Interview: Casey James from American Idol

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with newly signed Sony Nashville artist, Casey James as he finished up his time on the road with the American Idol Live tour.

Backstage at the Sacramento, CA tour stop, we talked about what kind of sound to expect on his upcoming album, if he was shocked about Ellen leaving, and what advice he has for future contestants.

You just got signed.

Yeah.

How does that feel?

It feels amazing. It feels like a dream, you know? I’ve worked really hard for a lot of years to get to this point. I’m just thankful and I feel really blessed. I feel like everything is kind of clicking right now. It’s hard to believe.

Very cool. You’re signed with Sony Nashville, so are you going to be leaning towards more of a country feel or stay along the lines of more of a rock feel?

I think it kind of came across on the show is that I’m a country, rock, and blues guy, and that’s what the album is going to be. It’ll have a lot of guitar in it. It’s hard to describe it, cause I’m not really right down the middle.

Do you have any ideas about who you’d like to collaborate with as far as writing goes?

That’s all being talked about right now. Sorry!

It’s all good. How’s the tour going? I was actually at the Mountain View show.

Ahhh, that’s one of my faves!

You kicked off that second half of the show, it was so much fun.

Thank you so much, that was like one of my favorites. The crowd there was just amazing. And what I really loved about that show, was that all the crowd was right there on the stage, everything was so intimate. It was a great show.

The tour’s going great. I know personally for me, it’s a honor to get to play for everybody who put us here, put me here specifically especially, and to get to meet the people. And to play these huge venues is unbelievable. If you had told me a year ago that I was going to be playing a place like this even for just four songs, I would have laughed at ‘cha. It’s awesome.

Do you have any fun stories from the bus?

[laughs]

That you can share, anyway?

Yeah, good point. Nothing really, no. I mean, we have a good time I’ll put it that way. We have a great time. Everybody’s getting along really well. The buses are so nice that if you want to get some private space you can get in your bunk. It’s good. Everybody’s respectful, so it’s nice.

The tour ends very soon, what are you going to look back on and remember the most?

I tend to not look back to be honest with you, but I think I will always keep with me the memories of this as a whole and as being together with the people that went through the situation with me. The whole experience, it’s obviously never going to leave me, it’s given me the ability to go out and do what I love to do. It’s pretty huge.

I have a couple questions about the judges. Were you shocked about Ellen’s decision to leave?

I’m never shocked by anything in the world. It’s always interesting when somebody chooses to do something different. I think she did a great job on the show. I’m a fan of hers, personally. I’ll always watch the show, and it will be interesting to see who fills her spot.

As far as the next crop of contestants goes, do you think the next judge should be someone who has been successful in the business as a singer or leader singer of a band or an industry insider, who knows a lot about what goes on behind the scenes?

It’s hard to tell. I think really it’s about getting someone who has a good personality and knows what they’re talking about and that the general public can believe when they say it’s good or bad. That’s really kind of the point of the show, having people up there pouring their hearts out and having somebody critiquing it.

What advice would you give to future contestants?

Be yourself. Period. Because nobody’s like you, you’re born an individual. Everybody is special and you don’t need to try to be special, you know? Everybody has their strengths, and beauty and talent. If you believe in that, then people are going to believe with you.

I have some fan questions. What’s the most random item you’ve been asked to sign on tour?

I signed a girl’s stomach once. It was weird. But like stomach, not her shirt, but her actual stomach. I thought that was interesting.

Favorite kitchen appliance?

Toaster.

What shampoo and conditioner do you use?

I’m gonna keep that a secret. Right now I’m on six days of neither.

Oh, well alright.

[laughs]

What is your most asked question on Twitter?

You know, people don’t really pelt me with a bunch of the same questions.

Do you think that’s a good tool for you guys while you’re on tour to talk to fans?

I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s a great tool for anyone. I like connecting with my audience, my crowd, the people that follow me, my fans, if you will. I think that it’s important that they understand who I am and where I’m coming from. I think they’ll get my music better and appreciate me more as an artist. To keep plugged in with them, I feel is an important piece of the puzzle as far as that goes.

I think it’s a great way, it’s not as good as maybe being able to sit there and talk on the phone with someone, but I can’t do that for 16,000 people. It’s nice to have to have that outlet to essentially voice my thoughts, emotions and feelings, and have people hear it and respond. And I get to respond with them. And they come up with a lot of things. People see things in you that you can’t see in yourself sometimes, it’s interesting. And it’s always good to keep in touch that way, because people can keep you in the loop about you sometimes. I know it sounds funny. I think it’s awesome.

Have a great show tonight, I’ll be here watching.

Awesome, thank you so much, enjoy again!

Thanks!