A showgirl, a football player, and American Idol. Maren Wade sits down with American Idol finalist Amanda Avila. She’s starred on the Las Vegas Strip, sung with Motown legend Smokey Robinson, and toured with Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. Confessions: the Simon Cowell comment that put her on the cover of USA Today, a dinner with Hollywood icons thanks to Josh Groban, and why the glamour is only 20 percent of the job.
A showgirl, a football player, and American Idol.
Maren Wade sits down with American Idol finalist Amanda Avila. She's starred on the Las Vegas Strip, sung with Motown legend Smokey Robinson, and toured with Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw.
Confessions: the Simon Cowell comment that put her on the cover of USA Today, a dinner with Hollywood icons at David Foster's house, and why the glamour is only 20 percent of the job.
In this episode
00:00:00 Okay, I have a confession to make
00:02:14 Life on American Idol
00:12:23 Red Carpets and Hollywood
00:23:21 Working with Terry Bradshaw
00:27:59 The Unglamorous Side
00:38:47 Singing From 50 Million to 50
Find Amanda Avila:
TikTok: @bigislandbougie
Instagram: @thetravelingsinger
See her live: 9th Island Duo, Saturdays 6 to 9 p.m. at the Outrigger Kona
Find Maren Wade:
TikTok: @marenwade
Instagram: @marenwade
Website: marenwade.com
Confessions of a Showgirl: confessionsofashowgirl.com
Hosted by Maren Wade.
Maren Wade (00:00.526)
Okay, I have a confession to make. Showgirls are having a moment, and I think they're misunderstood. Because if you think the glamorous part is what makes a showgirl interesting, you've never met one. This is the unglamorous side of the glamorous life of a showgirl, and it deserves the spotlight. I'm Maren Wade and welcome to Confessions of a Showgirl.
Maren Wade (00:22.988)
I have a confession to make. It's about a showgirl and a football player. Well, four showgirls, if I'm being exact, all hired to sing backup for one football player. And I had no idea who he was. I mean, in my defense, I don't know anything about sports. In my other defense, the audition notice just said, football player, Las Vegas show needs singers. So I thought, okay, I mean, football, singing. I mean, this could go a number of ways, right? Anyway, the football player was Terry Bradshaw, four-time Super Bowl champion, Hall of Famer, and just all-around sports legend. I know that now. It would have been helpful to know that then. The show was called America's Favorite Dumb Blonde. And the four of us singing backup were the IQties. That was our official title, like, quote, I-Q and then T-I-E-S, I think. You know, anyway. One of the other IQties is my guest today.
America first met her as the Vegas showgirl on season four of American Idol, where she made it to the final 13. Her name is Amanda Avila. She's toured with Motown legend Smokey Robinson, worked as an entertainment correspondent for E! News, and starred in Sirens of TI at Treasure Island, which was one of Las Vegas' biggest production shows, directed by Kenny Ortega. These days, she calls Hawaii home, where she's still performing, just with better weather and better beaches. And honestly, it feels a little unfair.
But today she's bringing all the confessions, from American Idol to dating Josh Groban, to the one thing you should never do at a dinner party with Mel Gibson. So here she is, Amanda Avila.
Maren Wade (02:00.160)
Amanda Avila.
Amanda Avila (02:02.316)
Yeah.
Maren Wade (02:04.738)
Good to see you. I mean, obviously we know each other from Vegas, but now you're in Hawaii.
Amanda Avila (02:12.726)
I am aloha.
Maren Wade (02:14.166)
Then I'm jealous. Okay. So let's start with American Idol, because I think that's how most people first met you. I mean, just walk me through: how did you end up auditioning? What were your expectations going in?
Amanda Avila (02:27.956)
You gotta go a little bit before that, then. Because I was a backup singer for Smokey Robinson, and while I was doing that I auditioned for the Sirens show in Vegas. So Vegas, they used to have that pirate show outside of Treasure Island years and years ago. And while I was in it, we were doing all these little side things. We knew Idol was coming because we, as Sirens, were supposed to show up and interview the contestants in line.
So we knew it was coming, and I had auditioned in Los Angeles for the first season and I believe the second season. And both times, if you've auditioned for Idol, anybody out there, you know there's like three different rounds before you get anywhere. Both times I made it to like the second round and then they cut me, and I was like, what is this? Because I mean, I've been a singer my whole life. I was like, there's no way I'm not making it on this show. And I was just so ego-driven in my twenties that I was like, well, screw it, I'm not auditioning again. It must be rigged. And then it was gonna be in Vegas, the auditions were gonna be at the Orleans. And I lived across the street. So I was like, okay, it's like one in the morning the night before the auditions, and I thought, I'm just gonna get in line. I mean, I didn't have to work the next day, and people were already lining up. I was in the first like fifty people, but the auditions were like three days later. So I knew I couldn't stay in line for three days, but I assumed they were gonna give us a wristband or something. And that's what they did. You show up, they let you in the arena, they give you a wristband so you can leave and then come back. So we went and sang with the people in line as Sirens, and I still had my wristband on that I was gonna audition with in the morning. But no, I didn't tell anybody, because I was afraid I was gonna not make it again and I was gonna be embarrassed. So I didn't tell my employers, I didn't tell my family, I didn't tell anybody. And then I ended up making it through the
Maren Wade (04:03.298)
Come back.
