{"id":569,"date":"2020-05-02T22:22:54","date_gmt":"2020-05-02T22:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/?p=569"},"modified":"2020-05-02T22:29:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-02T22:29:40","slug":"madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-1-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Madison VanDenburg: From Second-Runner-Up To Running Full Speed Ahead (Part 1 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Initially written for and posted on&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nippertown.com\/2020\/05\/02\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-1-of-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nippertown<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-577\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02-1024x682.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_02.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Photo: Elissa Ebersold. Madison VanDenburg, Aurora Games, Albany, NY, 08.20.19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to reality TV shows, there\u2019s no such thing as the binary. It\u2019s never just as simple as \u201cI watch it\u201d or \u201cI don\u2019t watch it.\u201d There are so many gradations that float in between \u201cdo\u201d and \u201cdon\u2019t.\u201d There\u2019s the guilty pleasure watchers. There\u2019s the casual watchers, or the home-sick-in-bed watchers. You could be one of the watching religiously watchers and\/or one of the live-tweeting commentating watchers. Or you could be like many and watch when a citizen of your locale becomes a focal point of the show. While I probably more closely fall into the \u201ccasual watcher\u201d category, having turned these reality competition shows on and off for the past fifteen years or so, I know the latter category probably encompasses many citizens of New York\u2019s Capital Region these past couple of years. Who could blame them with incredible talents such as Moriah Formica (<em>The Voice, American Idol<\/em>), Sawyer Fredericks (<em>The Voice<\/em>), and now more recently, the incredible <a href=\"https:\/\/madisonvandenburg.com\/\">Madison VanDenburg<\/a> coming out of the woodwork and taking second runner up in season two of <em>American Idol<\/em> at only 17. No, sorry, scratch that. Not coming out of the woodwork. Coming in like a Category 5 hurricane.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if you haven\u2019t seen how absolutely mind-blowingly talented Ms. Madison is, well this interview is sure to be a good place to learn all about her. Madison is a queen of melisma and control, and damn good pitch. Her voice sucks you in, and she sounds exactly like she does on TV. No autotune needed. She is incredible to see perform live, and I am fortunate and humbled to know her and watch her forge her own path and conquer her dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAmericanIdol%2Fvideos%2F2180014088723822%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Elissa\u2019s note: The above is my favorite <em>Idol <\/em>performance of hers. Period. Everything about it just steals me away for a fast minute. This is music at its most honest with just her voice, the piano, and the bass guitar. The casual nature of it all with the flaking nail polish and jeans with holes in the knees. But I\u2019ll be damned if I am not moved by the emotion she brings and the control of her vibrato. The power, purity, and pain with the little cry in her voice when she sings the title lyric. Katy Perry\u2019s mesmerized doe eyes. The little, almost impossibly subtle \u201cWow\u201d from Lionel Richie at 0:55.&nbsp; I could listen, no, DO listen to this over and over again. If you want an idea of what Madison is like as a trained and seasoned vocalist, this here is the place to start. And I am positively <em>livid <\/em>that there is no full length studio version of this.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Elissa Ebersold: Let\u2019s start off with an ice breaker, even though you and I don\u2019t <\/strong><strong><em>really<\/em><\/strong><strong> need one. If you were the villain in a Disney musical, which contemporary song do you think would be your used as your character\u2019s song (ie \u201cMother Knows Best\u201d (<\/strong><strong><em>Tangled<\/em><\/strong><strong>), \u201cGaston\u201d (<\/strong><strong><em>Beauty and the Beast<\/em><\/strong><strong>), \u201cRuber\u201d (<\/strong><strong><em>Quest for Camelot<\/em><\/strong><strong>), \u201cOogie Boogie\u2019s Song&#8221; (<\/strong><strong><em>Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em><\/strong><strong>), etc.)<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Madison VanDenburg: Honestly, I kinda like your suggestion of \u201cMother Knows Best\u201d from <em>Tangled<\/em>. I love that song. That whole soundtrack is amazing, but that song is like<em> <\/em>[SHIMMIES HEAD] <em>creepy.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: (Un?)popular opinion. <em>Tangled <\/em>is way better than <em>Frozen.<\/em><\/strong><br>MV: Between the two, I kinda agree with that. I was not hooked with <em>Frozen<\/em> the way other people were.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To me, it felt very done before. I dunno. Like <\/strong><strong><em>Tangled, <\/em><\/strong><strong>but on crack. <\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Yeah, I kinda feel that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Okay, here\u2019s the usual question. When and how did you get started in music?