American Idol

Deborah Byrd (or, as she like to be called, simply “Byrd”) is someone you probably haven't heard of.  Byrd, however, is one of the key cogs of the American Idol juggernaut.  She's been there since the show's first season, working as a vocal coach and arranger.  She's worked personally with almost every single Idol contestant and she should share a hefty portion of credit for the phenomenon that is Idol.  With a long history in the music business, Byrd has done everything from big-time duets to rock to opera, plus everything behind the scenes.  We got the chance to speak with her at a FOX press junket last week.

Below you will find the full mp3 audio of the interview.

Interview highlights:

Before they had the live band on Idol, Byrd sang all the backing vocals.  She helps produces all the Ford video shoots for the Idol contestants.

Byrd calls her voice an “all-purpose voice”.  She sings everything, including opera (in five languages), rock, musicals, literally everything.  After working in the business for a long time ,eventually she landed on Idol.

She talks a lot about singers turning into artists.  Some contestants are ready and willing to make that leap.  Some are not.

She often sits on her couch, watching the auditions, and sees someone who she can “fix” easily and wants to see them move on.

She thinks Katharine McPhee will find herself in the film business, that Kellie Pickler should have her own TV show. 

She tells a story about how a male contestant refused to sing in front of her because, as he said, the moment he opened his mouth Byrd would know everything that was wrong with his voice.  It took a long time, but she eventually ended up fixing him. 

Byrd is very fond of Kimberly Locke, her determination and the evolution of her voice and performance during the season.  Same with George Huff and Kellie Pickler.  Last season, she loved having Phil Stacey, because he grew up mentally throughout the season. 

Byrd worked with the top 168 contestants for Idol's seventh season (which debuts tonight), though she doesn't know who has advanced beyond that 168.

-Interview Conducted by Oscar Dahl
(Image Courtesy of CBS)