Amanda Avila (04:24.332)
rounds that you need to make it through to see the producers, and then I was like, I better tell people now. But even, it's kind of
Maren Wade (04:33.674)
A secret audition, right? At some point they find out, especially when you make it on the show.
Amanda Avila (04:39.522)
I didn't know if I was allowed to audition for things like that, being in the show that I was in. Because you audition for the first producer, and then they do an interview where they're asking you all about your background and things in your life and if you're crazy, you know. And my story was basically that I was the Vegas showgirl. Ha ha ha, the Vegas showgirl that wanted to
Maren Wade (04:57.922)
Yeah.
Amanda Avila (05:08.716)
take her career a notch further by becoming an American Idol. So I was the big showgirl.
Maren Wade (05:15.950)
Well, it's a good story. And showgirls have good stories, don't they?
Amanda Avila (05:19.970)
Well, I think when you think of a showgirl, though, I mean, I think of the seven-foot, you know, Jubilee girls with their boobies out, which was not me.
Maren Wade (05:29.034)
Yeah. No, it's interesting, right? I mean, there's so many different, and this town specifically, I find showgirls come in all different shapes and sizes and forms, and that's part of what I love about this town. What would you say is one of the biggest misconceptions, or something people wouldn't expect, about life in Vegas as a performer?
Amanda Avila (05:47.970)
That we party all the time, and we're out until five, six in the morning. I mean, now don't get me wrong, I've been there. But it's not the norm. There are suburbs in Vegas, because people are like, how do you live in Vegas? It's a town. There are schools and hospitals and post offices. It's a very normal town. And it's also a really small town.
Maren Wade (05:57.486)
It's happened. It's happened a few times.
Amanda Avila (06:15.084)
I feel like it's a big town with a very small-town feel. Everybody knows everybody, especially in the industry. You're all going to the same events, you see each other all the time, you're all going for the same auditions and the same shows. Yeah.
Maren Wade (06:29.068)
And it's fun. You're so right. It's a small town, and you end up working with people multiple times on different shows, and you hop around. And I think that's also something interesting that people may not know. Obviously I have friends on Broadway, as you do, friends in Los Angeles that are actors, friends all around. And one of the things that never fails to impress me about this town is how hard all of these Vegas performers work, because most of the time they're not just in one show. They're doing, as you said,
promos, corporates, other things during the day. Some have full-on businesses. They produce their own shows. They make their own stuff. It's so interesting, and there's so much creativity.
Maren Wade (07:15.803)
Dancing Queen? Yeah.
Amanda Avila (07:17.524)
The ABBA show. In between, they're getting their real estate license, they're in nursing school. Everybody just has so much going on. And you were doing like three shows when I first met you. One during the day, one at midnight, a regular one.
Maren Wade (07:35.882)
A fun little exercise of seeing if I could do it. Oh my God. Thank you for that. Speaking of which, how did we first meet? I'm trying to remember. I mean, we've done a couple shows together. How did we first meet?
Amanda Avila (07:38.280)
Maren is a hustler.
Amanda Avila (07:48.782)
Honestly, it's funny that I said that we weren't out late. We met at like midnight at the Planet Hollywood? That's a hotel. That was a hotel, right? Yeah. It's been so long. At that center bar in Planet Hollywood. I had just gotten into Dancing Queen, and I think you had just left. I think I was replacing you. And you were doing burlesque. Yeah. And the girls had said, you have to meet Maren. And
Maren Wade (07:57.206)
It's still a hotel. It's still around.
Maren Wade (08:08.790)
Okay. A burlesque show.
Amanda Avila (08:17.944)
We just met at that center bar. We hit it off right away. We were very chatty, chatty, chatty, chatty. And I remember the night that I met you, but it's weird, because now I don't remember you not in my life.
Maren Wade (08:19.746)
We lived happily ever after.
Maren Wade (08:32.088)
I feel the same way. When you meet people and you just have an instant connection, you feel like you've known them forever, even though, I don't know how that works. But I want to go back to American Idol, because I want to know about your experience on the show. And then at some point we'll talk about working together and the other shows that we've done. But tell me more about American Idol, being on the show. What was it like? Was it what you expected?