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: So I got started when I was really young, around five or six. I started classical piano and guitar lessons. And then when I was ten I started singing. Since then I started to play out with my sister, and we did like a duo group. My dad half owned a bar at the time, and we would play there. That really helped me gain experience performing in front of crowds. Then we branched out. I stayed and music and [my sister] didn\u2019t, and after that it was kind of like a grind. Every year to just get farther than I was the year before. Once <em>American Idol<\/em> started, which was a year ago, that\u2019s when everything really started to take off. That was my true start into the business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: As we\u2019ve seen in your performances on<em> Idol<\/em>, live performances, and in your singles, you obviously have some country roots, some pop roots, and some Melissa Etheridge roots. Talk a little more about your musical roots and influences.&nbsp;<\/strong><br>MV: Yes! Oh my god! [POINTS ENTHUSIASTICALLY AT ETHERIDGE\u2019S <em>The Medicine Show <\/em>VINYL MOUNTED ON WALL.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Oh goodness I didn\u2019t even see that!<\/strong><br>MV: That\u2019s amazing that you remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.gettyimages.com\/photos\/the-american-idol-finalists-continue-their-journey-in-the-competition-picture-id1140041152?s=2048x2048\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption>Photo by Eric McCandless via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: [LAUGHS] I try. Your guitar is signed by [Melissa Etheridge] right?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Yes, she is a <em>crazy<\/em> inspiration. When I was a kid I used to listen to her stuff. I met a friend of hers who saw me playing out at Philly\u2019s Bar in Latham and she asked, \u201cDo you like Melissa Etheridge?\u201d<br><br>And I said, \u201cYeaaaah!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said, \u201cI\u2019m like best friends with her.\u201d And she truly is. And I got to meet [Etheridge], and I got to talk to her over the phone. She\u2019s given me such great advice. She signed my guitar and the record is up there, obviously. [GESTURES TO WALL]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for pop and country, I grew listening to a lot of old country, and a lot of classic rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Who specifically, would you say?<\/strong><br>MV: I would say as my sound has changed, it is a lot more pop now. But as a kid was Faith Hill. Dolly Parton. All the great country musicians. For some reason I\u2019m blanking. C\u00e9line Dion, even though she\u2019s not country, she\u2019s probably my biggest inspiration. I used to listen to her all the time on the radio in the car.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Do you have a favorite C\u00e9line Dion song?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I would have to say \u201cAll By Myself\u201d or \u201cPower of Love.\u201d<br><br><strong>EE: So you mentioned Faith Hill, Dolly Parton, C\u00e9line Dion&#8230;anyone else of note?<\/strong><br>MV: I think I grew up listening to them more than as if they were influencers on my sound. Because I don\u2019t think I sound anything like old country [&#8230;] Adele is a huge influence on my music as well. I think if we\u2019re gonna go into anyone I would actually like to shape my sound after, I really really love Billie Eilish, Fletcher, James Arthur, Adele, Sia, a lot of really amazing songwriters as well as people who have a true artist vision. They have their own sound and I think that\u2019s super important. So yeah, like I kind of grew up listening to stuff that\u2019s not my sound, but that is what I listened to growing up.<br><br><strong>EE: But I mean, I would say they are your influences too. They\u2019ll creep in here and there. You may not be consciously saying, \u201cI want to incorporate so-and-so.\u201d Like for me, I listened to a lot of Queen and a lot of Eagles, I may not explicitly mold my sound after them (if I were a songwriter) but facets and details may come through inspired by those. Like an Eagles harmony or a Queen-inspired grandiose falsetto note (if I could hit such a note). All these things come together to form your individual sound, which is yours. <\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I think the whole vision of them being big, big stars and legends was also so impactful to me as a child. That is where I want to work to, to get to a point like that. I want to be able to see myself&nbsp; eventually in life, hopefully, at that type of level. And that was so inspirational to me as a kid. Artists like C\u00e9line Dion and Faith Hill\u2014just seeing them living the dream that I want to live. That I still want to live that dream through music. I think that\u2019s part of what influenced me to get into music.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Then what is your ultimate goal as a musician?<br><\/strong>MV: There\u2019s so many different parts to the vision that I see my dream as. But I guess getting to a level where I\u2014specifically I want to do a world tour. I want to sell out an arena. I think that would be so cool. That would be so incredible. I\u2019d love to hopefully write a number one record. I think that\u2019s my main goal as an artist right now. I think most importantly right now, even though that stuff is incredible to have in a career, the thing that\u2019s most important that\u2019s stayed the same since I was a kid\u2014being able to share music with people and bring out emotions through music is the most important thing. I think that\u2019s what music is meant for. It\u2019s meant to get your emotions out. It\u2019s meant to have a good time. Music doesn\u2019t have to be sad. It can be a happy thing. That\u2019s what\u2019s most important to me. That\u2019s why I like to write songs. Some of them are fun, but some of the ones I\u2019ve been writing lately are slower, more meaningful songs because that\u2019s just the mood I\u2019ve been in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: I guess a follow up would be where do you find the most inspiration for your songwriting?