S10

[My Alter Ego]

Slezak asked Haley that exact point in his exit interview, Haleyloonies, Haley said she was glad he noticed

I do remember that. I also remember her answer -- that she wasn't sure what it meant either. She recognized that he (Slezak) noticed; and tried to explain as best she could, since she wasn't really sure what Iovine meant. In truth, only Jimmy Iovine knows what he meant at that point.

I adore Michael Slezak, but he likes to "stir the pot" as well, because doing so generates more "clicks" for him, and that's what his job is about. Again, we don't know what may have been edited out, but I've learned to hold my "objective lens" up when Michael Slezak is involved.

You should all do the same.

[Tusk]

"Man, I AM a hard worker...."

That sounds like a response from someone who thinks their work ethic is being questioned to me

The point is a bit convoluted because of Michael sticking in the 'underlying' message that Haley wasn't wanted anymore my TPTB... that part I agree w/ you about Michael possibly stirring the pot. On the other hand, to me, she initially confirms Michael's first point about questioning work ethic, then goes on to say she didn't understand why Jimmy would see it that way because....

"Man, I AM a hard worker...."

[mercfan3]

Honestly, I think Idol made it look like Jimmy was questioning her work ethic.

I think his point was really "Look, you may not win American Idol but I'm interested in you..so show me what you are made of."

Jimmy could be a jerk sometimes, but he was clearly one of Haley's biggest advocates..as he wouldn't have done things like suggest the unreleased Lady Gaga song to Haley (and call up Lady Gaga to let Haley speak to her and get the okay) if he wasn't.

I do think Haley's not the biggest fan of rehearsal. And not in a lazy way..but I think improvisation and going with the feeling and where her voice takes her is so much of what music is to Haley that to rehearse something to death would probably kill a song for her. And perhaps that could be mistaken for not being a hard worker.

[john]

I do think Haley's not the biggest fan of rehearsal. And not in a lazy way..but I think improvisation and going with the feeling and where her voice takes her is so much of what music is to Haley that to rehearse something to death would probably kill a song for her. And perhaps that could be mistaken for not being a hard worker.

Haley has talked a number of times about loving to improvise and be spontaneous. And she has that voice that allows her to do all kinds of things vocally. But I think one reason she was able to nail Creep in a powerful and mature way is that she sang it all out several times before recording it. As a result she was able to refine her take on the song and give it practiced improvisation and prepared spontaneity.

[My Alter Ego]

"Man, I AM a hard worker...."

That sounds like a response from someone who thinks their work ethic is being questioned to me

The point is a bit convoluted because of Michael sticking in the 'underlying' message that Haley wasn't wanted anymore my TPTB... that part I agree w/ you about Michael possibly stirring the pot. On the other hand, to me, she initially confirms Michael's first point about questioning work ethic, then goes on to say she didn't understand why Jimmy would see it that way because....

"Man, I AM a hard worker...."

Perhaps because someone "supposedly on her side" was pushing the point. We don't know what Jimmy meant -- Haley wasn't sure, when Jimmy said it. We do know how Slezak chose (and it was a choice) to interpret it.

Perhaps I said the wrong thing to XAtlantic over the weekend when I told him I'm not a scientist. (I had PM-ed him about something that I thought he could explain for me -- he did!). I'm not a "hard" science "scientist." But I did learn a great deal in graduate school (and I did finish, and no, it's not a master's), and qualitative research was my my research approach.

As a result, what I see is what isn't known, and how Michael Slezak skewed perspectives/perceptions. Again, I adore Mr. Slezak, so I forgive him a great deal, but when he crosses that line I'm not going be accommodating. And this is one of those lines that, frankly, I don't think he needed to cross.

[john]

"..everything you do is being watched and monitored, both by the audience and by us."
"work ethic is a big thing" -- Jimmy
Haley -- "...that's funny that you bring that up about work - you guys really paid attention, didn't you...I remember that and I questioned that myself, and I thought 'man, I am a hard worker'...".
https://youtu.be/NWgGU4Vi-bw?t=269

I don't have a problem with that, but afterwards I wonder about Slezak's editing of his interview. Was what followed part of that same sequence of the interview? She mentions the word "work" but referrs to something being thrown off. To me it doesn't flow quite right -- suddenly they are talking about different genres. There are a couple parts of the interview where I think Slezak pieced together two parts of the interview as if they were part of the same sequence, but I suspect they weren't quite.