Amanda Avila (08:51.454)
So once I made it onto the actual show, that was like, I don't know, six months after I had originally auditioned. The audition process is really long, you know, the Hollywood Week thing. And then they do this weird thing where they bring forty of the contestants back to California and weed you down to twenty-four. But there's not an audition there. You're just kind of hanging out in a room, saying, who's gonna make it, who's not? Yeah. So it was very, very stressful. So by the time you're actually on the show,
there's been such a buildup of, oh my God, this is the biggest thing. If you mess up, the whole world is gonna see you mess up. And I was young. This was over twenty years ago. Yeah. And that kind of pressure at that age was just really scary. I remember feeling sick, so sick that I didn't want to go on stage. And I'm not a stage fright person, but it was very hard to perform under that kind of pressure.
Maren Wade (09:46.990)
I mean, it's really hard. It's a lot of pressure for a young person to take. And on top of that, you're pretty much putting yourself out there for the sole purpose of being critiqued, because it was a competition where people were voting. It's not like you just get to go out there and do your craft the way you love to do it.
Amanda Avila (10:02.542)
I didn't realize that. I mean, I had always been aiming to be famous, to be a famous singer. And once you're on Idol, you're famous like that. It's instant. Everybody knows who you are after the first episode. And I didn't like that. I didn't like that I couldn't go places without people stopping me and telling me, you're the one that Simon liked, so I don't like you. Wow. No, on the show, Simon said, that was an okay performance, but in my next life I want you to come back as my microphone. Which
at the time was very controversial. And he got in trouble with the Federal Communications Commission. I was on the cover of USA Today the next day. It was E! News' clip of the week. It was a crazy amount of attention for something that I didn't want attention for.
Maren Wade (10:47.244)
Right. I know the feeling. Yeah.
Amanda Avila (10:50.663)
Absolutely. And this was at the time before social media. So it was basically just message boards and print media. And when you're on a show like Idol, there are storylines to be held up. So they liked the storyline because it was controversial and it helped ratings, but I looked bad in my
Maren Wade (11:11.040)
Right. It wasn't what you wanted to be known for. I mean, you were a singer and a performer, and that wasn't how you wanted to make headlines. Yeah.
Amanda Avila (11:17.656)
They were very focused on what I looked like and not how I was singing. And actually being on the show ended up being disappointing for me. I didn't have a great experience. Now, what I will say is it led to a lot of wonderful experiences. So I definitely don't regret it. Would I do another reality TV show like that? People have asked. And I said, if I'm fifty and The Voice is still on,
I'm gonna do The Voice at fifty. I just thought it would be funny. Like, I'm fifty and I'm still doing it. But I doubt it. Did you do The Voice? Yeah.
Maren Wade (11:54.706)
I'd vote for you. I did America's Got Talent. And I agree with you. All of those experiences are the same. I feel like they get you in a room, they make you feel so invested, right? From the time you audition to the time you get out there, those scenes where you're crying at the end, it's inevitable. They gear you up for it, and you're gonna be disappointed no matter what.
Amanda Avila (12:20.940)
Unless you're prepared to play the game the way that people were.
Maren Wade (12:23.170)
Yeah. Okay. You talked about other opportunities that came your way after Idol. One that obviously comes to mind for me is E! News. You were a correspondent for E! News. For a short time? How did that work out? Interviewing is a different craft, right? There are similarities, but what was that like for you?
Amanda Avila (12:34.510)
Yeah.
Amanda Avila (12:44.642)
The interviewing part I was good at. That's why I got it. After Idol, Fox liked how I looked. So they said, would you like to be a correspondent for American Idol on this new network that we have, called Fox Reality Network? So it was a show that was strictly a wrap-up of reality TV shows. Sort of like E! News, but specifically for reality TV. Yeah.
I only went on as a guest the first time. They were asking me things similar to what you were asking me. Like, how was Idol? What were you doing? And they liked me so much that they kept having me on every week to talk about what I thought was happening with the show. Then I started going to the red carpets, and little by little it turned from just American Idol to all the music-based reality shows. Like I did Dancing with the Stars, I did America's Got Talent. I did all the seasons of American Idol. And it was very cool. I met so many celebrities, so many
people that I was huge fans of. Dancing with the Stars had New Kids on the Block. I was freaking out, you know. I remember when I interviewed Joey Fatone, and then I remember when I saw him in Vegas and made him watch my YouTube video of me interviewing him. Do you remember that? I feel like you were there for that.
Maren Wade (13:55.468)
Was I there for that one? I don't know. Maybe I've blocked that out of my memory. It might have been too embarrassing for me to watch you do that. Yeah.
Amanda Avila (14:02.668)
Trust me, I'm aware.
Maren Wade (14:05.336)
He's like, hi, great, yep, nice to see ya.
Amanda Avila (14:08.566)
It's so random. All of a sudden Joey Fatone is just hanging out with everybody, because he's in a show there, you know? And we swiped right on each other on Tinder. I was like, is this really you? He's like, yeah, it's me. But that's Vegas.
