“We’re An Idol Family” – An Interview with Canadian Idol 2’s Elena Juatco

Outgoing, friendly, 19-year-old Elena Juatco finished sixth in Canadian Idol 2’s Top 10. I spoke with Elena the morning after her elimination. We talked for quite a while, and she was extremely chatty and fun. Oddly enough, she tried out for CI on a whim. She said, "I didn't do Canadian Idol for a career. I just tried out on a whim." She never thought she'd make it as far as she did.

She does, however, love to perform. It was all about performing and being on the stage for her. Elena is not only a singer, she also plays the piano, is a songwriter, and does some acting. She has done Shakespeare and was also in “The Vagina Monologues.” She told me that play was her favourite. I've never seen the play, so Elena described it a bit and told me she "was the woman who likes to make vaginas happy." I had to laugh at that. That's an interesting role to have! She did say that sometimes people think that the play is crude and inappropriate, but she found it "very liberating as a woman."

Elena has also just finished her first year at Queen's University in Kingston where she studies Drama and Biology. She jokes that one day she may be a "singing doctor!" We spoke about her friends from University - Andrew and Kristin - who always attend the live shows. She said, "They're a riot... and, they've been so supportive." Apparently they had theme weeks where they would dress up in different outfits. One such week was "Out of This World" where they wore moon hats and silver outfits. They were, to say the least, extremely enthusiastic. I got just as much of a kick out of watching them each week as the actual show!

As for school, Elena isn't sure if she'll be going back to Queen's right away or not. She is just going to wait and see what happens. There is talk of a tour but unfortunately, there will not be a Canadian Idol CD this year.

I asked Elena what she thought about the voting this year. She said, "It's so unpredictable. You never really know who's going home. There are so many factors that play into it. That's the name of the game, I suppose." I asked if she thought that regional voting played a factor. Elena thinks there will always be a bit of regional voting. The night she was eliminated, all three of the contestants in the Bottom 3 were from British Columbia. I hadn't noticed that, but she's right.

When asked who she thought would win the competition, Elena replied, "I'm going to predict Kalan Porter. I'd like to see Theresa really far up there too. It's about time we got some chicks up there. But, it's hard to compete with the teen heart throb." I asked her if she was going to vote now. She said that no, she wouldn't be voting. She couldn't morally do it. They're all so close that she can't choose one over another. "We're an Idol family." In fact, the part she liked the least about the entire experience was having to say goodbye to everyone as they were eliminated.

Elena was also the last member to join the Top 10 - she earned her spot as the second wildcard. I asked her about that experience. I wondered if it was more stressful. Elena told me that she "had so much fun at the wildcard - more fun than in Group 2." She knew what to expect and was more in her element. Although at the results show for the wildcard round she said she was beside herself. She really wanted to make the Top 10 and knew it was her last chance.

Of course, I wanted to know what it was like to work with Gordon Lightfoot. Elena told me she was "inspired by him" and described him as a "man of very few words." She also found herself being a little nervous about what he would think of the way she interpreted his song. But, she did well and he was impressed.

As far as the group numbers go, Elena admitted she dreaded them a little bit. However, she was pleased with most of the group numbers this year - especially "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" where the Idols accompanied themselves on instruments. "It was absolutely amazing. We'd been bugging the producers since the beginning. We all play instruments, please let us play! The fact that they let us do it made that night all the more special."

Elena also got a huge kick out of the fact that people download her on the Internet. She went onto Kazaa and found herself there and thought, "Oh my God! I'm on Kazaa!"

Finally, I asked her what she would take away from this experience. She said, "It's been an incredible experience. I love it so much. I feel like I'm still in this kind of bubble - like the Idol bubble. I'm not sure what it's going to be like out there now..."

I’m sure it will be a ton of fun, Elena! And that should be right up her alley.

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