American Idol producer shares advice ahead of South Dakota auditions

Gone are the days of long lines in big cities awaiting “American Idol” auditions.

Today’s contestants are submitting audition video via social media or waiting in a Zoom room until their names are called.

“It really does open up doors for many people who couldn’t make it in the past, and we love it,” said Katie Fennelly Watkins, who is entering her 18th season as a producer on the show.

“It’s the best job,” she said. “There’s nothing better than helping make some dreams come true for really talented musicians.”

This year’s digital first-round auditions are open to prospective contestants nationwide. South Dakota has been assigned Aug. 9 as its audition date.

Also new this year are genre-specific open calls for country, rock, soul, pop, R&B and singer-songwriters.

“That’s exciting for us this year,” Watkins said. “We’re busy, but we love it. All through August, we’re doing auditions, and we have online auditions where people can submit videos. We see everything — every single person and every note sung.”

On Aug. 9, South Dakota contestants can pick a time from 1 to 6 p.m. and will receive an email detailing how to log in on Zoom.

“You’ll wait in the waiting room. It’s kind of like we’ve re-created in-person auditions online,” Watkins said. “You’ll meet a producer … we have a slew of producers in the breakout rooms, and once you sing for the producer, we suggest a verse and chorus of a song of your choosing.”

Prepare songs with a couple of different vibes in case you’re asked to sing something else, and use an accompaniment of your choosing, whether it’s live or a track.

“Whatever you think will make you shine the most,” Watkins said.

Don’t choose a song you think the producers want to hear, she advised.

“We’re not looking for anything specific. We really just want to see your true artistry and see you,” she said. “One of the biggest things is just be yourself.”

Oh, and don’t forget to unmute. Really, it happens more often than you’d think, Watkins said, laughing.

“Sing what you want to sing, and give it your all,” she added.

And if it’s not your best performance? You can sign up again.

“I encourage people to come back and try again,” she said. “You’re going to hear more noes than yeses in this business, and you learn from every no.”

Contestants this year must be born on or between June 2, 1994, and Feb. 15, 2009.

“This year our age range went down, so you can be a little younger, and we’re seeing a lot of younger kids coming and trying it out,” Watkins said. “It’s really fun to see, and I love seeing parents on the side supporting them. The interest is still there, especially for original artists because we’ve featured so many original artists over the years.”

The show will still do some judges’ auditions nationwide and will tape in Los Angeles. The dates are still a work in progress, but live shows typically are in the spring.

To learn more about auditions, click here.

“We’re a come-one, come-all operation,” Watkins added. “We’re so excited to meet everybody from across the nation. The talent pool is always full, and we’re always finding new people year after year. We just encourage everybody to come out, and we’d love to meet you and hear what you have to sing.”