Maren Wade (14:22.894)
And Tinder, apparently. Yeah.
Amanda Avila (14:25.474)
We never went out. Nothing. One celebrity I did not date is Joey.
Maren Wade (14:27.416)
Never happened, yes. Understood.
Yeah, well, let's talk about that. I mean, you have a very famous ex. Oh gosh. Would you like to share that information?
Amanda Avila (14:39.566)
Of course. I mean, it's my life. Josh Groban, who, you know, is very famous now. We met in high school. We were just friends in high school. And then our senior year, he started working with David Foster, and we were very close. And he was telling me about all those things, and he was sort of overwhelmed. And I was there for him as a friend. Even though I was super jealous, because, well,
let me meet David Foster. And then he'd take me to be in the studio with him. And I got to sing at some events with David Foster playing piano, because Josh and I would sing "The Prayer" at these charity events. Michael Bublé was like a baby Bublé. And he was such a cool guy. He was such a dork, and he wasn't famous yet. So Josh was the one who David was really pushing. And Michael and I would be in the background, waiting to go on and sing, and
And now look at him.
Maren Wade (15:38.690)
I mean, that's it. A baby Bublé. That's the tagline.
Amanda Avila (15:44.824)
So fun. The first night I met him, David Foster had invited Josh and me to this Valentine's Day dinner at his house. And listen, again, I'm very young. This is before Idol. So I don't even think I was 21. And the table is set with all of the place cards of who's gonna be there. And Josh and I are on there, and then at my table, it's like Tony Danza, Brooke Shields, Kelsey Grammer and his wife, Mel Gibson, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, Michael Caine. It's happening. And then Michael Bublé was the entertainment. David Foster was like, I've met this kid. He sounds just like Frank Sinatra. And he comes out and sings "L-O-V-E." It was surreal. Now that I think about it, I'm like, wow, that was a really cool night. I embarrassed myself, because I was so excited about meeting Mel Gibson. I went into the bathroom and called my mom. I was like, oh my God, Mom, I just had like a five-minute conversation with Mel Gibson. And when I left the bathroom, Mel Gibson was waiting to use the bathroom.
Maren Wade (16:15.212)
Yeah.
Amanda Avila (16:44.344)
And I know he heard me. So embarrassing. Yeah. I'm so cool.
Maren Wade (16:49.086)
I mean, definitely, that's a unique one.
Amanda Avila (16:52.750)
I've learned over the years that the way you act around celebrities is to just pretend they're not somebody you'd be like, oh my God, I'm such a big fan. Because they don't want that, especially if they're at a dinner party. They want to just be
Maren Wade (17:04.301)
I suppose, but then isn't it like the elephant in the room? There have been a couple I've met where we're doing a show together or something, and I introduce myself, right? And go, hi, I'm Maren. And then they go, hi. And it's awkward, because, what do I call them? Do I call them by their nickname? Okay, we're just gonna leave it. But it is an interesting thing to maneuver.
Amanda Avila (17:29.326)
That's a rude celebrity. Because most
Amanda Avila (17:34.688)
Adam Levine, this is a funny story. I was at a club in Los Angeles and he was at a booth, and someone introduced us, and he was like, hey, I'm Adam. I'm like, I'm Amanda. And thinking I'm gonna pretend I don't know he's famous, I was like, what do you do? And he goes, I'm in a band. I was like, me too. Because at the time I was doing covers and stuff. He was like, really? I was like, yeah, we do
weddings and covers, and I was like, what kind of band are you in? And he was like, yeah, sort of the same. You know, Top 40. Literally. Which is funny. He was being funny. He ended up inviting us back to his house, and there were Maroon 5 platinum records everywhere. And I was like, you're in a band. And he goes, well, you know, I don't like to brag. It was cute.
Maren Wade (18:22.954)
Yeah, it's so funny. I actually went to school with some of the guys from Maroon 5. So I would go see their shows in Los Angeles when we were young. I would sneak out of my house. Because here's the other thing. They'd have these parties, which were so much fun. But I was really young. I was like 16, 17 years old. And I know. Well, now my parents are gonna find out. But so
you couldn't go early. These parties would start at like midnight, and you couldn't go early, especially not as the younger one, right? So I remember we'd have to sit there and wait until it was like twelve thirty at night, and then we'd go. And we'd pull up at 1 a.m., acting all cool, like we're just there, and it was such a trip.
Amanda Avila (19:02.594)
This isn't Vegas-related, but yeah, those after-parties in Los Angeles back in the day, they were crazy. I don't know if those still go on, but
Maren Wade (19:10.318)
I know, I wonder what the kids are up to now. I'm sure they do, you know. And sometimes I think about it with such fond memories. I mean, maybe you could, but I can't even imagine going to a party at like nine anymore.
