Interview With Chelsea of The Pussycat Dolls: The Search for the Next Doll
Age: 20
Hometown: Cooper City, Florida
Occupation: Waitress/Singer/Dancer
Don’t think Chelsea, the third runner up in the Pussycat Dolls Search for the Next Doll, was an underdog. Chelsea had all the spunk, determination and beauty to keet the judges in continuous awe. Even though dancing was not her forte, she worked harder than some of the others, and stayed on top week after week. She may not be the next Doll, but she sure won a lot of hearts simply by being herself. We found this to be true when we recently spoke with her.
Hi Chelsea! How’re you this afternoon? Congratulations on making it to the final 3. You’ve got to be totally jazzed about going so far in the competition.
Hi! I’m fine. Well, thank you so much! I’m actually surprised. I didn’t really think I’d make it that far but I just didn’t give up. I had faith in myself and it paid off.
Tell us about yourself. How did you get started with singing and performing?
Actually, I never had training and I never did any recording or anything. My whole family actually is involved in performing and stuff like that. I fell in love with singing and did it pretty much for fun until about the 4th grade. I never really did anything other than school things. Basically that’s it.
So when did you finally realize that you actually had talent? Were you surprised that singing was more than a hobby?
I’m going to say probably in the 4th grade, 'cause I learned a song in school one day and went home to my mom and told her I had this song I wanted to sing for her. She was just rolling her eyes. But I told her, “Listen, you really have to hear me sing.” She was like, “You actually have a voice.” She started introducing me to Broadway show tunes and all types of music for me to work with.
You previously struggled with being overweight, but somehow managed to get in shape. What did you do?
Well I actually got picked on a lot because of the way I looked. I decided with me not being very active and just playing video games (which I love and still do) I turned to doing things like skateboarding and surfing when I could, especially since I live in Florida. I continued to exercise and remain active until I started losing the weight. I discovered I could eat what I wanted but I just needed to be more active and limit the amount of foods I ate. That was my problem, but I wanted to stay healthy.
Did you have previous dance training at all?
I haven’t had any training. None. Zero. Zip. When I performed in different shows, that was like the only type of dance experience I’d had.
With dancing being such a challenge for you, did you have to overcompensate?
Well, I was pretty confident in my singing area and didn’t have anything to worry about with that. I knew I could do that. With dancing I just as best as I could and as much as I could. I would rehearse over and over again and work hard to make sure I understood the steps.
After your makeover, you seemed to have a burst of confidence. Did the makeover help?
Well, actually I hated my makeover when I first got it. I didn’t like it at all. I felt very uncomfortable. I’d always had the same hairstyle my entire life. I didn’t know how to fix it or what to do with the bangs. Then that night they dolled me up and did my make up and everything. I felt like a million bucks. I felt great. Then the next day I didn’t know how to work them or make them pretty or anything. I didn’t know how to wear them. I started getting frustrated. It was really, really nerve wracking in the beginning, but now I actually like the bangs. Now I flaunt them all the time.
With dancing being such a challenge, was Mikey overly critical with you?
Um, no. If anybody thought that… I actually appreciate that Mikey took the time to work with me. It might’ve seemed like he was being harsh but it actually showed me that he cared. If he didn’t care he would’ve just let me go on and left it at that. It made me want to work harder and want to dance better and get everything, and just do a lot better. So, I thank him for that.
What set you apart from the other girls? What made you so unique?
It would probably be that I’m outgoing, spontaneous, and a fighter. I don’t give up. I may not be the best dancer, or I may not even be the best singer, but I’m not going to settle. I’m going to keep on going and fight for what I want. I just like to be me. I’m fine with who I am. I just want to be me as I am, and I don’t give up.
Which female artist has been your inspiration?
I would say I look up to Christina Aguilera. I think she’s incredible; I look up to her a lot. She has a way of using her voice in so many different ways. Her voice is incredible. So I really admire her. I like a lot of different singers. I even look up to singers from way back in the day. I even look up to male performers like Frank Sinatra. I also admire performers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday.
You seem like such a real, down to earth, nice girl. If you’d had a little more “attitude” would it have made a difference in the competition?
Probably, but I’m not sure. I guess we’ll never know. I wouldn’t have wanted to be like, mean or the way some of the girls were with each other. I like being me. I like being honest and kind. I hope the judges saw me as I am and liked me as I am. I think I did go far with it. I think that’s why I went so far with the dancing, training and singing to give the best of “me.”
You had a goal to re-invent yourself. How was that accomplished?
When I first started off in the competition, I really didn’t know much at all. I didn’t know how to put myself out there. I guess I found myself along the way. I had a chance to grow more and not worry so much about what others thought. I was able to find satisfaction with who I am. I just stayed focused on dancing and singing, and I think it worked out in the end.
Were the other girls a bit preoccupied with your lack of dance skills? Did it frazzle you, or cause you to be even more motivated?
It definitely gave me more confidence. I think they knew that I didn’t have any dance training, and tried to use that to get to me. It just made me want to work even harder to get it. There was one girl - I won’t mention any names - who definitely put me down a lot and always hated on me. I just stayed focused and did what I needed to do.
Was that a tactic to discredit you or make you lose confidence?
I think in a reality TV world where there’s a competition, you’re going to see people try to break your confidence to gain the upper hand. I just didn’t let that bother me.
From this experience, did you form long-lasting friendships? Who will you stay in touch with?
I will stay in touch with all of the contestants with the exception of one. I will only talk to that one person if I have a chance to sit down with her and really find out what she thinks and have her say what she feels face to face. Other than that, I love all the girls. I love Mariela and Jaime. Melissa R. is definitely a friend of mine. I definitely feel that I made life long friends.
Quite a few people are disappointed that you didn’t win. You really won people over. What would you like to say to your fans?
I would really like to say that I appreciate all their support and thank them for being there for me. Honestly, without them I don’t think it would have meant as much as it did for all of us. It just made it that much more important and special.
What’s the best way for your fans or groupies to contact you?
Actually I don’t have a Myspace page or a dot com or anything like that. I think it’s kind of funny because I think there are like 5 fake Myspace pages of me. Those are not really me. I don’t have anything at this point, but in the future, I hope to have something up and running. In the meantime, they can contact me through the CW network site.
What does the future hold?
At the moment, I’m moving from Florida to California. Once I get established, I hope to find a label. I intend to take every single dance class that I can and continue to work on my singing. I’m really excited about the future and what’s in store.
Chelsea it was a pleasure speaking with you. Again, congratulations. Good luck with your career!
Oh thank you so much. Bye!
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