Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, filed January 14, 2015
Season 8 winner Kris Allen is arguably the most unassuming, most unlikely winner to date. He was not seasoned. He said he had no idea how to break into the music business before trying out for "Idol." Producers had so little faith in him that they gave him almost zero airtime until the live shows.
Yet he won, beating the more outgoing and outrageous Adam Lambert. Kris connected with what he sang and he emoted with surprising soul. He provided interesting takes to unlikely songs. He came across as humble, likable and approachable. Fans related to him. He was not Vegas. He was not L.A. He was Middle America Everyman for the "Idol" audience.
And since he left the show, Allen has carved out a solid career. It's fair to say he's not a superstar. But he never had any intention or desire to be the next Justin Timberlake or John Mayer. He just wanted to build a fan base that cared about him and his thoughtful soulful pop/rock tunes and he has succeeded. He generated one huge hit "Live Like We're Dying" and then faded from public view but he has managed to make a living nonetheless.
He has performed a couple of times at Eddie's Attic in the past and is set to appear January 30 at Mill Town Music Hall in Bremen, GA not far from the Alabama border off I-20. (Buy tickets here.)
I spoke with Kris Tuesday and here are some of the highlight, including why he recently moved to Nashville, how a nasty head-on car collision two years ago has impacted his guitar playing, an ill-fated audition for the "Rock of "Ages" film and a fanboy experience with Boyz II Men. And I found it amusing that his time on the West Coast has rubbed off on him. He used both "rad" and "stoked" in our conversation!
His right arm will never be 100%: "I'm doing as good as I can. I'm doing great. I can play. But I deal with stuff every day. It's pretty gnarly what happened. It will never be the same. The thing is you learn and grow from the stuff that happens to you. I'm just trying to do that. And I feel because of the limitations, I've become a better guitar player. There's this motivation to get back what you have and you put in even more time." The good news, he said, is the average fan shouldn't notice.
Why he's left his home state to tackle Nashville five months ago: "There are three things I primarily do: tour, write music and spend time with family. Living in Arkansas, my job took me away from family. By moving to Nashville, I can record and play music and still come home at night. I want to see my kids grown up and be a part of their lives."
Not a TV watcher: He said he's blessed he had his song "Lost" inserted into two CW shows "Arrow" and "Vampire Diaries." But he admits that he watches none of those shows - or TV in general. "I come from TV," he mused, "but I am not a TV guy."
Still grateful for "Idol": "I pay attention as much as possible. I still think the show is great. I like the judges. The show has proven itself. It's a better story than some of the others. 'The Voice' is a great show too but I don't think they have the storylines that 'Idol' does."
Kris's fans are not Claymates: "They're incredibly respectful. They care about me and my time. They want to see the best for me."
And he doesn't take it personally if people are not up on his life: "People do ask me, 'Are you still making music?' Uh, yes. Absolutely. All the time! But it's totally fine. People are not all going to my website. They have memories of the show. Really, all I wanted was an opportunity to make this my career. I was ignorant about becoming a musician until 'Idol' came along. I'm 100 times thankful for 'Idol' for giving me the opportunity to have people listen to my music on a pretty wide scale."
DaisyS from Twitter asked what his favorite boy band is: "I was enthralled as a kid with Boyz II Men. I knew every song on Boyz II Men's II CD [from 1994]. It was pretty much all I played for two years. I rode the plane one time with Shawn [Stockman] on a plane. I was super stoked. I didn't say anything during the flight. We landed in Arkansas. He was there for some reason. I went up to him and said, 'I'm a huge fan. I never do this but here is my CD.' Apparently, he listened to it and he Twittered me about it. That was the coolest moment ever!" Normally, he keeps his distance from celebrities in airports but Stockman was his one exception - and it paid off.
Why he loves to cover other people's music, which he did quite well on "Idol": "I love other people's music. I know when I go to a show, I like to hear songs I know. I always throw a couple in to my sets." He did Sia's "Chandelier" on his last tour because he admires her and the song. "It fit well with my voice and the set we were doing. I put together this really simple arrangement."
Where he finds new music: Spotify. "I know Taylor Swift doesn't like it but I do. There are some things they have to figure out in terms of what they do for the artists. Still, it's a great platform for trying new music. That's pretty cool."
Writing for indie films: "It's been great, man. A totally different mindset. It's kind of nice to have something to write about. You read the script and get a vibe or feeling. The newest one I did for this movie 'Fork,' a short film. I wrote lyrics which were sucky. So it became an instrumental piece. And they really loved it. It's going to be really rad. It's fun to do something outside of yourself."
The Mary Steenburgen connection: Twitter fan S.G. asked me to talk to him about Academy Award winning actress Steenburgen, a fellow Arkansas native. Apparently, she contacted him in 2009 while he was on "Idol." She wanted to write music with him. So they have, on and off, over the past five years. "She's an amazing songwriter," he said. "She's great with lyrics, really creative. We don't write in person very often. We usually Skype because we're always in different places. She's the sweetest, nicest person. It's fun to work with her."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
The Oscar for Best Actor does not go to... Despite his ties to Steenburgen, his desire to act is not exactly high. He did try out once for the lead Drew Boley in the film version of "Rock of Ages." (Fellow "Idol" finalist Constantine Maroulis was nominated for a Tony for playing that role on Broadway.) "My audition was horrendous," he said. "I don't have the acting chops for that. The guy who got the role (Diego Boneta) came in right after me. My thought was I was so bad, I made him look even better!"
Twitter fan Nordlyset asked me to ask him why he takes so many selfies: This inquiry confused Kris. "I don't feel like I take that many. I'm not a huge selfie taker. I just got a new phone because my old one's front camera was broken so for awhile I couldn't even take selfies!"
Last big concert seen: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "There's nothing fancy about it. Just rock and roll. They sound so good. Even at his age, Tom Petty is so intense and intriguing on stage." [Kris has covered "Breakdown" in concert.]
Bluebird Cafe bound!: Tonight, he plans to play his first show at the famous Nashville spot Bluebird Cafe (made even more famous by the ABC show "Nashville'). "I'm really excited about it!" he said.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
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Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" came out a couple of days ago and it has hit written all over it. If you haven't heard it, here it is:
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Randy Jackson's "America's Best Dance Crew" is returning on MTV. The show ran from 2008 to 2012 before taking a three-year hiatus.
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Paula Abdul might be taking on a judge role on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." Mary Murphy's departure paves the way for Abdul, who was always more of a choreographer than singer. (There's a reason we never heard her sing live on "Idol," ahem.) Nigel Lythgoe is the producer and judge on SYTYCD and oversaw "Idol" during its prime years with Abdul. She has guest judged on the show before.
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Billboard argues that "American Idol" needs to take a hiatus - like 'America's Best Dance Crew" did. Take a few years off, let people miss the show and come back.
I agree.
We argued last year on this blog to make season 14 the final year and turn it into a nostalgia fest with visits from Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul and all that jazz. They could do that in 2016 instead. It would provide Fox a ratings boost and give the show a sendoff it deserves.
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