. I think it was probably a mistake to buy me that. I used it all the time and of course it was in the middle of the living room. I would put on shows and make them watch me and sing [songs from] ‘The Little Mermaid.’ I was probably incredibly annoying to my brothers but I didn’t care.”

After moving to Brooklyn to pursue her singing career, Fitton heard that the show was holding auditions at the Brooklyn Expo Center and, on a whim, decided to try it out.

“I got there, and there were hundreds of people there with their guitars and different outfits,” she explained. “I didn’t really have a plan. Things in New York were moving kind of slow for me and I didn’t really know what was going to happen in terms of my music career. So I said, ‘You know what? Let’s just try it and go for it. There’s no harm in just trying.’ I went to the open call.”

She told herself it was “okay if it didn’t work out,” which helped her relax. 

“I think because I had that calming energy, it ended up working for me in the long run,” Fitton said. “I was told I would get to see the judges, which was crazy. You go to those calls and you say, ‘Yeah. I’m one of thousands of people,’ then you’re told you’re going to meet three of the most famous people in the whole world. It was kind of insane.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC
LIONEL RICHIE, KATY PERRY, LUKE BRYAN

Her audition was in Savannah where her oldest brother and his wife were able to be with her and the rest of her family, who came along.

“They just had a baby four months before,” she said, adding, “We got to have a little family vacation out of it.”

In terms of style, Fitton categorizes herself as a folk-soul performer. She writes her own songs and is influenced by blues and jazz.

“I really love and admire artists like Norah Jones, Carole King, Amy Winehouse,” she said. “They have a lot of relatable and less produced music but with a message. There’s some nitty gritty soul in there for sure.”

Her family was thrilled that Fitton had a chance to be a contestant.

“I felt they were a lot more excited than me,” she said. “Not because I wasn’t hopeful, I tried to be realistic. Living in New York, you face so much rejection all the time, you really have to develop a thick skin and prepare yourself for the worst. If things don’t work out, it’s not a shock. You never know what can happen.”

That doesn’t mean the “Idol” hopeful wasn’t nervous. Thanks to a conversation with host Ryan Seacrest, Fitton was relaxed.

Photo courtesy of ABC

“Hopefully, what we talked about shows up in the episode, but he’s such a nice, warm and personable person,” she said, “it kind of brought me down from feeling overwhelmed. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I was going to be. You just don’t sing. You talk to them a bit, they try to get to know you a bit and then you perform. It’s not cutthroat.”

Fitton and her family have always been fans of the show.

“At 8 p.m., we would all be in the living room, waiting for it to start,” she recalled. “I had a childhood blankie and I would wrap it around my head and get cozy on the couch and I would sit there and think about when I turn 18, [that auditioning was] the first thing I [was] going to do.”

Meeting the judges, she was admittedly star- struck.

“That was insane, just to know you’re in front of them and breathing the same air as these people who have accomplished so much,” she told the Home Reporter.

Although Fitton couldn’t reveal if the judges are giving her a ticket to Hollywood to become an official contestant, viewers can find out during the season premiere of “American Idol” on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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