The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite |  |
- Allison Iraheta: The ultimate interview, Part Two
- Anthony Fedorov to Play Joseph Again
- Danny Gokey’s Record Deal, Finally!
- David Archuleta at the ALMA Awards
- Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne Guest Judge
- Lil Rounds on the Idols Tour
- Allison Iraheta: The ultimate interview, Part One
| Allison Iraheta: The ultimate interview, Part Two Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT
Even though your family was very supportive of your music, did your parents suggest you have a backup plan for another career? Yes, my dad always said, "Stay in school because you never know what's going to happen." My dad still says, "You're a good singer, but you better get your butt in friggin' university. It doesn't matter." And yes, definitely, I am going to continue with school. I've always wanted to be a vet. I love animals. Now, I would continue songwriting, if anything. It was called "Quinceañera." It was on Telemundo, Channel 52 here. It was funny, man. "Quinceañera" in Spanish is a heritage where you're Latin and you have a little party when you're turning 15. So we saw the commercial on TV and I thought, "That's just bogus." I honestly thought it was nothing. My mom said, "You should try out." I was already thinking about "Idol" at the time, but I was 15 and my sister told me, "You're going." So I auditioned. I had to sing and they immediately asked, "Are you able to go to Mexico tomorrow?" I'm like, "Whoa, tomorrow?" "Yeah. We start recording. It's a TV show for 10 girls who are 15 or 16 years old and you've been chosen to go to Mexico to live there for four months." I'm like, "Ha ha. What?" So you went? And what about school? It was during 10th grade. You had to do school there, so I've been doing school on the road. I went to Mexico and the winner was going to win $50,000. I did win, so I had to apologize to my sister because I gave her a lot of crap about me not wanting to go. She said, "See, see what I do." I mean, if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have won. How much time elapsed between winning "Quinceañera" and trying out for Season 8 of "American Idol"? About a full year. I was 15, turning 16. So I had to wait during the whole Season 7, watching David Cook, David Archuleta and Carly Smithson. I found out online the auditions were in July [2008] in San Francisco. We drove. It was a full road trip with my sister, my dad, my mom, my brother and I, my cousin and my two aunts. It was huge, at the Cow Palace. They said no one could camp out. The audition was the next day at 9 a.m. We stayed there the night before and it was 7 p.m. and we were going to sleep in the car. All of you?! A lot of us said, "We're going to sleep in the car." But then I saw some people walking in. I said, "Hold on. Why does this guy have a sleeping bag and he's walking in and I'm in the car? Oh, hell no!" I get out of the car and I start running. I saw a line of about 20 people already camping out. I said, "It's 7 p.m. and I'm going to start waiting in line." So I stayed. We were one of the first 50 people to go in. You were in line for 14 hours. Did you sleep in line? We couldn't even sleep. It was so cold. We were in line until 9 a.m. the next day. I wasn't prepared. Those other guys were prepared. They brought their sleeping bags and pillows. No, they were in the car, so it was just my mom and I who were outside freezing. So 9 a.m. rolls around and you go inside the arena. What did you sing in your first round of auditions? I sang "Heartbreaker" by Pink and "At Last" by Etta James. There were four of us and I remember being in the row behind the group before us watching them sing and I thought, "I'm so scared. I hope I make it at least to the next round. That would be awesome." When I first went up to sing, they said, "All right, thank you," and they told me to step back. Next person, next person. They called me up with another guy and he wasn't so good. I thought, "Oh my God, no! I'm going home." Because they said, "You and you, step forward," and I knew that was it. You might remember this guy. They showed him in San Francisco. He sang "No One." He was wearing the plaid jacket. And they said, "Congratulations. You guys got the golden ticket." I'm like, "Wow! What?" And I looked at him. He was jumping. I'm like, "Oh, man." He was just so happy and I was like, "Whoa!" Then you had to audition for executive producer Ken Warwick. Mike Darnell from Fox was there too. Ken said I reminded him of Kelly Clarkson, and he asked me if I had a tongue ring. He said, "You have a lisp." I told him, "It's braces." So they passed me on to the judges. We were in the hotel waiting in line and [a contestant named] Akeelah went in a couple people before me and she left pissed off and I hoped I wouldn't leave like that. I wouldn't be pissed. I'd be sad. You know, it sucks. They have us in line seeing people before us come out with the Hollywood ticket or not, and it's just pretty sad. So I went in and I was so scared and the judges knew that. They told me. Were you scared because you had been watching the judges for so many seasons? That