M.V. singer competes at American Idol

By CORINNE MESSER

The Progress

A Moapa Valley native son spent some time in fabulous Las Vegas last month auditioning for the American Idol television show. While he wasn’t ultimately chosen for a spot on the show, he did come away with some great experiences.

When Branson Anderson, was in the third grade, his mother bought him a Beatles recording on CD.
“That album spoke to me and I fell in love with music,” recalls Anderson. “I got a bass guitar the following year, an acoustic six-string guitar a while after that, and I began singing and writing music in the years that followed. Coming from a musical family, it all felt natural to me.”

Anderson describes his music style as Americana with a mixture of blues, folk and old country. His top three favorite artists are Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Jack White.
“Even before people know that I like them, they tell me that my music reminds them of those artists,” he said. “I never intentionally meant to sound like them, it’s just what I always listened to and loved. So that’s just what came out when I made music.”

About a year ago an American Idol television show producer reached out to Anderson on Instagram and invited him to audition for the show. American Idol is a reality TV series in which aspiring singers compete for a recording contract and a shot at wealth and fame.

“I wasn’t interested because I didn’t think the show would like my genre of music,” commented Anderson.

But the following year, the same producer reached out again and, with the encouragement of family and friends, Anderson decided to go ahead and give it a try.

The first audition was done via an online platform and there were several producers involved.
“I sang and played my guitar to ‘Silver Wings,’ by Merle Haggard, ‘King of the Road,’ by Roger Miller and I sang my original ‘Don’t Go to the City,’” Anderson said.

The producers were impressed and intrigued with Anderson’s original song and they invited him to sing in a 2nd online audition a few days later. They stressed that his originality and uniqueness was what American Idol was looking for. Immediately following the second audition, he was invited to Las Vegas for a thirrd audition at the end of September. That audition lasted five days at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas.

“I would have to be up and ready to go by 5 am daily,” Anderson said. “All the contestants met in a banquet room and we would just sit and wait most of the time. We wore the same outfit and had to look the same every day so anything filmed during the week appeared like it happened in one day.” said Anderson.

The stay included professional photo shoots and interviews. One evening all contestants were filmed at a red carpet event that included American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest and celebrity judges, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry.

Anderson’s actual audition finally came on day four of his stay. An hour before, he was taken into a room with a green screen. When he stepped up to the screen it lit up and he was surprised to see his family live via the internet.

“This was very special to me and it calmed my nerves a bit and gave me confidence,” stated Anderson.
He was able to converse a while with his family until he had to get mic’d up and ready to sing.
“At that point, I was feeling really anxious,” Anderson said. “There was so much pressure and anticipation leading up to that moment. I was nervous beyond nervousness!”

When he walked into the audition room it was dark except for a lit platform stage. The judges were sitting in front of the stage. After a few questions, he played his guitar and sang his version of Frank Sinatra’s song “Young at Heart.”
“I felt good about my performance but I could tell something was off with the judges,” said Anderson.

Then they asked him to sing his original song, “Dark Haired Girl.”
Lionel Richie commented, “I closed my eyes for a few seconds and heard only what Willie Nelson can do.”

Richie voted ‘yes’ to move Anderson on to the final level which is filmed in Hollywood. But the other two judges were less enthused. They commented that his genre was too limited, just as Anderson had suspected in the beginning.

“At that point, I knew this journey was over and I was going back home to normal, everyday life,” Anderson said. “But it was fun while it lasted.”

Anderson currently has two albums and one extended play (EP). He will be releasing a new EP in February called “Keep it Moving.”

He currently lives in St. George where he attends Dixie Tech and continues to play and write music. Anderson can be found on social media and Spotify as Branson Anderson Music.