Last Thursday’s American Idol results show was all kinds of wrong for all kinds of reasons, but none more heart breaking than the elimination of Alex Lambert. Not only was Alex clearly crestfallen over the elimination, crying and refusing to leave the stage, with his ouster we lost the most unique and lovely vocals of season 9.
On Friday, Alex participated in a conference call and his disappointment was obvious. Alex didn’t sound like someone had just killed his puppy, he sounded like someone had killed ALL puppies. I have never participated in a sadder interview. As I tried not to cry for him, Alex shared his thoughts on why he was eliminated on Idol, his plans now that the show is done and what song he would’ve sung had he stuck around for this week’s Rolling Stones theme.
It seemed like we came back to an emotional scene after your elimination, can you tell us what happened during commercial break?
“It was an emotional moment. I wasn’t expecting to go home. A lot of people weren’t expecting me to go home. It was such a shock…the four people who went home, nobody thought they were going to go. There were four other people that everyone had in mind…probably six other people had in mind before us. A lot of people who were upset were like ‘I made it and he didn’t?'”
Do you have any regrets about your time on Idol?
“When I said I want to break out of my shell, and show America what I could do, every time I got up there I couldn’t sing my best because I was so nervous. I had a whole ‘nother series of songs I could sing that sounded so much better than what I was like on the show. I don’t regret anything. I had never been on the stage before. I think I did great for not having any experience.”
Do you think you can get over your nerves to have a music career?
“I feel like I’m already past it. I just needed a few more weeks to get a little bit more experience on that stage. It wasn’t a nerve thing, I would get up there and be comfortable, it felt right, but I didn’t know how to look at the camera, I didn’t know how to interact with the audience. I had never done it before. It’s something I’ll easily get past.”
How many people had you performed to before Idol?
“I had performed at a few coffee shops. The most that had showed up were, like, 40 people. Most of the people there were my friends and my family. I don’t have any experience singing in front of people that I don’t know. I feel like if I have more experience, the sky is the limit for me.”
What do you think could’ve helped you overcome your Idol stage fright?
“The only person who could help me overcome my nervousness and my stage fright was me. It was all in my head. I could have gone up there and had a great performance, but I was thinking to nail the song vocally-I wasn’t worried about performing. I never thought the show was so much like a performing show–it’s a singing competition. I wanted my vocal to be so much better than everyone else’s I lost track that it was a TV show.”
Did the judges’ have any words of advice after your elimination?
“They told me that I needed more experience. It was true. They felt vocally, it was my time, but I didn’t have enough experience on the stage. They all know I have a good voice.
What would you have sung for Rolling Stones’ Week?
“19th Nervous Breakdown”
What kind of artist would you like to be?
“I know exactly the kind of artist I want to be. I really would like to do a bunch of acoustic stuff, but I would also like to be on some R&B tracks…a whole bunch of different stuff. I know my voice, I know what I can and can’t do. I’m not just one genre of music. I can sound good on anything.”
What’s next for you?
“I wish I could have stayed on the show because I know that I have a lot of fans. I wish I could have gotten up on stage and enjoyed what I was doing. I need to come back and finish high school, I’m going to be on ‘Ellen’ on Wednesday. I really want to focus on my music and take vocal lessons. This is the first thing I’ve ever done with my music.”
Will you ever look at a banana the same after American Idol?
“I probably won’t be able to look at a banana the same!”
What about your signature mullet, was there pressure to cut it?
“The stylists already asked me if I wanted to cut it…I wouldn’t let them cut my mullet!”
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
