In the summer of 2012 in our 10th annual Windy City Gay Idol finals, we met JDA. And just six months later, the world met JDA as a featured contestant on this season of American Idol. Sassy, original, boundary-busting JDA brought lots of art, style, and talent —plus a big dose of Chicago queerness—to national TV as he ascended to the top 20 men on the TV show. JDA returns one year later for our big 11th annual Windy City Gay Idol finals, Wed., June 26 at Mayne Stage as one of our guest performers.
Amy Matheny: Hey JDA, how are you?
JDA: Hey, Amy, how are you?
AM: Talk to me about growing up. Were you a musical kid?
JDA: My love for music started when I was very, very young. I'd have to say, like, when I was 8 or 9 years old going into my mom's room and popping in the Bodyguard CD ... and I would just blast the CD to the highest level on her radio and just sing along on my mom's bed. As I got older, you know, life is hard and you want to try to find ways to deal with how life can be growing up different, and what I would do is sing and high school was the time when I really, truly dove into singing as my outlet. ... I would just escape into my own little zone and just sing for myself.
AM: How was high school for you? I mean, when did you know you were gay or different?
JDA: ... I would always hang out with the girls instead of with the boys in sports, and play Pattycake and gossip with them and I'd do girly things and I would always get tormented and teased all the time, every school year. I'm 28 now. How do you survive all of that? You just do. You just become a strong person.
AM: You said that you found music really in high school. Did you have teachers or was there a choir?
JDA: You know, I tried in first grade doing ballet, so that was my first taste of knowing that there were the options of arts in school, but then it didn't really turn into anything serious. I didn't really start exploring my musical artistic interests until high school. But I didn't go to a great high school where the arts were really encouraged. ... I was always trying to find my own way of letting this wanting to sing out, on my own terms. ... Whenever I would be bored I would just sing, you know, in my closet. I was actually very, very embarrassed to sing because I didn't want attention.
AM: So when did you grow enough confidence to think, "You know, I could sing in front of somebody"?
JDA: My firends really were the ones who got the taste of me singing, so they helped me break that ice. So I got older and I started to sing karaoke ... and the audiences reacted well to me and that fed my confidence.
So last summer in 2012, I just sort of pushed myself to go to every single karaoke bar that I knew locally and outside of my South Side environment.
AM: Maybe that's where you saw the Gay Idol, up north.
JDA: I did! I said, "Let me do this." I was so happy that this was availabale so let me give this a shot and see what I get out of it and when I went it was magical.
AM: So for American Idol, did you know when you were at the Planetarium that you were going to be in front of all four of them [American Idol celebrity judges]?
JDA: Yes, they have you come and audition for them and they tell you, "It's time, you made it, you're gonna meet the celebrity judges." ... And, oh God, it so magical. Words cannot even explain what it feels like to stand there and all eyes are on you. And that all-eyes-are-on-you feeling, it is an amazing feeling.
For the full interview, and for more information on the Windy City Gay Idol finals at Mayne Stage, listen to Windy City Queercast on iTunes or on www.WindyCityQueercast.com
