Raised in the small, conservative farm town of Mead, Colorado -- population 2,017 -- Rachel Crow is thrilled to have relocated to a city as brilliant and vivacious as she is. "I like L.A. way better, it's sunny all the time and bright," the teen exclaims. Crow may have come from less than ideal beginnings -- born to a crack addict before eventually being adopted by her foster parents -- but don't expect her to play the victim. This girl's got more positive energy in her pinky finger than most people have in their entire being!
Since stealing hearts on the premiere season of the "The X Factor," the 14-year-old with a voice beyond her years hassigned a record deal with Columbia and is set to star in her very own Nickelodeon show. Rachel stopped by AOL Music to reveal how her struggles with school and entertainment-industry bullies helped her write the debut single, "Mean Girls," off her self-titled EP -- out June 26. She also gushed about her celebrity crush, dream collaborators and meeting President Obama. Read all about it in our exclusive In House Q&A below!
You co-wrote your lead single "Mean Girls." Describe your personal experience with bullying.
It was the looks and the being called "weirdo" and "freak." Me and my one friend would stick together and just brush it off, but of course there were times when I would come home crying to my mom and saying, "They called me this!" And she would just say, "Oh they're just jealous!" But I was different in every possible way in school. I grew up in a very small, very conservative farm town and I walked in with this bright personality. I was loud and outgoing and had curly hair and they were just kind of like, "What is going on right now? What is this creature?" I was just being myself and my parents taught me to always be myself and never think you have to be different than who you are. That was what made me confident to try out for "X Factor." Honestly, looking back at it, I feel sorry for all the mean girls and the bullies. I think there are two sides to everything, and one of the lines I wrote [in the song "Mean Girls"] is "Maybe somebody was cold to you/ so you think that's what you're suppose to do." That's one of my favorite lines, because it's true.
Have any of your former bullies reached out to you since your rise to fame?
A lot of them actually. I came across this interesting thing on Facebook that Will Smith posted, and it said, "If you were absent during the struggle, don't expect to be present during the success." And I thought that was amazing. I just love him! So they would ask the typical questions, like, "Are you mad at me?" And I would say, "No I'm not mad, but you weren't there for me before, and just because I was on 'X Factor,' that's why you're here from me now."
"Mean Girls" was your first try at songwriting. What was that experience like?
It was very new. I wrote it with Toby Gad and he did "If I Were a Boy" for Beyonce and "Big Girls Don't Cry" with Fergie, "Who You Are" with Jessie J. Those are big names, and it was crazy that I got to work with him. I was so thankful. It was just surreal. How the song came across was he was just asking me about my life and what's been going on, and one of the questions he asked me was, "Were you bullied?" And I thought that's a good topic to write on, because I want to make a difference. That's the whole point.


Watch Rachel Crow's "Mean Girls" Lyric Video, Then Keep Reading the Q&A Below
You had a very rough start in life, but that wasn't something you talked about during the show. You've never really played into the fact that you have overcome enormous odds to get where you are. Why not?
I was always taught not to be a victim. Like, "Oh I had a rough start. Oh, poor me!" I love my family that I have now. I don't know anything different. I thank my birth mom everyday for giving birth to me. But it doesn't dwell in my mind, like, "I'm adopted. What happened?" I know the details. I know enough, and it's good. I love my life now.
You're so mature for such a young girl! But you're still only 14. How much pressure were you feeling on the show, and now, to really perform?
Actually, I'm excited about it all. Of course it's my work, but I don't think of it as work, I think of it as fun. I take it very seriously, and I'm always doing stuff, but it's really fun. I don't feel pressure, I just feel happy. I'm excited for my EP to come out and I'm excited to go on tour.
Name the three things you won't be able to live without while on tour.
My mom, my sister and my dog!
What's been the best thing that's happened to you since your "X Factor" success?
I got to sing for the president! It was so exciting. Oh my gosh! So it was right before I was about to go on, and I didn't know the president was hyper! So Mrs. Obama walks in, and she goes, "Honey, we're going to have to do the Easter egg walk." And he goes, "Yeah! I'm going to beat a 3 year old!" And that was amazing. I love him. And I gave Mrs. Obama a hug, and I wanted to give him a hug, but I didn't want to get tranquilized! But he reached out to hug me and I was like, "Yay!" And Sasha and Malia are so sweet and well rounded. And I met Bo, the dog!
Name the top three artists you want to do a collaboration with.
Eminem, Eminem and Eminem. I love him. I think he's great and his lyrics are amazing and he's a genius.
Do you have a celebrity crush?
I like Jaden Smith. He is a cute boy!
Can you give us any details about your upcoming Nickelodeon show?
We're not quite done with it yet, but it's going to be a musical comedy and I hope everybody loves it.
Has acting always been something you wanted to do as well, or was this just an opportunity that came your way that you just couldn't say no to?
Actually, we would go back and forth to California for auditions. I came out to act and then "X Factor" came along and I realized a lot of people loved me for my singing. So I thought maybe we could try it and I went in with no expectations. I was in way over my head and I never thought it would turn into all this. I also used to do standup comedy when I was 10 at the L.A. Improv. I had this one joke, because my very first agent out there, I walked in the room, I was 10 years old and she said, "So Rachel, what do you eat in a day?" And I was like, "Really? I'm 10!" So I gave her my spiel about being an independent woman and I do not need a man and I'm skinny in my own way. And so then I did it for my comedy routine. I said, "I am big, brown and beautiful and I am happy about it!" And I whipped the hands and did the whole thing.
Is that comment about your weight something you've gotten a lot of?
Actually, yeah. But, I think I've made my mark now. I'm comfortable in my skin and I'm healthy and I feel good about myself and that's all I need. To me, the ideal beauty is what you think about yourself. I think the ideal beauty; these tall, blonde Barbies, sometimes aren't the nice ones ... but sometimes they're the really sweet ones. So, I just think the ideal beauty is you. Just be you!
What advice do you have for the new "X Factor" judges, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, when it comes to mentoring the Season 2 contestants?
My advice is just listen to your contestants. Sometimes they know what the audience is going to like. Let them choose. "I'd Rather Go Blind" was actually my choice. So I was really excited that I got to do it and then I got on stage and Simon Cowell saw it and he was like, "Whoa!" So listen to your contestants!


原文链接：
http://blog.music.aol.com/2012/06/20/rachel-crow-mean-girls/

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