’American’ experience: Hub’s Ayla Brown shares how ’Idol’ changed her life
By Lauren Beckham Falcone
Monday, February 12, 2007 - Updated: 06:07 PM EST
Whether on the basketball court or onstage, Ayla Brown has always been a strong competitor.
But her "American Idol" experience made her a fierce one.
"I have a tough skin now," said the Boston College freshman as she talked about her experiences last year in front of "Idol" judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. "It was a completely life-changing experience for me."
Brown, 18, said the minute she stepped off the plane in Los Angeles for the Hollywood tryouts she knew she was part of something big.
"I was in the airport and some guy came up to me and said, ’Aren’t you the state senator’s daughter?’ and not in a nice way," said Brown, whose father is Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) and mother is Gail Huff, a reporter with WCVB (Ch. 5).
"The public criticism was unreal. People would call and ask me if I’d seen what people were saying about me on the Internet. But it makes you stronger."
Brown, who grew up in Wrentham, was a senior at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham when she jetted off to Hollywood. She was cut just before the top-12 lineup was announced when her rendition of Natasha Bedingfield’s "Unwritten" failed to wow audiences.
"I wouldn’t change singing that song," she said. "I got to sing that song at the Kiss-108 concert in front of Bedingfield, so I was thankful for that."
After her elimination, Brown graduated from high school, performed all over the state and cut her first CD, "Forward," in only a week.
"But seriously, one of my favorite things I did was perform at a Girl Scouts meeting," she said. "They were all singing karaoke and I got up with them. It was so much fun. And performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the July 4th Pops was the best thing I have ever done. Even better than ’American Idol.’ "
Another bonus from Brown’s "Idol" experience is it transformed her into a public speaker, something she wasn’t comfortable with before performing on TV.
"I have no problem speaking for a half hour or 45 minutes," she said. "Before, I would never dream of doing something like that."
That confidence might lead to a career in television.
"I’m studying communications," she said. "Dream jobs? A sportscaster for ESPN or an entertainment reporter."
For now, she’s busy playing and studying.
"My downtime, I sleep," she said. "And my boyfriend is here at BC playing baseball. We met in high school, and he was so supportive during ’Idol.’ He really understands me."
Brown still keeps in touch with some former "Idol"-mates, as well.
"I talk to Ace (Young), Paris (Bennett) and Mandisa," she said. "I just bought Katharine McPhee’s new CD. The critics panned it, but I think it’s good. Catchy."
As for the judges, she wishes she knew more about them, but she pretty much saw what the audience saw.
"Ryan Seacrest was my favorite of the whole crew," she said. "He was really personable."
And while she didn’t go as far as she would have liked on the show, she took going home in stride.
"I was glad my parents were with me in Hollywood," she said. "I was 17, so I needed a guardian and that was good, because the music business messes with your head. I just think me not going further on ’Idol’ was God telling me that for now, I was supposed to play basketball."
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