Amanda Avila (19:12.654)
Yeah, I can't.
Amanda Avila (19:24.910)
Well, in Vegas we wouldn't go out until after shows.
Maren Wade (19:29.922)
I know. When I would do shows at eleven thirty at night. The shows would start at eleven thirty.
Amanda Avila (19:36.896)
Yeah, and then we'd go out. And then you would get up and jog the next day. That was not me. I would sleep until it was time to get up for the show the next day.
Maren Wade (19:38.989)
Yeah.
Maren Wade (19:45.900)
I guess I figured I had to cancel something out.
Amanda Avila (19:48.398)
It's good times, though, and that's what you should do when you're young. All you young folks out there.
Maren Wade (19:54.484)
Jog, yes, you should jog.
Amanda Avila (19:57.054)
That's not what I meant, but yes, you should jog. Take care of yourself. Sleep till noon. Yeah. Ugh, that's so funny.
Maren Wade (20:05.944)
People should know you've actually been doing this for a very long time. I mean, you started at seven. Yeah, even
Amanda Avila (20:10.750)
younger. I think my first commercial, I think I was two. I mean, I don't remember, but my mom started me young. She had always wanted to be in show business, and she saw very early on that I was not shy and I would do things that made people happy, or for attention, and she'd just go, let her perform. And I love my mom for that.
Because yeah, I just had the bug early. And then in high school, I was in regular, normal high school for the first two years, and I just realized I didn't like it.
Maren Wade (20:47.682)
Mm-hmm.
Amanda Avila (20:48.738)
And the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts was having auditions, and I auditioned and I made it in, and that's where I met Josh. And what's crazy is, the kids that go to that school, it's still a very prestigious school. There's been a lot of really amazing talent that's come out of that school. You have to really, at a young age, decide this is what I'm doing. Because I would have to get on the public bus at 5 a.m. to be at school by like eight,
because it takes a very long time to get from where I lived in Rowland Heights to Cal State Los Angeles, where the campus of the school is. And you're on a college campus, so you have a lot of freedom. I miss that about my young self. I was so driven, and I just knew it. I was like, I'm gonna make it someday. It's gonna happen. And, you know, I think I sort of made it. I was a part of the
Maren Wade (21:41.390)
I mean, more success than most people dream about. And look at us in general. What is success? Is it selling out stadiums? I mean, every chance you get to do what you love professionally, I think, is a huge gift. And I agree. I never take any of my opportunities for granted, no matter how small they are, no matter how big they are. It's an opportunity. And
Amanda Avila (22:04.302)
I think I've had this extraordinary life with all different types of characters and people, and I've met people from all over the world. I could go anywhere in the world right now and know someone from show business that I've met, whether it would be cruise ships or when I sang in Asia. And I think that's what I want young people who are hungry for it now to know. Being famous, like Bruno Mars or Carrie Underwood or Michael Jackson, that's not
Maren Wade (22:25.229)
Yeah.
Amanda Avila (22:32.290)
the be-all and end-all of being successful. If you can make a living doing something that you love, if you can share your art, even if just a couple people hear it, that's what a professional is. And this is for people, a public service announcement. When someone goes to your show, and you just sang for them or you just did comedy for them or you just danced for them, and then they come up to you after and go, you're so good, when are you gonna do this professionally? Stop doing that, because that is what you just saw.
That's me doing it professionally. So rude. I hate that.
Maren Wade (23:05.671)
I just wonder what they mean when they say that. Or how about, I know you told me this a couple of times, you'd get off from a show in Vegas and people would say, you should be on American Idol. Yeah.
Amanda Avila (23:13.932)
All the time. People still say that. And I'm like, well, one, I'm too old. But two, yeah, I was. I did that already.
Maren Wade (23:21.198)
I actually love catching your performances from time to time. And I miss having your voice here in town. I do. You have one of those really unique, beautiful voices that are very distinctive. And I miss performing with you. Thank you. Yeah. But let's reminisce about that for a second. Because when I think of most of our memories together, it's working together with Terry Bradshaw in his one-man show called America's Favorite Dumb Blonde.
And then he had his four backup, well, we were the singers, sort of backup, but the IQties is what we were called.
Amanda Avila (23:58.122)
Longest title of a show ever. Terry Bradshaw, America's Favorite Dumb Blonde.
Maren Wade (24:03.832)
A Life in 4 Quarters. I'm sure people probably want to know what that was like. That was such a highlight. What a dream job. What an amazing guy. He was so amazing to work with.
Amanda Avila (24:20.724)
I remember the audition was very vague. They were like, a football player is gonna be a singer and he needs backup singers. And we were like, okay. I don't know football. And I knew Terry Bradshaw as the guy from Nutrisystem. When they told me who it was, I was like, it's the Nutrisystem guy. I had no idea going into that who he was going to be as a human. And I don't think I've met a more boisterous
Maren Wade (24:24.594)
Yeah, I didn't either.
