If Kady Malloy ever came to a crossroads, perhaps she will tell the world she was only imitating the topsy-turvy world of a bona fide pop phenomenon. Hey, as long as she is not caught in a custody battle with someone named Kyle Federcircle and quoted by the media as saying “Oops! I did it again,” then Malloy should stick to poking fun at Britney Spears while also pursuing a singing career.

“She’s always been one of my idols,” the 19-year-old aspiring singer from Katy, Texas told Buzzine about why she imitates Spears. “I used to do it as a joke with my friends.”

A short time passed before Malloy was asked about her favorite star, this time in the context of establishing herself as an Icon — an American Idol.

“(American) Idol asked me if I had any hidden talents, and I told them about my imitations,” Malloy said of her auditions for the popular television program. In addition to Spears, the blonde buxom can also imitate Cher.

Malloy may have thought of her auditions for Idol the same way as her ability to imitate musicians –- a joke with friends. In fact, Malloy traveled to the Dallas audition only to accompany her best friend. She had no intention of actually performing in front of the judges.

Still attending Taylor High School at the time, Malloy knew she wanted to pursue a singing career and was already trying to put the pieces together without any help from Idol.

“I wasn’t planning on trying out on Idol,” Malloy candidly told Buzzine. “I was already working on something with some people who knew people at Universal.”

However, Malloy auditioned at the insistence of her best friend, with the judges taking her about as seriously as she took them. The judges gave her a one-way map to the exit, and she was not invited back to the second round.

Okay, so she was not “In The Zone;” her performance did not make the judges say “Baby One More Time!”

Perhaps Malloy could blame the heat -– temperatures topped 100 degrees in Dallas during the summer auditions, with the normal Texas humidity only adding to the discomfort.

Then again, only 30 of the 10,000-plus aspiring “musicians” who trekked to the larger-than-life Texas Stadium were actually selected to move on to the next phase in Los Angeles.

Of course, with more than 10,000 contestants in a partially-covered football stadium in the thick of summer, surely one would think the organizers would provide enough water.

Malloy told Buzzine to think otherwise -– the water had evaporated quicker than her chances to qualify for the second round of auditions.

So what, exactly, happens at an American Idol audition without water during summertime in Dallas?

Malloy broke it down for Buzzine, saying it is nothing more than a cattle call organized by the show’s producers and judges.

At the cattle call, the contestants are told they will perform in front of one of three judges present. Each singer is given 30 seconds to perform a song of his or her choice. For Malloy, that song was “How Do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes.

With 10,000-plus contestants waiting for their 30 seconds of fame, naturally there is a lot of sitting around and waiting, which is actually good practice. According to Malloy, there was a lot more waiting to be had on the set of Idol as well.

As contestants wait their turn, what each person does to occupy themselves during the downtime is as diverse as the group of characters gathered at the stadium. For Malloy, she was just occupied with making sure she chose the right song.

“The hardest part is trying to pick the right songs that will showcase all that you can do,” Malloy said, adding that it became ever more difficult to choose the right song for the later auditions.

Speaking of later auditions, Malloy did not let the judges stop her from trying for the show again this year. When she arrived at Texas Stadium for her second attempt, she took it a little more seriously…and the judges responded by taking her a little more seriously too.

Alas, Malloy was one of the 30 selected to attend a second round of auditions in Los Angeles. It was at the second round where she interacted more with the judges, telling them of her different talents and performing longer versions of songs.

A handful of contestants would be eliminated from the second audition, with one final audition held to round out the final contestants for the actual show. The final two auditions are done in front of the usual judges -– Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul.

Then comes Fox’s big production, and those select few who were strong enough to endure three different auditions and survive the fierce competition finally had their chance to sing under the lights and in front of the camera.

For Malloy, that was actually a bit of a disappointment –- the producers told her (and everyone else) to focus solely on the camera and the judges, not the audience.

“They always tell you play up-camera and don’t worry about audience,” Malloy disappointedly told Buzzine. “I’m always used to working up the audience.”

While focusing on the camera and judges may have cramped her style, Malloy conceded the show was just one big production, and very straightforward.

“Everything is planned and structured,” she said. “It’s all very hurry-up-and-wait. They wake you up at 4:00 a.m., but nothing happens until the middle of the day. In the meantime, we’re just waiting around at the studio.”

All the waiting around is part of the show’s bigger test –- whether the singer has not just the talent but the patience and thick skin to pursue a lucrative singing career.

Of course, Idol’s treatment of contestants is a double-edged sword, according to Malloy.

“They want to see how tough you are,” she said. “They also don’t want anyone roughing up the set after they are criticized.”

Hence, a stringent audition procedure and the test of endurance — all hurdles to determine one’s strength of character, which apparently plays a significant role in climbing the Idol ladder.

For Malloy, it was all worth it. One of seven female semi-finalists, she was eliminated March 6th after performing Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever,” after performing “A Groovy Kind of Love” (The Mindbenders) and “Magic Man” (Heart) in the show’s previous two weeks.

Despite failing to climb all the way to the top, Malloy thinks Idol opened up several doors for her singing career. Further, singing in front of a large audience, listening to the judges’ criticism, and having the fans vote her off strengthened her resolve and helped her learn how to better handle the music business.

(Cowell may have helped boost her confidence when he told her after an audition, “Out of all of the people we have seen during this season, you are the best.”)

Since Idol, she has opened up for several acts, including several stage performances.

“I’m definitely more seasoned,” Malloy humbly said, believing that Idol gave her the confidence to perform comfortably on stage, which, in turn, will help her build a resume. “I’m still trying to find what sound I am trying to produce.”

Still only 19 years old, Malloy has some time to work, yet no matter her age, she will always remember the Idol experience.

“I was under so much pressure on Idol,” said Malloy. “Most of it does come from what the judges are going to say and being in front of an audience. It’s stressful.”

While Idol definitely polished some of Malloy’s character, there are two things she took away from the show that will never be apparent on screen or to any of the viewers –- confidence and friendship.

“I feel like I have the confidence to talk to big people now,” said Malloy, adding that she feels at ease talking to music executives, producers, and other big-wigs.

She also added she is in constant contact with fellow contestants. In fact, on a recent trip to Los Angeles, she crashed at an apartment of one of the contestants who lived nearby an award show she was scheduled to perform at.

Above all else, though, Idol also reaffirmed he love for music -– a concept never lost among the contestants but not always relayed to the audience.

“Music is always going to be there for me,” Malloy told Buzzine with a gleam in her eye. “Whenever I am singing, my mind kind of goes blank. It’s another state of being. It’s like I am having an out-of-body experience.”