I think that’s great that you take your celebrity and do something purposeful with it.
We’ve all received plenty of help, you gotta give it back.
With Idol tryouts going on, what advice do you have for future contestants?
Save your money, cause if you make it and you get past the rounds and you’re in it, they don’t really take care of you until it gets down to the nitty gritty. You need a little cushion to fall back on for living expenses or whatever, pay your bills and stuff. Start saving now, have a nice cushion to land on.
Were you shocked with Ellen’s decision to leave?
Not at all. I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t anticipate it or anything, but I definitely understand where she’s coming from. Ellen’s a sweet-hearted lady, I could see her being a little uncomfortable judging people. In her career, she’s been judged so much too, I couldn’t see where she’d want to do that for a living to anyone else.
Do you think that it is more important for the new judge to be a success in the music world or be an industry insider?
The thing that Ellen brought to the show was the consumer’s attitude and opinion. I think that as far as replacing Ellen goes, they should have another music appreciator, maybe a music critic or a writer, someone who knows music and things like that. And maybe for Simon’s spot, definitely an insider in the industry, who can spot talent when they see it.
I read recently, that they [Idol] are talking about focusing more on you guys the performers, more so than casting. Do you think in the past, while you were on the show that they focused more on casting over your actual performances?
They definitely do that. Through my experience in the tryouts and everything, there were some phenomenal, phenomenal people who didn’t make it. I’m not really sure why, if it was a look they were looking for, if it was a certain thing, but I think it is character casting almost, and it should focus more on the music.
With the tour coming to a close, what are you going to take from this experience?
A long nap, that’s what I’m going to take. A long nap. This has definitely been an experience, one we can learn from about life on the road and how to do it. And what it takes to have this lifestyle and be this busy. I’ll know what to expect on one of my own tours, and all of this is really testing yourself on what you can really handle.
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