Maren Wade (24:31.161)
I didn't either. Yeah. I still don't.
Amanda Avila (24:48.218)
lover-of-life human being. He was just such a great dude. I haven't talked to him in a while. It was incredible working with him. He was so kind. He was so funny.
Maren Wade (24:54.900)
I know, I haven't either, yeah.
Maren Wade (25:01.080)
The thing he did, I've never seen so much magic. Obviously, at the end of the day, he started out as a football player, right? But the charisma, and the ability to command a stage and just say whatever off-the-cuff thing, I could watch him, I could listen to him for hours. Yeah.
Amanda Avila (25:15.790)
Do you remember that first night the show went like three and a half hours? Talking. Anita told us we had to reel him in. Get him to stop talking.
Maren Wade (25:19.596)
Oh God, no.
Maren Wade (25:27.000)
We'd have to carry him off the stage? What did we do? I can't remember.
Amanda Avila (25:30.754)
The poor guy was so sweaty all the time. We were always patting his head with the towels. And I think that's incredible, though. He would just tell jokes and tell stories about his life and sing, you know.
Maren Wade (25:44.300)
Yeah. I think that's the thing that I really take away from the whole experience: how honest and open he was. He would just be. And I feel like everyone around him was just so kind, so personable.
Amanda Avila (26:03.554)
We went on tour with him, and we would go through the casinos where we were performing, and the fans would gather around and stop him. He would always stop and talk to everybody. He invited us into his home. He made us dinner. He was just the best. Yeah. If Terry asked today, like, you wanna come to Vegas and do it, I would do it.
Maren Wade (26:27.210)
I mean, I would do anything if Terry asked. Just to hang out with him again. It was really a special time. And I feel like whenever performers get in a show, the cast is like a family, right? And then as the show disperses, people kind of move on, and we don't talk to each other as much. It's sort of the nature of how things go. And I remember we got to meet all these other football players that I didn't know until
then, because they'd come to all the shows. And one of them that I actually got to see a couple of times was Michael Strahan. And this is actually a crazy story. He was hosting, it was Kelly and Michael, right? And I was in New York, and Terry was like, well, you should talk to Michael and see if you can go to a taping or whatever. So Terry arranged it, and they arranged for me to go to the taping. It was so cool. I got to see it all. I took all these pictures. And I didn't know any of this, but then I tweeted.
You know, thank you, Michael, this was so great, blah, blah, blah. I don't remember what I said. And then that was somehow the same day that there was this huge falling-out, or it was announced he was leaving. And my tweet stayed at the top of his feed for like a month. And people kept including me on these tweets, like, why are you leaving? And this and that. And I was like, I don't know. I guess I'm not gonna respond.
It's another example of the weird situations I've gotten myself into in this crazy adventure. Yeah. Well, so this show explores the unglamorous side of the glamorous life of a showgirl. Give me one of your best stories about how things went sideways or wrong or hilariously unglamorous. Let's hear it.
Amanda Avila (27:59.150)
I mean, there's so many.
Amanda Avila (28:15.490)
Well, the times that come to mind are when you're sick and you still have to perform. I remember I was in a Disney show at the Hyperion Theater called Steps in Time. A lot of really famous people came out of that show. Eden Espinosa, she went on to play Elphaba on Broadway for a long time. But it was my first time stepping in as the lead character, and I woke up so sick. You know when you just feel like, I don't know how I'm gonna do this? But
for whatever reason, when I got on stage, I was fine. I could do it. The adrenaline or whatever was happening. But as soon as I got off, I would pass out and puke, and it was so gross. I'd have to redo my makeup. Not glamorous at all. I ended up calling my mom. I was like, you have to help me, because I had to do four shows. In Vegas you usually have to do two, and you're like, it's done, thank God. Nope. Gotta get up and do another one. And that happened again in Hollywood Week on Idol. I was so sick.
I woke up and instantly knew I was sick, and I was like, no, this can't be happening. Terrible. And then another time it went wrong, besides being sick, you were there. Remember when we did that duet? And I completely forgot all the words and just stared at you? It was so embarrassing. It was at the Smith Center, of all places, with all of our peers, at the cabaret, right? It was at
Maren Wade (29:37.678)
Yeah, Myron's. That's the best. If anyone ever wants to know the secret for a singer when they forget the words, I always say the secret is you ask the audience to sing along with you. That typically gets you back on track.
Amanda Avila (29:51.608)
Twice in that same cabaret. You were there for both. One time I was on stage with you, and then the second time I decided to sing "Let It Go," which was the most commonly known song at the time, and I completely blanked on all the words. And I'm literally just singing, making things up.
Maren Wade (30:08.042)
It was your own rendition. It was your own individual rendition.
Amanda Avila (30:11.938)
At the end, I hit the high note, and that's all that really mattered.
