Jax Throws Serious Shade at ‘American Idol’ in ‘La La Land’ Video
Wednesday’s American Idol Season 15 kick-off episode may have been a nostalgic affair, but last season’s third-placer, pop-rocker Jax, isn’t exactly feeling the love. The same day as Idol’s premiere, she released her debut video, “La La Land,” scathing sendup filled with pointed, not-so-subtle commentary about her own emotional Idol experience.
The video – which features cameos by Season 9’s Didi Benami and Jax’s Season 14 co-stars Rayvon Owen, Daniel Seavey, Michael Simeon, Adam Ezegelian, and Sal Valentinetti as micromanaging talent show stagehands – depicts Idol’s behind-the-scenes chaos. The most eyebrow-raising moments: when Jax is abruptly kicked off the set and escorted out by security (an obvious reference to the totally uncool and unceremonious way in which she was booted off the show last season), and a voiceover at the end that implies Season 14 was rigged and votes were tossed out.
This all may seem like sour grapes. But after Jax’s ousting in the very, very cold open of last season’s part 1 finale, after being Big Machine honcho Scott Borchetta’s obvious golden child all season – and then getting no Big Machine record deal, as she might have assumed or hoped – her reaction isn’t completely unjustified. (It’s surely no coincidence that she timed the video’s release for the same day as the Idol Season 15 premiere.) And besides, “La La Land,” for all its lyrical clichés, is pretty catchy and radio-friendly. Maybe Borchetta should actually reconsider signing her.
Jax posted a lengthy commentary on social media explaining the song’s inspiration and message:
“First of all, I just want to start off by saying thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much to everybody who has supported me throughout my psychotic journey. I know I’ve been MIA for a minute. Turns out I was going through a lot and I needed to collect my thoughts and write it all out on paper. So I did…And I was incredibly nervous about sharing this. It took a lot of courage to put this song out, because I have no idea how everyone will react.
“I don’t want anybody to get the wrong idea. I am beyond grateful for my experience this past year. “The love and support has been surreal and an absolute dream come true. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I’ve made the best friends, a whole new family, and most importantly I found all of you guys. You’ve helped me heal, you’ve inspired me to grow as an artist and a person, and you make me feel empowered.
“That being said, I feel that it’s really important for me to be honest with all of you. To me, that’s what art is. Honesty. So as we enter the new year, I want to share my story with all of you. It’s the closest I can give you to a backstage pass. So before I move on and turn the page into my next chapter, I need this closure.
“I know not everyone will agree with me or like what I’m doing. But, I feel like God put me on this planet to make a difference…To make people think and see what the naked eye sometimes can’t. It’s my job as a songwriter to write from the real and not-so-comfortable places in my heart and I hope I can inspire other people to embrace their Broken Road. I love you guys and I owe you my world. Thank you for giving me this therapeutic opportunity. Onward and upward…To 2016. This is my truth.”
Jax isn’t the only Idol alum throwing shade at the show. On Wednesday night, Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, who actually made a hilarious cameo as an open-audition screener on the season premiere, went off on a Twitter rant, trashing the premiere episode, posting, “It’s VERY clear now that @SimonCowell was the reason @AmericanIdol was a hit. I’ve watched root canals more entertaining than these judges.”
We’ll see later on if Jax and Clay are invited back to the show for this season’s big farewell finale…
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