I think everybody had difficulties with that dynamic, turning the family into a band and being constantly together. So everybody, as individuals. had things to sort out.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
We used to really feel like the band was our family.
The one thing that kept our family together was the music. The only thing that our family would share emotionally was to have our dad cry over something the kids did with music.
Well, being that, at the house and being in the competition, it was very hard to be with family. We couldn't have visitors out of respect for everyone else there. But, being the American Idol, the focus would have been on me.
I started imagining this whole different world. It was a society of musicians, a family I hoped I could belong to one day.
My mom and dad - they were always there. They were always on the set. They focused on our family life. The entertainment business wasn't the end-all. They weren't out to get the next big paycheck or the next big movie. It was about 'What can we do as a family.'
As children we recognized that we belonged to an unusual, even exceptional, family, but the effect was different on each of us.
But while mum and dad were incredibly caring, it was also a very chaotic household where everyone fought about everything. So I know what it's like to internalize all that chaos.
When you get together in a group, it becomes like a family, with the different personalities and the politics that comes with being in a band. It's different than bringing something in by yourself.
We weren't your mainstream '50s family. Both my parents had wonderful, eccentric, artistic friends who treated us as friends as well. How your mind worked was considered important.
My family was very unorthodox. My mother was very eccentric and amazing. She always treated us like adults.