For The Love With Jen Hatmaker Podcast
Society & Culture:Relationships
For the final episode of our Untraditional Traditions series, Jen’s good friend, American Idol alumni Melinda Doolittle, is with us to have an enlightening chat with Jen, which, as Jen readily admits, is 90% not about Christmas at all—and since we’re being untraditional this year, we’re here for it! Jen gets Melinda to spill all the behind the scenes scoop on what it was like to come through the American Idol machine, including how it felt to be the oldest contestant for her season (at the ripe old age of 28, mind you). They also set the record straight about what happened when Melinda “ignored” Tyler Merritt for a year (let’s just say it involved not knowing how social media works). Finally, since it is our holiday series, Melinda tells us about her favorite Christmas ever, which involves her yearly Christmas show in Nashville, TN, and the very special guest that happened to be in the audience that night.
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Thought-Provoking Quotes
“I was on the same season [of American Idol] as Jordan Sparks and she was the youngest in my season, I was the oldest. We were roommates, so we were extremely close. And she knew who she was. She knew what kind of artist she wanted to be. She had auditioned for lots of competitions. She just knew who she was. And I was like, ‘Can you teach me, 16 year old? Because I don't know.’” - Melinda Doolittle
“I don't think anyone's prepped to ascend that quickly or to have that level of critique. Literally the whole country was saying what they thought of you.” - Melinda Doolittle on life during American Idol
“I truly feel like dreams came true that I didn't actually know I had. I think I hadn't allowed myself to dream about what it would look like for me to be an artist and to step on stages and have my own story to tell.” - Melinda Doolittle
“All I wanted out of life was to be the Black Barbara Streisand. I discovered that I could write some songs. I was okay with that, but I wanted to sing those classic songs that made everybody move, made people cry, made people feel something.” - Melinda Doolittle
“[At my Christmas show] we do a version of 'All I Want for Christmas,' that is my happiest place. And I swore I would never do that song because that song is the gold standard for me. It is Mariah Carey and I will never be her. So to make that song fit me, but to still be true to it, that was one of the most exciting arrangements I've ever come up with. Ever.” - Melinda Doolittle
Guest’s Links
Melinda’s website
Melinda’s Instagram
Melinda’s Facebook
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
People Loving Nashville
Melinda’s Christmas Show in Franklin, Tennessee
Connect with Jen!
Jen’s website
Jen’s Instagram
Jen’s Twitter
Jen’s Facebook
Jen’s YouTube
[BOOK CLUB BONUS] Sarah Blake’s “The Guest Book”
Letters From Me Camp 2022 Week 3: Daughters & Friends Bring More We Camp to Grand Marais
Letters from Me Camp Week 2: Me Camp Turns to We Camp with Tyler Merritt in MN
Letters from Me Camp 2022: Week 1 in Aspen & Tips for Solo Travel (I Spy Katie Couric!)
For the Love of Conversations: Jen & Kelly on The Men They Love
For the Love of Conversations: Jen and Kelly on Beliefs, Truth, and the Things We Hold Dear
For the Love of Conversations: Jen and Kelly on Friendship Through the Years
For the Love of Conversations: Jen and Kelly on Hard and Beautiful Change
Relax–It’s Just Food! Finding the Fun in Cooking with Teri Turner
[BOOK CLUB BONUS] Abi Dare’s “The Girl With The Louding Voice”
Travel the World on a Ramen Budget, ft. “The Points Guy” Brian Kelly
Creating Magic from our Favorite Pastimes: “PieLadyBooks” Stephanie Hockersmith
Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself with “Garden Marcus” Bridgewater
Audacity to Believe In Yourself and Your Art with Jaime Kurowski
Not Outdoorsy, But Love Being Outside? REI’s Ben Steele Helps Us Find Our Outdoor Zen
[BOOK CLUB BONUS] Sarah Penner’s “The Lost Apothecary”
Turning Junk into Treasure (and a Treasured Life) with the Junk Gypsies
Language that Transcends Differences–The Poetry of Faith ft. Pádraig Ó Tuama
Finding Our Spiritual Homeland with Krista Tippett
Is the Church Dead? A Millennial's Perspective on Religion with Casper ter Kuile
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