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The Top 5 pose with Martina in Nashville. |
McBride hopes Idols learn the value of their fans
Updated Mon. Aug. 28 2006 4:47 PM ET
Eye on Idol
After working with some of the best and brightest of Canada's young talent during her week on Canadian Idol, Nashville starlet Martina McBride says she hopes they learned the most important lesson country music has to teach -- remaining down-to-earth and connecting with your fans.
"There's a (strong relationship between the performer and their audience) that you find with the biggest stars in any genre," said McBride, who hosted the Top 5 in her Nashville studio before coming to Toronto to perform on the show.
"I think would be a good thing for them to keep in mind."
In an interview with Eye on Idol while in town, McBride -- a seeming expert at landing country hits on the pop charts -- said many mainstream hit-makers could take a lesson from the world of country music, where the audience comes first and there's no place for prima donna behavior.
"Country music's not as forgiving," she said. "The pop star or rock star behavior just doesn't go over well with middle America, or... the straight-down-the-middle country music fan. It's a more down-to-earth genre of music. You're singing to their kids, you know?"
McBride said she tries to always remember what it is that makes her a fan favourite because she knows it's what keeps her in business.
"It's about building a relationship with your fans," she said. "It's not about me, me, me, me, me, I'm going to stand up here and sing these songs. It's about 'how can I make you feel?'"
The approachable country girl says she still recognizes supporters from her first tour at her concerts almost 15 years after her debut record was released. She keeps them hooked to her style by making sure she conveys her lyrics in a way anyone can understand and appreciate -- a skill the Idols would benefit from picking up, she says.
"I think the one thing about country music that's really important and unique is that it's all about the lyrics, relating to the song and telling the story," said McBride. "I think that's a great thing to learn because you can take that skill and apply it to any kind of music."
The hard-working songstress said she has no doubt any of the Top 5 will be able to live up to that challenge considering the impressive strength of their performance skills.
"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "I was really pleasantly surprised with how talented they are, and professional, and eager to learn, and really delightful...I tried to give them some pointers and constructive input. It was really fun -- they didn't need much help."
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