Navigation

Jana Nyberg’s Idol Experience

Jana Nyberg, a Twin Cities jazz vocalist who calls Door County her second home, will celebrate the release of her band’s new album Fever with a show at the Martin Park bandshell in Sturgeon Bay Aug. 11. It’s a release a year in the making, or rather, the delaying.

A year ago the Jana Nyberg Group (Nyberg on vocals, husband Adam Meckler on trumpet, guitarist Evan Montgomery, bassist Matt Peterson and percussionist Derek Dreier) was primed to unleash the aforementioned album when a shot at Hollywood got in the way.

Jana Nyberg brought her jazz groove to the American Idol stage last winter.

Nyberg was performing at a wedding in Milwaukee in the summer of 2010 when the television show American Idol was hosting tryouts at the Bradley Center. Friends had implored her to try out for the show for years, and at 28 (the cutoff age for the show) she figured she might as well give it a shot.

“I don’t even watch the show, but I thought it would be fun and it was the last chance I would have,” she said.

She had no idea what kind of ordeal was in store for her. She waited all night to register for the famous arena-style cattle call with 12,000 other hopefuls, dreamers, and not-a-chancers at the Bradley Center. The odds were daunting, but her renditions of “His Eye Is On The Sparrow,” “Something to Talk About,” and “Black Coffee” earned her a trip to the Milwaukee Hilton for two more rounds of auditions.

Another successful performance garnered her a call-back for celebrity judging with Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson, and Steven Tyler at the Milwaukee Art Museum in October. This presented a challenge beyond nerves – she had to keep her advancement a secret for three months.

“Throughout the whole process you have to sit on this secret and not talk about anything,” she said. “All I was allowed to say really was ‘You’ll just have to watch the show.’”

If she let her status leak her journey was over.

Nyberg wasn’t an obsessed Idol fan, which helped her keep her cool, but the seasoned performer still found herself dealing with unexpected jitters.

“You show up at 5 am for each round,” she said, “and some people don’t sing until 10 pm, and you have just 30 seconds to prove yourself. It was like no other kind of pressure I’ve ever felt before, whether you really wanted to be on the show or not. Plus, you’re doing everything constantly surrounded by a camera.”

Nyberg drew the second-to-last audition of the day. She sang Colbie Caillat’s song “Capri,” but the judges struggled with whether her jazz style would translate to pop radio. But Nyberg – not a shy individual – cajoled and eventually convinced them that her voice and personality warranted a trip to Hollywood.

Once there, she didn’t get much screen time (she said she’s not drama-worthy enough for TV) aside from one special skill, the worm.

“They point the camera at you and expect you to do something crazy,” she said. “Well, I can do the worm.”

When the promos for the show aired, Nyberg’s worm flashed on the screen and she found herself known as “the worm girl.” Though her Hollywood journey lasted just one round, Nyberg said it was a great learning experience.

“I have no regrets,” she said. “

You can catch the “worm girl” all weekend as the Jana Nyberg Group celebrates the release of Fever with performances at the Gordon Lodge at 6 pm Aug. 12, then twice Aug. 13, first at 3 pm at the Sister Bay Festival of the Arts, then again at Husby’s Garage at 6 pm.

You can sample Jana’s music and download two free songs from the new album at janajazz.com.

Catch the Fever

Jana Nyberg Group’s Upcoming Performances

Aug. 12 at 6 pm, Gordon Lodge

Aug. 13 at 3 pm, Sister Bay Festival of the Arts

Aug. 13 at 6 pm, Husby’s Garage