Interview: Nads Talks To Idol Contestants: Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen

Hey Gasmii, I talked to Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen, the next three Idol contestants that got voted into the top twelve last week.

Here’s the interview:

Allison Iraheta

Nads: How nervous were you before you performed, and why did you pick the song Alone as your first song?

Q: So my nerves…obviously you can tell about how much I have nerves before I sing. I guess I really try not to show them while I’m performing, because I try to really focus on the song and just not really focus on what’s going to bug me, what’s going to happen. So obviously anybody that’s going to be performing on a stage like that is going to get nervous.

And the song, I just really love the song Alone, and I love the band Heart. I had already thought about it beforehand that I really wanted to do that song, so I guess it helped me out you know.

(read more after the jump)

A: How do you feel about Paula’s comment comparing you to Kelly Clarkson?

Q: I have to take that compliment because it’s a big one. She’s amazing and I really admire her a lot.

A: Do you look to other bilingual singers, like Shakira or any of those people in that genre, to inspire you?

Q: Yes, definitely. I think it’s hard, actually, to go out there and do both English and Spanish, because a lot of people won’t be into that; you have to be really good. Obviously Shakira she’s good, you know, and it’s hard. She’s a real inspiration with the whole bilingual. I used to look into Selena because she was very bilingual and she was very well known because of that.

A: That’s so cool. How is your family? Is you family really overly protective?

Allison: Yes. Totally.

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Adam Lambert

Q: From musical theater to the Idol stage. What was your first musical role you booked?

A: I actually was cast in a production of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown when I was ten years old, and I played the role of Linus with the blanket.

Q: Simon had a mixed review of your performance. He went from calling it brilliant to excruciatingly bad. What do you have to say to that?

A: Well I responded on air, and I just kind of said well I guess that’s kind of music in general—you either love it or you don’t love it. Obviously I’m a risk taker. I kind of feel like I’m not easy listening. You know what I mean? I’m not going to be always the most digestible thing for everybody across the board; I’m specific, and I like to kind of blow it out the box and either you like it or you don’t.

Q: Is there any genre of music you’re terrified of singing or dreading if it pops up on the show?

A: Country week would obviously be a slight stretch for me if that comes up. I’m kind of up for the challenge; I like all different types of music and I feel like I could probably try to sing all different types of music. But we’ll see what the judges think.

Q: Whose career do you look up to the most and would want to model yourself after?

A: I think David Bowie has been a really, really, really cool artist. Just considering that he has reinvented himself, he took a ton of risks, both visually, lyrically, and musically. Obviously vocally we’re very different, but I think that along those other lines we have some similarities, and someone like that is a great model for me.

Q: How did you come up with your performance song?

A: I wanted to find something that was like classic rock that everybody would know and be able to kind of sing along to, at least the parts where I followed the melody. And then I wanted to be able to turn it around midway through and kind of break it down my own way, and so hopefully Satisfaction was the way to go on that.

And plus my mother is a huge Rolling Stones fan, and I kind of wanted to give her a little nod. I knew she was going to be there and I thought that would be kind of fun.

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Kris Allen

Q: What was your thought process in picking a Michael Jackson song?

A: You know it was a little scary, but you know I was really confident in what I was doing. I was just really, really happy that I didn’t get any comparisons to him, because that’s exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want anybody to compare me to Michael Jackson, so I’m glad that I accomplished that.

Q: There are three worship leader finalist now, can you talk a little about being a worship leader? Do you think being a worship leader helps your performance?

A: I’ve been doing it for about six years since I started college. And yes, it’s a different way to sing, but yes, it definitely helps you get a lot of practice singing. But it’s a little bit different; you have to go about it a different way when you’re actually performing, but it does help a lot.

Q: What kind of music do you see yourself putting out?

A: Probably you know I do a lot of acoustic soul kind of music.

Q: Did you want to audition for Idol on your own, or were you influenced by anyone to audition?

A: My brother actually wanted to try out, and I went with him. And we both tried out and I ended up making it a little bit further than him. But he’s really, really supportive of what’s going on and he’s really, really excited.

And now like making it through, you know when you get through this whole thing like at first you’re just like, “I want to go to Hollywood,” and then you get to Hollywood and you’re like, “I want to make it through each round.” And so every other step it’s just another big hurdle, and this was a huge one, like 36 to 12, that’s a big, big cutoff. I cannot tell you how excited I am.

Q: Your guitar is your staple, has it been hard for you to perform without it?

A: You know I felt like I picked a song with an energy to it that maybe didn’t need that guitar or whatever, and so you could dance around and kind of get into it. You know, it was kind of a lot of practicing in the room by yourself and making sure you don’t look like a retard or an idiot on stage in front of a million people.



Q: Some people have been featured more than others, has that hurt you in any way? Do you think about it?

A: I love like being the guy that’s kind of in the background. I wasn’t like looking for the cameras and trying to put my face in there. I’m totally, totally cool with that, so, yes, I didn’t have any problems with it.

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I want to thank Allison, Adam and Kris for taking the time to talk…I can’t wait to see who makes it through this week!