Maren Wade (30:14.700)
That is all that matters, right? Just hit that high note and life will
Amanda Avila (30:18.690)
Take the note. Yeah. Yes. And I just remember that feeling of being paralyzed. There is nothing coming. I don't know what to do.
Maren Wade (30:27.918)
It's the worst feeling, because a lot of times you know it's coming. You know you're headed for it. You're in it, and you're like, I'm about to run out of words in five seconds, and the anxiety hits you well before it registers, right? Yeah.
Amanda Avila (30:44.920)
It's weird how, and then sometimes muscle memory will kick in if I really know the song. Even today, when I perform, there are times where I'm not thinking about what I'm singing, because my brain is going so many different ways, thinking about my kid and thinking about where I'm going later. Yeah. And then I'll realize, shit, I'm on stage. And then somehow it'll just come out. And I'm like, that's weird, that your brain can muscle-memory that, with all the lyrics we have in our heads from over the years.
Maren Wade (31:08.471)
It is.
Maren Wade (31:13.214)
Yeah, I do like the jobs where I can rely on muscle memory. Things that I have to learn from scratch again are a little bit harder these days.
Amanda Avila (31:20.512)
Oh my gosh. When I used to do production shows on cruise ships, I remember the rehearsal process for that was just so hard. And I wasn't great at rehearsals. I didn't like rehearsing it over and over again. I wanted an audience. I wanted a stage show. I would get in trouble a lot with my directors, every time. Like, Amanda, you're looking like you don't want to be here. There's people who want this job. And I'm like, just wait till I get on stage with an audience. And sure enough. Oh my gosh.
Maren Wade (31:46.624)
You're like, no, I wanna be here. I just don't wanna be at the rehearsal. I just wanna be past that. I wanna be in the show.
Amanda Avila (31:52.686)
And I think that's what young people don't realize. I can't stress enough how important practice is, and taking care of your voice, and rehearsal, as much as it's hard. It's very important.
Maren Wade (32:06.668)
Yeah. As a singer, I find that's the worst part: when you're sick and you don't have a voice that day, there are people seeing you for the first time. They just walk away going, she can't sing at all. And it's like, no, wait, wait. Come back on a different day.
Amanda Avila (32:18.868)
I know.
You can't take the day off, because there's no one to do your spot.
Maren Wade (32:27.378)
Sometimes. But a lot of times, yeah, that is the one thing in Vegas I find. Because everyone gigs a lot, the coverage is harder. So you really do have to go on when you're sick a lot of times. And it's not easy, and it's not always flattering, but you just push through it. Yes. Not glamorous.
Amanda Avila (32:45.558)
It's a scream.
Maren Wade (33:00.554)
People can't go see Amanda Avila performing at the Excalibur anymore. I know that. Not in Hawaii. I mean, that does not happen in paradise. I get that. Well, speaking of, listen, you've been in Hawaii for a while now, and life has changed tremendously. You are in a totally new chapter, also as a mom, right? Yeah. Tell me how life has changed, being a mom and still performing, and what that's like for you.
Amanda Avila (33:04.450)
Yeah.
Amanda Avila (33:27.342)
I think I just wanted a little bit of a simpler life. And so that's where I sort of fit in here. And I've been blessed to work with this wonderful man, David Miller, who also was a performer in Vegas for many years. He had a band there. And we met at a gig. I was a cover for the female singer in his band. And then I didn't see him again. And then we ran into each other randomly here in Kona, which is so weird, but sort of like
kismet, like the industry is. And we started working together early on, and we've been doing our duo. It's called the 9th Island Duo. We've been doing it for, gosh, what, eight years now? So yeah, when David and I perform, we sing pop covers mostly, but he always says that we go from Norah Jones to Creed. Not Creed. What's that band? Radiohead.
Maren Wade (34:09.323)
Wow.
Maren Wade (34:22.582)
You do all the Top 40 stuff, like Adam Levine.
Amanda Avila (34:25.966)
Exactly. I'm in a band. Really cool opportunities. It's a very simple thing, too. There are no egos. It's hard to put a band together anywhere. People's schedules, people's egos. It's just David and me. He plays piano and I sing, and it's been fun.
Maren Wade (34:47.469)
And what's it like being a mom?
Amanda Avila (34:50.208)
I never realized how much I wanted to be a mom. I think something was always missing. I loved performing and I loved traveling, and I would always say, I'm too selfish to be a mom. I don't want to weigh myself down. If I get a show in Hong Kong, I want to be able to go. And once my daughter was born, it just grounded me. Not that I don't still want to be able to get up and go, but she can come, you know.
Maren Wade (35:19.938)
Yeah, yeah.