<\/strong><br>MV: I like to picture two different artists whose sounds I really like\u2014James Arthur and Billie Eilish, who are two of my favorites right now. And I like to picture what their, it sounds so dumb, but what their musical baby would be. That\u2019s kinda where I like to start with my sound and exploring that type of sound. So taking elements from both artists. Usually I\u2019ll come to my piano and just sit down and whatever I\u2019m feeling I\u2019ll just hum a few melodies. It just comes together like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: You have a very specific sound goal in mind when you start. I didn\u2019t quite expect that answer for some reason, but then again I don\u2019t know much about the process of songwriting.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Sometimes it\u2019s not like that. Sometimes I\u2019ll just sit down<strong> <\/strong>like, \u201cI\u2019m angry! Here\u2019s some chords that\u2019ll make me feel angry.\u201d And I\u2019ll write something and I\u2019ll never touch it again. Sometimes it\u2019s just a place to vent. <strong><br><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAmericanIdol%2Fvideos%2F405437296964694%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What album changed your life? You\u2019re young, do you even listen to whole albums? [LAUGHS]<br><\/strong>MV: Surprisingly the first album I listened to in full was Chase Atlantic\u2019s <em>Phases. <\/em>When I first listened to that all the way through I thought it was incredible. They\u2019re very dark pop and they\u2019re crazy good. And after that all of James Arthur\u2019s full albums. And after that, that\u2019s when I became a true fan of his songs, of his music. So yeah, I\u2019d say those two were the first people whose albums I\u2019d listened to all the way through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: And those changed your life? How so?<\/strong><br>MV: James Arthur\u2019s more than Chase Atlantic. Definitely in the new music I have coming out, there\u2019s a lot of elements from both of those artists in the songs that I have. So yeah, I\u2019d say both of them actually then. It kinda helped me mold a sound together out of the two of them. It\u2019s kind of cool. I\u2019m excited to release music to show what I mean.<br><br><strong>EE: I can\u2019t waaaait.<br><\/strong>MV: It\u2019s soon. It\u2019s soon! A couple are already almost done. My goal is to release a song every couple months and keep it going. I don&#8217;t know when an album is going to come. With the quarantine, it\u2019s a lot harder to record a full album, so releasing singles is a lot easier. And a lot of people tend to like it one at a time. It\u2019s a lot more content that way, I feel.<br><br><strong>EE: I like it one at a time followed by an album, personally. Because that way I have time to absorb and digest each song. I feel like it\u2019s a lot harder to do with an album, especially now with streaming and attention spans being different, you know? I think it\u2019s harder to learn all the words to a song when you\u2019re listening to something in a whole album. You\u2019ll find a song that you like more than others. You\u2019ll listen to that one on repeat and neglect all the others\u2026<br><\/strong>MV: Exactly. You explained it exactly the way I think about it. Thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: You\u2019ve only released a couple of your own original songs. What do you feel is improving or changing with each new song you write and release?<\/strong><br>MV: I think, from this point on, the sound is totally different than the first two I\u2019ve released (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/music.apple.com\/us\/album\/need-a-little-heartbreak-single\/1394214158?i=1394214782&amp;ign-gact=3&amp;ls=1\">Need a Little Heartbreak<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/music.apple.com\/us\/album\/what-im-looking-for-single\/1477494303?i=1477494307&amp;ign-gact=3&amp;ls=1\">What I\u2019m Looking For<\/a>.\u201d) They&#8217;re an indie alternative type with a little pop country in it. The next songs I\u2019m releasing are fully pop. Some are ballads. The [ones already out] are not as full production as the ones that are coming out soon. But they still have their own way of being pop. And I think that I\u2019m finally comfortable enough in that genre. For the longest time if someone asked me what my genre was and I told them pop, I\u2019d feel like I was a fake musician. For some reason, [pop] has always been my thing. I don\u2019t know why. I feel like people look at pop music and they\u2019re like, \u201cOh, you\u2019re a <em>pop artist<\/em>?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: There\u2019s a stigma against pop.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Yeah. The stuff that I\u2019m releasing is more of a dark pop than a preppy pop. I\u2019m really excited for them. I think my audience will respond a little better to the new ones. They\u2019re a little more modern sounding. I feel like they sound a lot more current. I\u2019m excited for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Madison VanDenburg - What I&#039;m Looking For (Official Music Video)\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KozroivQHKw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What song do you hear and every time you wish you had written?<\/strong><br>MV: That\u2019s so funny, I\u2019m starting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/madisonvandenburg\">YouTube<\/a> series soon called \u201cSongs I Wish I Wrote.\u201d Gotta scroll my Spotify for the one I\u2019m trying to think of because I can\u2019t remember the name of it right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: While you\u2019re doing that. I\u2019m by no means a songwriter and I hardly consider myself a musician, but there\u2019s a song called \u201c5am\u201d by this band Amber Run\u2014<\/strong><br>MV: Amber Run!