Up Close With The American Idols - Chikezie

Chikezie Eze - who professionally goes by his first name only - entered this year's American Idol competition the most experience as well as the least experience. Having tried out three times prior, he was a veteran of the show's arduous audition process. Unlike fellow contestants such as David Cook, Carly Smithson, Michael Johns and Kristy Lee Cook - who had achieved various levels of professional experience - Chikezie had very little public exposure.

Personally I thought Chikezie was one of the best vocalists of this season, however he was often criticized by the judges for being "boring." Though he turned in some exciting performances with the rousing "I Believe To My Soul" and the unique bluegrass-rock fusion of "She's A Woman," viewers seemed to lose interest in Chikezie. Ultimately he was voted off Idol in tenth place.

Chikezie himself shrugs off any notion that his tenth place finish equates failure. He is happy to be on the American Idol tour (which exclusively features the top ten finalists). He's also concentrating on what's next for his career. In person, Chikezie comes across as very laid back, almost shy. "You're so quiet I almost forgot you were here!" the press coordinator told him before bringing him over to my table.

While he may be a bit reserved, he is passionate about music. When he talked about writing music and his influences, he spoke of his favorite things with genuine passion.

How has the tour been going? Is it everything you expected it to be?

Oh yeah, it's fun. I couldn't have expected anything because I've never done anything close to this. I knew everything was going to be a surprise, so I just prepared myself for good [times] coming.

Were you working on becoming a professional singer before auditioning for American Idol?

Well, I've been singing since I was about twelve or thirteen. But it's become more serious for me recently as I was getting ready for the show. I was actually seriously considering a career, you know? I knew that regardless of how the show went, I was going to do music. So the fact that it went well, in my favor, was great.

Article Author: Sherry Lipp

Sherry writes mostly music and dvd reviews and on occasion she gets to do an interview. She plays the guitar, enjoys playing with her dog Pepsi and she and her husband are currently in the process of internationally adopting from Poland.

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