[mercfan3]

Personally MAE, I think Idol wanted viewers to believe that Jimmy was questioning Haley's work ethic. That was the point in the edit.

And, despite being a viewer for so long..I think Slezak falls for some of the producers tricks more often than he probably should.

IMO, his interpretation is the one Idol wanted viewers to have, the question is whether it was the intent of Jimmy.

[Satchvai]

Note from Miguel: The next 9 posts were split from the PMJ "Creep" thread.

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Lost halien here! I've been quite busy the last few years but have continued to follow Haley's career and buy everything as it comes out. This Creep video is incredible!!!!
I think Haley has done a fantastic job of learning to control and master that wonderful voice she has and it has really come to bear in the last few recordings she has done with PMJ. I went back and compared her earlier recordings from the AI era, and Listen Up, to the work she has put out recently. I was struck by how much more, for a lack of a better word, professional she now sounds. I can't stop listening to every vocal nuance she has put into Creep. I think people who are just now finding out about her may not appreciate just how much she has matured in the past few years. I have always loved her voice but I firmly think she is now ready, at least in comparison to 2012, to go to that next level and be the worldwide recording artist she is capable of being.
I still can't believe Jimmy Iovine questioned her work ethic. Girl is the hardest worker I've ever seen!

Satchvai! Glad you found your way back -- for a short time anyway. (Going forward, I'm just going to assume that you can only give snippets of time, and I, for one, will be appreciative of those snippets. I trust that you've been busy has been a good thing.)

While we are aware of certain aspects of Haley's life, I wonder what she's been doing (who has she been listening to?) that would lead her to that more mature voice you mentioned. Or, could it be a result of mulling the song for at least four years, letting it fully "gestate" (using this definition: to conceive and gradually develop in the mind)? We now know that she wanted to sing it on Idol.

Did Jimmy Iovine actually question her work ethic?? Really? Or have too many let Mr. Slezak's "conspiracy theories" reverberate in their heads. While I didn't necessarily understand what Jimmy's statement might have been getting at, I've never really bought into the "Haley lacks a work ethic" theory. And let's face it, we know those segments are heavily edited for whatever purpose TPTB wish to plant.

Thanks! I was executive director of a non-profit for people in recovery from mental health challenges for a couple years which took up a lot of my time. I now work from home with the same set of folks for a different company so I have a little more time on my hands

I think what I noticed was someone (Haley) who knows how to take constructive criticism and apply it to her craft. She has worked with some of the best vocalists, producers, songwriters and other artists in the world who have been there to coach her. She has also taken on every opportunity to collaborate with a wide range of musicians that keeps her in a state of constant growth. That is what I think I'm hearing when I listen to her vocals in the last year vs a couple years ago is all that work.

The properties of her voice are truly unique. I vaguely remember an article back in 2011 where someone did a pretty good job describing her voice has having the properties of a saxophone. The cracks, breathiness, occasional squeaks, rasp and smoothness that no vocalist I've ever heard can do. She has harnessed that ability, and believe me that is a LOT of ability to harness when you step back and analyze it, to become more "commercial" or a better term would be musical.

The criticism of her voice often was she inappropriately used those properties in ways that irritated some listeners. In "Creep" she uses them in a very emotive and effective way that enraptures the listener. The become part of the lyric, the story and the presentation. Her voice goes all gravelly, raspy and growly when she sings the word "weirdo" and in a moments time it goes clear as a bell on the next lyric.

And sorry to start a huge discussion over the Iovine comment! It just popped to mind.

[buzzenator]

Thanks! I was executive director of a non-profit for people in recovery from mental health challenges for a couple years which took up a lot of my time. I now work from home with the same set of folks for a different company so I have a little more time on my hands

What a coincidence...we have an opening for that position at Haley House!

[Himm2]

I just stumbled on this "Judges Choice" top 3 selection for Haley:

It was a very stupid choice by them IMO. It's an angry disjointed song. Can you think of any other "angry" song that Haley has sung of her own doing? She's had self-depreciating songs but not angry ones. And didn't it reinforce what some of Haley's critics were pushing? That same night her awesome choice was "What Is & What Shall Never Be" and Jimmy's choice was "Rhiannon". A third song choice by the judges like "Black Velvet" or "Creep" might have put her over the top, at least over Lauren.
I also think the Idol Producers further sabbotaged her by not showing the hometown crowd reaction to Haley getting the word about this Alanis Morissette song: