'American Idol' eliminee M.K. Nobilette: I definitely think Harry Connick Jr. was wrong about one thing

American Idol eliminated M.K. Nobilette during Thursday night's live results show on Fox, determining the thirteenth season's Top 9 finalists.
 
M.K., a 20-year-old from San Francisco, CA, became the fourth finalist sent home from American Idol's thirteenth season after she received the fewest home viewer votes cast following last week's performance show, which featured the Top 10 finalists performing Top 10 songs on the Billboard charts from 2011 until now.  
 
Idol judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban decided against using their one "The Judges' Save" of the season on her after she sang for survival. M.K. landed in the bottom three alongside Majesty Rose and Dexter Roberts.


During a Friday conference call with reporters, M.K. talked to Reality TV World about whether she was frustrated about all the hype surrounding her sexual orientation. To read what she had to say, click here. Below is another portion of M.K.'s interview. Check back with us soon for more.

So what do your future album plans look like, what kind of music do you plan to make?

M.K. Nobilette: I love folk rock.  I think that would be a good genre for me, for my first album.  Also I love strings and I love horns, so something funky.

If you could do a duet or an album with another singer, who would that be?  And out of anybody; not just Idol. 


M.K. Nobilette: Definitely Allen Stone, I think that we would make amazing music together. 

You have said that you're not totally sad about leaving because your goal was to get to the Top 10.  Can you really take satisfaction in that without winning?  Winning wasn't the real goal?

M.K. Nobilette: Of course winning was the real goal, but I like to think of it and look at it in small increments -- take it in small increments because I feel like to achieve a bigger goal, you need to have smaller prizes.

Are you aware that while you were singing for "The Judges' Save," the judges were talking amongst themselves and debating whether or not they should use the save?  And if you were aware of it, they weren't even facing you, so how did that affect your singing?

M.K. Nobilette: I don't know how it affected my singing.  I wasn't completely focusing on them.  There are other people to broadcast that emotion to also.  I think one of the things that the judges would like to see -- although they weren't paying attention the whole time because they were discussing the save -- they want to see you interact with the audience, and especially from me.


That's what they wanted to see, is to get out of my shell a little bit.  I felt like if I was going to leave, I was going to leave with a bang and I was going to give a good performance.

What advice did the judges give you throughout the competition that you think you'll take away from the experience?

M.K. Nobilette: I definitely think that I'll always take away what Harry said because it did hit home. It hit me pretty hard in a good way when he said that it looked like I didn't want to be there. 

I definitely think he was wrong.  Obviously I did want to be there; I wouldn't have auditioned. But at the same time, I think now going into other performances, I always want to tell myself, "You need to prove that you want to be here," so I think that was an important thing to hear from Harry. 

I'd like to ask you about your girlfriend Casey.  She's also a singer, so what were her feelings overall about you auditioning and then making it to the finals for American Idol? 


M.K. Nobilette: She's a singer too.  She's really supportive and it was great to have her on my side for all of this.  It was really great. 

I wondered can you tell us, you're California based, so will you be able to stay in LA and cheer on your friends and fellow contestants for the remainder of the show?  Will you want to do that and be able to have the opportunity?

M.K. Nobilette: I think I will try to come back to a couple of the shows and support my friends. Immediately, I don't think so, I still have to go home.  I would love to be in San Francisco for a little while, just be home and visit for a little while, because I will be gone for the tour. 

So I think I will end up coming back for a little bit before I need to be back for tour just to support and be there for my friends, but also, I'm looking forward to going home for a little while.

Can you tell us what some of your work experiences in past summer jobs have been? 


M.K. Nobilette: I worked at the Parks Conservancy for a while in San Francisco.  I worked with Outlaw Radio, which is a queer radio station.  I taught kids how to use radio equipment and do radio interviews. 

What goes through your mind when you're singing in front of the judges? 

M.K. Nobilette: What goes through my mind when I'm singing in front of the judges?  That's a good question.  When I'm singing for the judges -- do you mean like last night specifically, or do you mean like in general for the performances? 

In general, any live performance.

M.K. Nobilette: Okay, the live performances is not all only to the judges.  It's for all of America, so you really have to utilize the cameras.  The cameras are around you and when you look into the camera, you're looking straight into the eyes of everyone watching at home, so you want to utilize all of that. 


You want to appeal to the judges, but the judges aren't just looking for you to appeal to them.  They're looking for you to have good stage presence and they're looking for you to move around the stage, talk to the audience and talk to the people at home.

What do you plan on doing when you return home?

M.K. Nobilette: When I return home, I look forward to seeing my friends.  Of course, I'm going to keep my fanbase going and keep strong with social media and really keep in contact and stay strong so that I have a good head on my shoulders for the tour.

Last night, before you sang, you went over to Rickey Minor.  What were you trying to figure out before you sang?

M.K. Nobilette: When I went over to Rickey Minor, we were just talking about the end and the beginning of the song, because it had been a while since I had rehearsed the song with the band and I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. 

Have you and the other singers been talking about the tour recently, about what it might be like to travel the country and perform almost every night together?


M.K. Nobilette: Yes, I think everyone is just really excited for the tour.  I think it's going to be a really good experience for all of us and I think it's a lot less pressure.  I think the tour is going to just be a lot of fun.

What did you learn about yourself during the American Idol experience?

M.K. Nobilette: Before American Idol, I was still a performer and I was still a musician, but I never thought that being a musician was an achievable goal for myself as a career.  I think through the process of American Idol, I realized that that's the only thing I want to do and I'm definitely going to make that happen. 

How about a highlight moment for you? 

M.K. Nobilette: A highlight moment on Idol was when America voted me into the Top 10 for the Top 13. That was an amazing, amazing experience.

So last night, I can only imagine how difficult and emotional it was for you to sing your final song.  I don't think you could have chosen a better song to sing for the save, but how were you feeling going into that performance?


M.K. Nobilette: I felt really solid about it.  I just wanted to give a good performance before I left and I think did, so I'm proud. 

Above is a portion of M.K.'s Friday conference call with reporters. To read what she had to say to Reality TV World specifically, click here. For more from the singer's interview, check back with us soon.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski