TV Talk: Fox Chapel's Sloane Simon talks about filming tonight’s ‘American Idol’

Sloane Simon, a 16-year-old Fox Chapel Area High School sophomore, made it to Hollywood Week on Monday night’s episode of ABC’s “American Idol” (8 p.m., WTAE-TV). But due to the vagaries of TV production and editing, her audition in front of the show’s celebrity judges where she received that “golden ticket” to Hollywood Week was never shown, although Simon could be glimpsed briefly in a montage in an earlier episode this season.

What did TV viewers miss?

Before she entered the audition room to perform in front of judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie in San Diego in October, “Idol” producers surprised Simon by connecting her via Zoom with her fellow Fox Chapel cheerleaders.

When she got into the audition room, Simon said she was nervous before an unexpected event led to chit-chat with the judges.

“Looking back, it feels like it was 20 seconds, but in the moment it felt so long … and then I was in there longer than I had to be, because the second I walked in, the ‘American Idol’ sign (behind the judges) completely fell down,” Simon said, noting the collapsing sign missed the judges, and no one was hurt. “That helped me warm up and unleashed all the small talk.”

Simon said she was unsure what to wear for her in-person audition after auditioning virtually for “Idol” producers from her Fox Chapel home in September dressed in her cheerleader uniform because she had to leave immediately after to get to the first football game of the season.

“I decided the producers seemed to be amused by the uniform, so why change it?” Simon said, explaining her cheer squad wardrobe. “Being in front of the judges was terrifying and also so exciting. You get the feeling the judges are on your side and hope you’re good or at least entertaining. After my audition, they encouraged me to do a cheer for them. So I did, but first they asked if I can do any flips and I was like, ‘Um, no,’ but Katie did a split on her desk and Lionel attempted to do one.”

Simon, who has been singing “forever” and writing songs since she got a guitar at age 8, performed “Brand New Key” by Melanie and one of her original songs, “Laurel Canyon,” about the music scene in California in the ’60s and ’70s.

“I didn’t realize at the time Lionel Richie was part of that scene,” Simon said. “He gave me the biggest compliment I’ve ever received. He said, ‘As someone who was part of that music era, I think you’d fit in well.’ I freaked. Katy Perry was also complimentary of my songwriting.”

Simon said during her audition she felt like Perry was “in my corner from the start.” Then Richie voted her through to Hollywood, but Luke Bryan had her on edge.

“No …” Bryan said, letting silence descend before continuing, “… doubt, you’re absolutely going to Hollywood.”

“Idol” flew Simon and her mother to Los Angeles in December for two weeks for production of the Hollywood Week episodes that aired Sunday and tonight, taping performances at the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards.

“I walked onto the stage and I said, ‘And the Oscar goes to …’ because that seemed like the right place to say that and the judges seemed to like that,” said Simon, who has envisioned auditioning for “American Idol” for more than a decade before she was eligible age-wise to be on the show.

“I remember watching ‘American Idol’ with my family when I was in kindergarten, and it was always something I had dreamt of doing,” she said. “My sister and I still have the ‘American Idol’ video game for the PS2.”

Before her “Idol” big break, Simon performed at local festivals, including the Three Rivers Arts Festival in 2017, as well as out of town at venues such as Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe.

As to what comes next, Simon is recording an EP — links to purchase her music digitally are available from her Officially Sloane Facebook and Instagram pages — and planning a career in the music industry’s business end in the event performing doesn’t pan out.

She is sworn to secrecy on what happens on “Idol” and whether she goes home or if she’ll be back for future episodes.

“I think my performance went well, though,” Simon said. “But if nothing else comes from the experience, I have material for a fantastic application essay for college.”