ABS CBN Interview
An interview with ABS CBN, a Filipino News Network! Very good interview!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Dallas Vids
Heartless & All These Things I've Done ; Bright Lights & Hey Jude
Video credits to aredorchid8201
NewsOK article
No tabloid-ready rivalry, no behind-the-scenes sniping and recrimination, no senseless drama — in short, Season 8 of "American Idol” was nicer than nice. And this year’s champion, Kris Allen, couldn’t be happier.
"I think a lot of people have seen that, and that’s where I think this year was kind of cool: No one was just trying to go out there and beat the other person,” said Allen, who performs with his fellow finalists in "American Idols Live” at 7 tonight at Tulsa’s BOK Center. "They were just trying to do their best. If you won, you won, and if you didn’t, hopefully cool things would happen for you.”
For this year’s Top 10 finalists — Allen, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre — "American Idols Live” is the first of those cool things. The concert is a victory lap, a chance for the singers to connect directly with their fans and play favorite songs from the show.
Allen, a 24-year-old Little Rock, Ark., singer-songwriter, went all the way with his organic-acoustic interpretations of songs such as Kanye West’s "Heartless” and Bill Withers’ "Ain’t No Sunshine.” In the final round, the soft-spoken and understated Allen went up against Adam Lambert, a fiery performer who was at his best doing Led Zeppelin and Queen songs.
The softer approach won out, with Allen beating Lambert by fewer than a million votes, but Allen said he’s not quite ready to be put in a box. He said "American Idol” offered him the opportunity to show his stylistic range.
"Yeah, I think a lot of people put me in that ‘singer-songwriter’ genre, but I don’t see myself strictly in that,” Allen said. "I guess I’m kind of versatile, and being on the show opened me up to that. I don’t know if I ever surprised myself, but some of the stuff that comes out is surprising.”
Allen always fared best when putting his own spin on unexpected covers, such as his earthy acoustic version of Donna Summer’s "She Works Hard for the Money.” That range earned Allen some unusual post-"Idol” performing opportunities: He sang "Get Ready” with Motown legend Smokey Robinson at the annual Walmart shareholders meeting on June 5, and two days later he delivered the national anthem during the NBA finals.
Now, Allen is preparing his first post-"Idol” disc — his first album, "Brand New Shoes,” was recorded and released in 2007. He is reportedly working with former Evanescence keyboardist David Hodges and Joe King of The Fray on material for the album, due this fall. But for now, his primary focus is on "American Idols Live.”
Following the Tulsa performance tonight, Allen will play Saturday at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock — his home turf. Allen said he isn’t planning any special songs for his homecoming, but he knows that his Arkansas date will be a standout on the tour.
"I think more than anything, it will just have an energy about it that will feel special,” he said.
Image Credit to: Annalee Barclay Read more...
Sync Weekly Interview
Click for full interview
Excerpts:
Sync: That leads me to my next question. The Verizon Arena show will be your homecoming show. What’s your thought process now as you approach that show?
Kris: It’s crazy. The day the tickets went on sale my brother called me and said, “You know what? The show sold out in like a couple of hours.” And I was like, “Are you serious?” I know it’s not just me, but we sold out Verizon Arena. That’s crazy to think about. I’m so excited cause I’m just so excited to go home. It’s going to be nice to be back in central Arkansas. Seeing family and friends. When you go back home you just feel that love. That’ll be good.
Sync: You mentioned writing on the road; are you able to record on the road?
Kris: We’ll be recording some stuff that we will do on the road. We’ll be in different studios. I’ll fly out to [Los Angeles] and do some different recording. There will definitely be some of that.
Sync: Any final word for the people of Arkansas?
Kris: Arkansas is the reason I’m in this position right now so I’m just always hoping that I’m a good role model for people from Arkansas, and that I’m a good representative of the state as well because I know Arkansans, we kind of cling to anything that comes from there. I hope I’m a good representative of the state. And just thank you to the fans. I appreciate you guys so much, and I know that you guys care so much. It’s really nice.
Sync: How many people are sharing a bus with you?
Kris: The buses are split up guys and girls, so it’s seven guys and three girls. Our bus also has a security guard, like the hair guy and another guy so we have like 11 people on our bus. It’s pretty packed. But it’s good.
Img credit to Alesha68 and krispics Read more...
Interviews with Kris's parents
Kris's parents did several great interviews, this past day.
Fox 16 Interview
Click for Arkansas Matters Video
Click for THV (Local CBS affiliate) interview
They are also slated for another interview tomorrow morning.
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