Kris Allen Daily: 08/06/09

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Newsday Interview

Excerpts:
Since Kris Allen's victory on "American Idol," the laid-back 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Conway, Ark., has been working nonstop, moving back and forth from the "American Idols Live" tour to working on his debut album.
"It's tough," says Allen, calling from a tour stop in Washington, D.C. "It's almost like you have to switch your brain over to the other side. It's a whole different animal. Touring is a whole different mind-set from recording."
Is touring what you thought it would be?
It's probably a little more work than I thought it would be, but other than that, the traveling is great. We're having a blast.
Can you talk about who you're working with on the album and what it will sound like?
I think I'm going to keep that under wraps for now. We are working hard with some artists, some pretty big writers in L.A. and we're getting in some songs as well. We've got some pretty good stuff so far. . . . I would say it's in the pop-rock genre - that genre is huge, but somewhere in there, with something a little bit different that I think people will like.
There was some controversy about you not singing "No Boundaries" in the set anymore. What happened?
We had it in there and the tour director came up to me with some other people and were like, "What if we put something a little bit more energetic in place of it?" I was like, "OK, let's see what we've got," and I came up with the idea of doing the Killers' song "All These Things That I've Done" and we just kind of ran with it. It was kind of a boost in my set.
So how do you feel about the song [co-written by "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi]?
Um, no comment. I think it's a really good song.
Have you had any surprises on the tour?
I think the fans are a little bit crazier than I thought they were going to be. They like to touch you and sometimes in ways that maybe they shouldn't . . . but those people buy records, too.

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Excerpts:

The latest "Idol" winner taught himself to play guitar at 13 and had encouragement from his father, who was a musician. It only took writing one song for the nascent talent to know he was hooked on music, he said. "It wasn't that good but I felt like it was the one thing that I could do forever."
Now, making music full-time is a thrill. But he's not stopping there, as he uses the "American Idol" tour to propel himself further as a musician. Allen recently dropped from the tour his signature track, "No Boundaries," which won him the "Idol" title in favor of a cover of a song by the Killers, "All These Things That I've Done."
"The tour director came up to me and asked if would be willing to change it, so we put in a song that has a little more energy and I really feel like the crowd has responded well," Allen explained. He is slated to release his first album this fall.

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Excerpt

Q: What was your strategy to win the crown, or did you just take it week-by-week?
A: There were some things I wanted to do to set myself apart. I think the "Heartless" thing set me apart - that was a real eye-opener.
Q: Did you feel any extra pressure to stand out, given all the attention Adam Lambert received from the media and judges?
A: For me, the only person that put pressure on me was myself. No one was going to put any pressure on me - I put a lot of pressure on myself. People saying that Adam was amazing - I was like, "You know what, he is amazing" - there was no pressure caused by that.
Q: Much has been made of your friendship with Lambert, given your identifying as a Christian and his coming out as gay. Do you see it as an unlikely bond?
A: I don't see why it would be unlikely. I think we're all people. Just because he doesn't believe in what I believe in doesn't make us not alike. We've become really good friends - people are people. We're going to be friends, no matter what.
Q: Which part of your "Idol" experience really stands out?
A: One of the best experiences I had was singing with Adam when Brian May (from Queen) was playing guitar. That was one of my favorite moments. Singing ("We Are the Champions") up there with your friend and a legend - that was pretty cool.
Q: What do you have planned for your album?
A: I'm pretty sure we can get out enough stuff so that 100 percent is not from the show. I've done a lot of writing sessions - it's going really well. We're getting into the swing of things and pumping out some songs. I think the sound will be pop-rock and definitely will have an organic vibe, as well.
Q: Is there a release date?
A: We're all going to try to get our records out before Thankgiving - me, Adam and Allison (Iraheta).
Q: How do you envision your career shaking out?
A: I don't know - someone like John Mayer, who's been through three different phases of his career - he did the acoustic pop thing and everyone loved that. Then he came out with the trio thing and everyone loved that. And then he came out with the bluesy album - someone like him, who I feel his music has gotten better throughout his time in the music industry - that would be great.