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: You know them?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve heard \u201c5am\u201d and I haven\u2019t looked into the artist, but I\u2019ve heard this song\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE\/MV: [Simultaneously]<\/strong><br>\u201cI Found.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Yeah! I love them. But \u201c5am\u201d is one of the most incredibly depressing songs I\u2019ve ever heard, but every time it speaks to me on some level I don\u2019t understand, and every time it breaks my heart, and I <\/strong><strong><em>wish <\/em><\/strong><strong>I had the lyrical genius to write something as emotional as that.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Yes! I know the perfect song then. \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u201d by Alicia Keys. That song. It\u2019s kind of funny. When she did her GRAMMY performance, it was this whole thing about songs she wished she\u2019d written, and then you finally write the song you wish you\u2019d written. <em>Chills<\/em>, bro [&#8230;] When I was on [<em>Idol<\/em>] we were in the rehearsal space, she was in the other room practicing her GRAMMY performance. We clearly heard her. We had no idea she was gonna do that for the GRAMMYs. So when we were listening, we were like, \u201cThis is cool. This is cool.\u201d But then we were watching the GRAMMYs and it\u2019s like \u201cHoly Crap!\u201d We heard her practicing that. It was the coolest thing ever. We heard her practicing <em>that<\/em>! So yeah, \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u201d is one of those I hear and wish I\u2019d written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: There\u2019s a lot of poetry in there that just speaks to anyone who\u2019s ever been to The City.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: It makes me feel very patriotic for New York.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.gettyimages.com\/photos\/following-a-crosscountry-search-for-the-next-singing-sensation-idol-picture-id1145124816?s=2048x2048\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><em>Photo by Eric McCandless via Getty Images<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: I mean I don\u2019t think I feel the same way, per se. But it makes me feel<em> something<\/em> about it, that\u2019s for sure [&#8230;] How did you make the decision to try out for<em> Idol<\/em>? What was the audition process like?<\/strong><br>MV: I saw online that they had posted that they were going to be in Buffalo. I had just gotten back from LA because I had just auditioned for <em>The Voice<\/em>. I had gone through the whole process, and the had ended up telling me to go home. I had the pass to perform in front of the judges but they had filled all their teams before I got to audition. I was out there for a month and I was five feet away from the stage to perform, they were like, \u201cWe just got our 40th person. We can\u2019t audition anymore people.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I flew home and I was like, \u201cLet\u2019s do something else! Let\u2019s try <em>American Idol<\/em>.\u201d So I went to Buffalo and it was crazy cool. It was really cold. I was outside with my dad all day and we were freezing. And I auditioned for the producers. They sent me the judges\u2019 pass so I could perform in front of the judges in New York. And from there it\u2019s all a blur, I guess!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: So there are three rounds of auditions before you get to the judges?<br><\/strong>MV: Actually there were technically two. I had auditioned in front of the producers, and then the two main producers Skyped me and I had to perform two songs for them. It was super quick, and they said they\u2019d call back if we give you the pass for the judges. They called me a week later and said they were passing me through. So that was how that went. It was like, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on???\u201d That\u2019s why I think it felt so surreal to be in front of all three celebrities. It was such a short process of getting to that point. It was a lot easier than I felt <em>The Voice <\/em>was. So when I got there I was like, \u201cThis isn\u2019t happening? What the heck!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nippertown.com\/zeblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/MadisonVandenburg_KikiVassilakis-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"688\" height=\"459\"\/><figcaption>Photo by Kiki Vassilakis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is part one of two. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Initially written for and posted on&nbsp;Nippertown When it comes to reality TV shows, there\u2019s no such thing as the binary. It\u2019s never just as simple as \u201cI watch it\u201d or \u201cI don\u2019t watch it.\u201d There are so many gradations that float in between \u201cdo\u201d and \u201cdon\u2019t.\u201d There\u2019s the guilty pleasure watchers. There\u2019s the casual watchers, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-1-of-2\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Madison VanDenburg: From Second-Runner-Up To Running Full Speed Ahead (Part 1 of 2)&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[9,38,5,124,79,43,29,12,63,11],"class_list":["post-569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interview","tag-albany","tag-american-idol","tag-capital-district","tag-interview","tag-local-music","tag-madison-vandenburg","tag-pop","tag-schenectady","tag-the-voice","tag-troy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":582,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569\/revisions\/582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}