too, yes. I'd heard so much about Kara as well. This all-time writer is a musician, she sings and she's going to be the judge. But you know, she's amazing. I was hoping to make it to Hollywood Week. That was my major goal, at least Hollywood Week. I sang "At Last" and I know I didn't do so well. I thought, "That's it. I'm going home." I remember Randy said, "You've got something." And Paula said, "You're very distinct. There's something different about you." Kara as well. They all saw something in me, potential or something, because I know I did not do so great and I was so scared. After they said, "You're going through," I was so happy and, course, Simon said, "Hold on. That was just a 7 out of 10." I thought, "Gee, thanks for bursting my bubble, Simon." But I got the golden ticket to Hollywood! I came out and my two aunts, my dad, my brother, my sister, my cousin, my niece and nephew were out there. They were crying. My mom was crying, obviously. I remember Ryan asked her, "Do you need an ambulance or something, ma'am? Are you OK?" – Fred Bronson Photo credit: Frank Micelotta / Fox Related: Allison Iraheta: The early years Kris Allen: Showbiz beginnings Kris Allen: Finding his groove Kris Allen: The "Idol" chapter Adam Lambert: Showbiz beginnings Adam Lambert: Finding his groove Adam Lambert: The "Idol" chapter
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| Anthony Fedorov to Play Joseph Again Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT Season 4’s Anthony Fedorov recently starred as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Oklahoma City’s Lyric Theatre from July 21-25, 2009. After a successful run in the musical’s titular role, Anthony has been asked to play Joseph again, this time at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. In an article on BroadwayWorld.com, Lyric Theatre’s Executive Director Paula Stover said, “Anthony made an indelible mark on Oklahoma City audiences with his honest, heartwarming portrayal of Joseph. The children in the Lyric Theatre cast loved him and the lines of fans waiting for autographs after the show were thrilled with the time he spent talking to each one of them.” Anthony is looking forward to playing Joseph again. In the same article, Anthony said, “I loved doing the show at the Lyric, but it was such a short run. We put in so much hard work for only six shows, and just when I felt I was starting to understand what I was doing, it was over. The chance to do it again so soon in a completely new and different production is tremendously exciting.” Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will run from October 10 – November 1, 2009 at Seattle’s 5th Theatre. For ticket information, visit www.5thavenue.org. AmericanIdol.com had an exclusive interview with Anthony recently, and hediscussed starring with read more
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| Danny Gokey’s Record Deal, Finally! Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT Season 8’s third place finalist, Danny Gokey, has signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings/RCA Records Nashville. Known for his soulful voice on American Idol, Danny found success during Grand Ole Opry theme week with his performance of Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel.” Currently on tour with the rest of the Top 10 Idols, Danny Gokey sings two country songs, “What Hurts The Most” and “My Wish,” both by Rascal Flatts. Danny Gokey thanks his fans and everyone at American Idol for helping him form his focus as an artist. “I didn’t realize the Idol experience would give me a musical direction, but it did. There were country songs that I performed on the show, and it was the message and the feeling in those kinds of songs that helped me realize that country is where I belong,” Danny said. “I grew up in a family where I was exposed to music from artists like Alan Jackson and Wynonna and Brooks & Dunn, and when Randy Travis was on the show and asked me if I’d ever considered country music, it was one more sign of where I knew I needed to be.” With just less than two weeks left on the American Idols Live! Tour 2009, Danny will soon begin work on his debut album, which is schedule to arrive in 2010.
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| David Archuleta at the ALMA Awards Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta will join Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and the Black Eyed Peas at The National Council of La Raza’s “2009 ALMA Awards.” David Archuleta will be performing at the event, and he’s also nominated for “Year In Music’s Rising Male Star.” The ALMA awards will be taped today at the Royce Hall Auditorium at UCLA, and the show will air on Friday, September 18, 2009. David has spent this year touring around the country with Demi Lovato. Last month, David won three Teen Choice Awards for Breakout Artist, Love Song, and Music Tour (along with Demi Lovato). Currently, David is working on a holiday album entitled “Christmas from the Heart,” which is scheduled for release on October 13, 2009. David has grown up before our eyes. See his transformation from American Idol hopeful to pop star.
