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“I Was the Target for Great Television Ratings”: An Interview with Rock Star: Supernova’s Runner-Up, DilanaPage 2View Printable version of this article RNO: What was your life like before the show? Dilana: I’ve been doing a one-chick show for the last three years, all around the Houston area and some corporate things in Louisiana and North of Texas. My life has been really really busy, gigging four or five nights a week, running my entire business by myself. I had a personal trainer and I’d work my ass off, I had a Harley and I’d go riding with a friend. I loved my life! Now I’m stuck in L.A. and moving into an apartment and staying here until the CD is done. Then I’ll have to decide whether to stay here or move somewhere, like to Iceland. (laughing) I’m actually going to Iceland in two weeks to do a gig with Magni. I like to travel. 
RNO: Did you feel pressure for being the early favorite – or did you even know you were the early favorite? Dilana: Yeah, I pretty much knew it based on the critiques from the judges every week, and not being in the bottom three ‘til the end. I felt a tremendous amount of pressure. There was a kind of vibe and little comments from the others. Things like, “You could fart in the mic and they’d love you” and “And the Emmy goes to…” I was trying to blend in with them and make friends. But how do you separate winning from friendship? There was a lot of pressure. But as the weeks went by, I started accepting the fact that I’m the best and you f**kers just live with it! (laughing) Then we became better friends and I was able to express how I felt. Eventually it was never even spoken of until near the end. It was cool. I dealt with it. RNO: Which of your performances was your favorite? Dilana: Lithium, Ring of Fire, Zombie, Time After Time, Cat’s in the Cradle, The Who – I love them all! I really did. I think Mother Mother was one that stood out because that was the big one after all the drama – it was like a f**k you song for me. I could get rid of all my anger and all the drama on stage. I didn’t care if they were going to send me home or not. I killed it and I knew if I left, I would have gone home with a big bang. And Lithium for me was the best because it put me on the map immediately. Ring of Fire also showed a different side of me. Every performance had something really special. RNO: What song would you have liked to perform, but you didn’t get a chance? Dilana: A bunch of songs that didn’t clear. I wanted to do AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. I wanted to do a song by the Beatles, “Help,” in my own arrangement, but it didn’t clear – a rocking ballad version. I wanted to do some heavy heavy stuff, but none of it cleared. RNO: What did you learn from this experience? Dilana: I learned that there is a huge difference between honesty and bluntness. That was one thing. The other was that I learned to aim and then fire, not fire and then aim. Take a breath and think before I speak and let my bluntness drop out of my mouth. I’ve been doing it all my life. I’ve lived independently al my life. It’s all about thinking before I say something and making it come out in a more p.c. kind of way and not hurting people unintentionally. I would never intentionally hurt somebody, but the way I speak could unintentionally. That was the biggest lesson. RNO: We of course only saw the dramatic moments in the house – but was the overall mood in the house one of competition or friendship? Dilana: When the drama happened, more competition. Actually, I never really looked at it as a competition or thought of them as competition. The competition was me against me the entire time. The friendship was very important to me and I think to everybody in the house. When I had the drama, the people who were still left felt for me. They understood I was the target for great television ratings. My fellow rockers got pissed off about it too. When I broke down, they totally understood. 
RNO: How have you changed as a singer and performer over the summer? Dilana: As a performer I haven’t really changed that much. What I did on the show is everything I have, which is what I have been doing. I injure myself because I’m so excited! As a singer I’ve grown so much because of the vocal lessons we’ve had with Liz Lewis, my amazing vocal coach. She has taught me so much. As a singer I’ve learned some new tricks and learned to warm up. Those things have helped so much. RNO: Do you have anything else you want to tell your fans? Dilana: I want my fans to know I love and adore them and thank them from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn’t for the fans, I don’t think I would have made it and wouldn’t have been here today. It’s totally from them, they’ve given me the drive to keep going. My single is coming out really soon, I think we’re coming out with “Supersoul.” RNO: You mentioned that you’re working with Gilby on it, and he had some thoughts on that song – do you think you’ll change it? Dilana: I actually told Gilby I would like to change a few things on it – I wrote the lyrics about five years ago. A few little changes will be made. RNO: Thanks again, Dilana. We’ll be awaiting your album! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:
David Bloomberg is the Editor of Foxes On Idol, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Rock Star Supernova! <--Previous 1 2 View Printable version of this article
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