Belmont alumna Melinda Doolittle has come a long way since her days as Bruiser, the Belmont Bruins mascot. In fact, she’s far exceeded her own dreams.
After finishing third on the sixth season of American Idol, Doolittle never dreamed she would be returning to Belmont as a celebrity like she did at Wednesday’s edition of the Insider’s View convo.
“I didn’t plan on auditioning for American Idol. One of my friends was trying out and he convinced me that if I went with him I’d see the funny auditions. I have no idea how I made it through,” said Doolittle.
The Belmont alumna said she wanted to sing ever since she was a child, but it wasn’t until seventh grade that she began taking it seriously.
“I told my mom I wanted to sing, and she said, ‘Baby, you’re going to have to pray hard.’ So I practiced and I prayed,” said Doolittle.
Doolittle began her college years at Tulsa, but then transferred to Belmont two years later to pursue a music career.
After doing American Idol and releasing her first album, Doolittle has performed at the White House, met her own idol, Aretha Franklin, and authored the book “Beyond Me,” which details her life and American Idol experience.
“Faith is a huge thing for me. I don’t know how people do it without God. He was my one constant while I was on Idol,” said Doolittle.
During the convo, Doolittle gave advice to students interested in a singing or music career.
– Andie Rice
“My first piece of advice is to know the business, get all the experience you can, and be kind to the people around you,” said Doolittle.
The students and staff who attended the convo not only heard Doolittle’s stories about her favorite pastime, air hockey, but they also came away with a better knowledge of Doolittle’s life and experiences in her career.
“It was really insightful to listen to someone so successful in the business,” said freshman Tyler Murray.