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| Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne Guest Judge Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT Music stars Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne will be guest judges on American Idol during the final two days of auditions held this week in Los Angeles. With each star judging on a different day of L.A. auditions, Katy and Avril will join Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi at the judges’ table. Katy and Avril aren’t the first stars to guest judge at Season 9 auditions. Recently, Victoria Beckham served as a guest judge in Denver and Boston, Mary J. Blige shared her expertise in Atlanta, Joe Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris joined the panel in Dallas, Kristin Chenoweth met up with theshow in Orlando, and Shania Twain was the guest judge in Chicago. The Grammy-nominated Katy Perry has captured the hearts of critics and … read more
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| Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT This summer, Season 8 finalist Lil Rounds has toured the country with her fellow Top 10 American Idols. With less than two weeks left on tour, we caught up with Lil to find out what her future plans are, how crazy it is on the girls’ bus, and more. Lil said that being on tour is “absolutely great.” She has enjoyed exploring the country and experiencing “different styles, great food, and performing in all different arenas.” Most of all, Lil loves seeing the fans come out to support the ten Idols on tour. Lil anticipates that the hardest part about the tour ending this month will be “leaving the other nine Idols. We’ve all bonded and have had so much fun. I’ll miss the management, the band, and everyone else.” The two people Lil will have adifficult time leaving are Megan and Allison. All three girls have been having fun togetheron the road. “We love playing around, doing pranks, and having water fights and glitter fights with the band members.” In addition to water and glitter fights, the girls like to knock on the guys’ doors and then run away. In our interview with Megan Joy, she revealed that the girls like to make up raps on the bus. Lil said they would love to form a rap group called “LAM” (for Lil, Allison, and Megan). Lil, who … read more
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| Allison Iraheta: The ultimate interview, Part One Posted: 04 Sep 2009 12:53 AM PDT
Allison Iraheta, fourth-place finisher on Season 8 of "American Idol," was born April 27, 1992, in Glendale. She grew up in Huntington Park and then moved with her parents, Carlos and Sara, to Downey. Allison, when did you discover music? I always liked music. When I was 3 or 4 years old, my mom was a cashier for a hospital cafeteria. She would take me to work with her and I'd wander off. I'd go up to random people and sing to them. I did "My Heart Will Go On" a lot. That was the song back in my day. I was 5 years old when I first started watching TV. My parents would always watch music television and Spanish music television as well. My dad listened to a lot of classic rock, which is probably why I have a lot of classic rock in me now. My mom listened to Spanish music, so I started singing in Spanish. I didn't know what I was saying because I didn't know Spanish back then. As I got older, I began singing classic rock. The funny thing is I started with Celine Dion when my dad listened to classic rock, but I guess it was because of the movie "Titanic." Did you buy CDs? I would tell my sister Sarah to buy them for me. I would always say, "Hey, go get me this song." Mostly the hits back then. You know, K-Ci & JoJo. TLC. Whoever was hitting back when she was in high school. I guess I was always moving with the flow as to what was in. I grew up listening to all kinds of music, like classic rock, Spanish, R&B and the oldies as well. Sarah bought music for you. What about your brother, Carlos, did he have any influence on your love of music? He plays the guitar. He taught me how to play. I was the youngest, so whatever they did, I wanted to do. Whatever my sister was into, I wanted to listen to and when I noticed my brother started playing the guitar, I thought, "That looks like fun," so I picked up a guitar. When you first picked up a guitar, did you feel like you had a natural ability to play it? I remember learning things very quickly. I never really took any lessons for it. I never enjoyed them because they didn't give me the freedom to do what I wanted to do. So I started learning on my own. After my brother went to college, I decided to teach myself. Did you learn to play any other instruments? I tried the piano. For that, I'd need lessons, but I do have a good ear for piano and guitar. Yes, I have a little notebook of a bunch of songs that I started writing. One of the first songs I wrote was for my dog when he died. It went, "My dog, I miss him so much." It was just straight on, like a child talking about a dead dog. It was pretty deep for a 7-year-old. I haven't [written anything] recently. Do you remember the first time you performed in front of an audience? I was 6 and there was a little community event for La Curacao [a department store