Amanda Avila (35:21.506)
I think that's what a lot of people don't realize. Being a mom doesn't end your career. You can definitely still do anything you want and just bring your baby with you. Let her see things. Let her travel. She's such a little joy. She doesn't like to sing, and she doesn't like my singing, which is pretty funny.
Maren Wade (35:40.334)
You know what? I feel like my son's the same way. It's really funny. He's not interested in it either. Although he's animated. But I think he's probably gonna have more of an engineering brain, like his dad, which, quite honestly, is fine. I mean, let's be honest, I want him to become a doctor. But part of me did like the idea of being a raging stage mom.
Amanda Avila (36:02.582)
No, I still want that. I definitely was like, she's gonna come out singing. I'm gonna teach her. I put her in ballet when she was like three, and no, she doesn't like to do what she's told or follow the leader. That is something she is not into. Even when she was a little baby, I would sing to her and she'd be like, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom. She says I'm too loud.
Maren Wade (36:26.008)
That's what my son says. He literally goes, it's too loud. It's distracting. It's too loud. It definitely made me question, does it even sound good? To anyone?
Amanda Avila (36:37.720)
She likes to go when I sing. She says, Mama, you're going to sing with Uncle David, so she likes to go and watch, and she'll dance. And she's very animated. She likes to act out her little shows. She'll come and do a whole scene, and I have no idea what she's talking about.
Maren Wade (36:56.878)
Well, so there you go. Maybe it's just a different
Amanda Avila (36:59.598)
Actress someday. Yeah. But she definitely doesn't do it on demand. I feel like it didn't change that much when it came to performing. And I also feel like it did change the way that I can sing now. I can sing with so much more emotion, because I just have this overwhelming love that I never had before. So those are the positives, obviously. The negatives are, there are times that
I don't want to go perform. I would just rather stay home with my kid. Comes with age.
Maren Wade (37:30.388)
Yeah. I think, in general, that is always an interesting thing. When you have to perform every night, right? Or five nights a week, or six nights a week. I think that was also something I struggled with. You have to go, whether you feel like it or not, right? Everybody's got to go to work, whether you feel good or whether you don't. And I think, to a certain level, I really admire the discipline in our field of having to do that, right?
You just have to deliver. It's just not an option.
Amanda Avila (38:02.294)
Yeah. I don't think there's any world where I would stop singing, ever. But I know that moving to Hawaii and slowing down and having my daughter, I'm definitely in a much more peaceful part of my life right now. Yeah. The show was just hard. It's hard. And I think that's the part of it that people don't realize. It's not glamorous. The glamour is probably like twenty percent.
And the rest of it is just gnarly. You're hustling, you know, your toes are bleeding, or your fishnets are stuck on your rhinestones. You know.
Maren Wade (38:43.328)
But that twenty percent, right? That twenty percent is quite an adrenaline high.
Amanda Avila (38:47.918)
Oh, honey. Yeah, for sure. Skydiving is probably the closest thing to the adrenaline high I got from singing the anthem at the fights. Like the big
Maren Wade (39:00.171)
Yeah. I remember when you did that on HBO.
Amanda Avila (39:03.470)
I remember that. That's a funny story. So I sang at the [check fight name] fight, and it was huge, and it was incredible. And I remember that feeling of that stage and the lights and the crowd. And then I left there and I sang at the Excalibur.
Maren Wade (39:22.446)
Honestly, that's Vegas. That is. I love it so much, because people really don't understand that you can go from doing the biggest event to literally going in and doing, you know
Amanda Avila (39:37.484)
Johnny Kats wrote an article about it, and he said, from fifty million to fifty. Exactly. I sang for fifty million people and then walked down the road and sang for people playing slot machines.
Maren Wade (39:50.476)
Yeah, so that's what it is. I will say the anthem is by far one of the most nerve-wracking gigs that we ever have to do. The anthem singer gigs. You go through it over and over, and you're like, I can't forget a word. I can't forget a word. You can't mess that one up. And then remembering the key, right? Your perfect key. That always made me so angry.
Amanda Avila (40:08.718)
Can't forget.
Amanda Avila (40:18.302)
Start low. Always start low.
Maren Wade (40:23.010)
And then they would start playing the music in between, and I'm just like, where's this note? Now I have to keep the note in my head.
Amanda Avila (40:30.102)
I literally just repeat it over and over in my head. Start low, start low, start low. Because if you start too high, by "the rocket's red glare," you're done. You're done. Anyone who's done it knows. Not too low, but low enough.
Maren Wade (40:41.534)
Mm-hmm.
Maren Wade (40:46.830)
Well, thank you for taking the time to reminisce and share all of your amazing adventures. And I guess I gotta plan a trip to Hawaii soon, because it's been too long. And oh my God, we'll do it all over again. Maybe I'll remember the words this time. Yeah. Believe me, I'll be the one forgetting the words. We'll ask the audience to sing along. Exactly.
Amanda Avila (40:56.394)
Please.