Everything Girl

You probably know Sabrina Sloan best as an American Idol contestant from A.I. season six, but you should know her for a lot more. This talented 28 year old from Southern California has been performing for friends and family from a tender age, she moved on in high school to musicals and from there Sabrina attended Northwestern University where she majored in Theatre & Voice, and Communications. While in University Sabrina was part of NW’s premiere a capella group Melodious Thunk, she also sang with the gospel choir. She trained her voice and her body, and it paid off.

After graduation Sabrina moved to New York to chase her dream and was eventually cast in the Broadway hit musical, Hairspray. She was on tour for more than two years with the play. In 2006 she was offered parts in two L.A. stage plays Beehive and Sister Act however she turned them down after auditioning for American Idol. Her talent, training and drive had gotten her to the Hollywood round of A.I. but then just a week before she was meant to compete again Sabrina’s car was hit by a truck that had run a red light. She had fractured ribs, puncture wounds, a sprained ankle, black eye and a broken nose, she was a mess and unable to walk.

Pushing herself through it she managed to walk again just days before her round and in-spite of her injuries and pain she made it through. In fact during the rest of the competition she was in pain but, always the professional, she pushed through it and made it into the top 16. Sabrina’s shock exit left many, including the judges, scratching their heads. The sometimes overly-critical judge Randy Jackson said “Sabrina should be in that top 12, dawg, America got that one wrong.” But America had spoken and Sabrina had to move on.

“I learned how to push my limits and take all I can get from an amazing experience. I got through it though and loved every minute of being on the show.”

Now Sabrina is back on track. Recently she signed a contract with Universal Records Motown and recorded an album of duets with fellow A.I. contestant Sundance Head, with a solo album to follow sometime next year. But the biggest news for Sabrina is that she has been cast to play Margie Hendricks in the musical Ray Charles Live!. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Sheldon Epps the show will feature a diverse ensemble of Broadway talent, and an exciting selection of Ray Charles’ songs including “Georgia On My Mind,” “Hit The Road Jack,” and “I Got A Woman”. Previews of Ray Charles Live! begin October 31, 2007, and the show officially opens on November 9th and runs through December 23rd.

With things going so well I was thrilled to get a chance to talk to this intelligent, funny, open woman about all the exciting stuff she has going on. Down-to-earth and witty she was a lot of fun to talk with and before our chat degenerated into girl talk we talked about her time on A.I., her new album with Head and her future career. This is part one of ATG’s two part interview with Sabrina.

How did you feel when you were chosen for American Idol?

Being chosen for American Idol was unreal at first. I’ve always been a fan of the show, so it felt great to be a part of it. It’s not just about singing, it’s the whole package –- your look, personality, they want something they can market. Throughout the process, I saw them cut a lot of extremely talented people, so I was honoured to get as far as I did.

Were you surprised when you were voted off?

Yes, I was surprised. I was given extremely positive feedback by the judges and Paula was especially rooting for me the whole way. I hate to say it… but sometimes I wonder if it had to do with the lack of face time I was given on the show. No one got to know the real me… America didn’t get a chance to connect. That is something I do regret.

What was the experience like? Did you learn anything you have taken from it either personally or professionally?

The experience was wonderful, how could it not be? However, there was some drama. Not sure if you heard, but I was in a car accident right before Hollywood week. I was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a truck running a red light! It was not good. I was suffering from a black eye, nose contusion, fractured ribs, sprained ankle, and a puncture wound. But I took it as another obstacle I had to overcome… I learned how to push my limits and take all I can get from an amazing experience. I got through it though and loved every minute of being on the show. I made some great memories and of course, it was a catalyst for my success — so I am more than grateful to Idol for that!

And now you’re making a duets album with fellow A.I. veteran Sundance Head. Tell us about that.

It’s very exciting! We’re working hard to make the album sound really fresh and full of energy. Honestly, we had a fear of having a whole From Justin to Kelly thing happening. We didn’t want to make anything sound corny. Sundance and I get along great and are both in the same life stage – being young and married and pursuing our careers so we have a lot in common. We’re also from very different walks of life so there’s a lot to learn from each other and I think our diversity is what will make the album really great and marketable to all types of people.

When do you expect that to be out?

We’re not positive yet — but it will likely be after the holidays. We thought it’d be put out at the same time as Jordin Sparks’ but now things may be changing.

Read part two of Sabrina’s interview next month when she talks about her acting in Ray Charles Live!. If you would like more information about Ray Charles Live! you can visit The Pasadena Playhouse website or you can visit Sabrina Sloan’s MySpace space.

A.L. Harper is a freelance writer and motorbike fanatic originally from Salt Lake City, Utah but now living in Scotland. In edition to being the Managing Editor for All Things Girl, A.L. is the Assistant Music Editor for Blogcritics.org and a freelance writer for hire.

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