catering to the Hispanic market]. They showed that on "Idol," how I used to work there because it was one of the first venues I performed at and it's funny that I ended up working there, singing every weekend. The first time I sang there were about 600 people. It was the first time I was on stage and it was one of those awesome experiences. I knew it was important, so I took my whole family. I sang one song and it was in Spanish, even though I didn't know what it meant or what I was saying. My dad was nervous and I was so nervous too. I remember holding the microphone and barely moving my hand. I think it looked like I was into it, so that was pretty cool. I was scared but I felt pretty good being up there for the first time and the way people transmitted energy was great. They started supporting me at that first performance. … At that age, I was just a little mouse singing the songs, just squealing or something. But they've always been supportive. Before "Idol," they'd always take time away from their schedule to go with me or take me and it didn't matter. They'd help me in any possible way. Did that first performance at La Curacao lead to singing live at other venues? I guess they liked me so they had me sing at other places. Around that time, being 6 years old and singing Spanish music, there were a lot of other girls like me. There were people looking for talent like me to go and sing at these little community events, so I grew up with a group of other girls and we would travel around to different little community events like a little mini tour. While you were doing this, did you ever think that you would have a career in music? I didn't really think about my future at that age. I was just going with the flow right then. I was like 6 or 7 when that was going on, and when I was about 9 I was watching "Idol," and that opened my eyes. I said, "When I grow up, I want to do that." So I know when I was 9 I was already thinking about "Idol." Beginning with Season 1? That would be Season 1; 9 years old. I kept watching. I have literally watched every season. I can tell you about each of them because I remember everything perfectly. It's a show that families watch together. Did that happen in your house? My parents, my sister and I would sit down and watch it. My brother was always the one like "Ehhh, that show." But we'd watch it. Do you think watching "American Idol" all those years helped prepare you for being a contestant on the show? I thought it would, but I didn't know what I was getting myself into. It's a totally different world watching it and actually being on the show. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but behind the scenes it's another story. Did you study music in school or take any private lessons? I took singing lessons at 8. I've had a number of voice coaches. I had to try out different voice coaches until I found the right one. All of them have helped me in many ways. They're the pieces to my puzzle and without them I wouldn't be where I am today. The one I'm with right now is Joy Grayson and she helped me with "Idol." I met her before I tried out for "Idol" and she helped me with a few songs that I did on the show. Did your vocal coaches work with you exclusively on pop songs or did you venture into classical music? There were a couple of coaches that [worked with me on] classical music. I remember one of them had me doing opera. Did you enjoy that? I always like experimenting. It was fun. I definitely do not see myself doing that. I did join chorus. We played the Ford Theatre in Hollywood, the LACMA theater and the one at Cal State L.A. Did you appear in any high school musicals? No, I never got the parts. I guess I'm not that theatrical. I tried out for "The Lion King" once. You know, the one that was here in L.A., and I don't remember how they said it but it was something like, "Your voice is a little too thick for this." I asked, "What are you saying? What does that mean? Do I sound like a guy and I'm a little girl? What's up?" It was pretty funny. Yeah, that's what my sister said, and I told her, "You're just consoling me." Were you ever in a band or group? There were a couple of bands. With three guys who were friends from school, we formed a little band just for fun and we did a community event. These community events are like charity work and they were pretty big. There were fairs and stuff. We were Allison and the Dudes, because we were just messing around. There was another band, Allison and the Gurus. We did Pink's "Heartbreaker." We made "Bleeding Love" into a rock song. It was pretty cool. We did a hospital event at Paramount Studios. We played at school too, just for fun. During lunch, we'd whip out the guitar and just start playing. It was her and Michael Johns. I was a big fan of both of them. I said, "I'm going to be auditioning next year." They said, "You should go for it," because they heard me sing. I was with my band. It was awesome coming from them. – Fred Bronson Photo: Ray Mickshaw / Fox Related: Kris Allen: Showbiz beginnings Kris Allen: Finding his groove Kris Allen: The "Idol" chapter Adam Lambert: Showbiz beginnings Adam Lambert: Finding his groove Adam Lambert: The "Idol" chapter
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