Blake Lewis stopped by the J-14 offices and took part in our series, "When I Was 14..."! No surprise, his fave moment from back then still had to do with music -- so fun!
Have you been able to travel to another country yet? What fun trips do you get to take with your school or extracurricular groups?
American Idol alum Blake Lewis drops his sophomore disc, Heartbreak on Vinyl, today! In honor of his album, Blake stopped by the J-14 offices and performed an original beat box just for you -- check it out!
If you could have any star write a song just for you, who would you pick?
Seattle native Blake Lewis will drop his second album, Heartbreak On Vinyl tomorrow, October 6, so we had to get the scoop on the new songs straight from the American Idol alum. The dance-pop singer also filled us in on touring with Lady Gaga and why he wants to be a part of Twilight!
J-14: Your first single, "Sad Song," has an '80s vibe -- is that what you were going for?
Blake: No, I didn't go for it at all actually -- it just comes naturally. I'm a big '80s kid. Usually I never set out to have a song sound a certain way -- I'm just trying to make a good dance record and pull it off. I'm very excited about it. "Sad Song" is an anthem for the heartbroken. It's not necessarily a sad song. I have people that are like, "Is it sad?" No, it's not! I got out of a very big relationship for the first time, and I was heartbroken. I've had heartaches [before], but this time I was really sad. But Heartbreak on Vinyl -- the actual album title and title track -- has to do with indie record stores closing down, not heartbreak. I'm heartbroken that these record stores are closing down, because I'm a big audio fan. I buy vinyl and I shop for records -- I don't go online.
J-14: Which tracks on Heartbreak On Vinyl are the most personal to you?
Blake: As far as personal, probably "Rebel Without a Cause" is the story of me. It's the story of "Why'd I leave? Why'd I have to be so rebellious?" I'm always been very independent my whole life. "Left My Baby For You" totally explains me breaking up [with my ex-GF], moving to California, and then me trying to go back to Seattle and win her back. That's when I get heartbroken. I know that I was wrong. Then "The Point" is the tail end of the breakup, when you're trying to hold on and there's no point.
J-14: If you could perform with anybody, who would it be?
Blake: Probably Sting, Bono, or Prince. I couldn't say one person. I would say Michael Jackson if he was still [alive], and Prince is the last great performer of that era.
J-14: What was it like to do a few shows with Lady Gaga?
Blake: She's very sweet. I met her two years ago at a dance function, and she remembered me. She's very professional. She's very serious about what she does and even people who don't like her should respect it. She's one-of-a-kind. We needed something special like her in the music industry to bring dance out in the open. It's funny for me coming from the dance music scene -- we come from the same place. She's always been Lady Gaga. I guess her persona would be Stefani, her real name.
J-14: Are you going to watch Idol this season now that Paula Abdul's not on the show anymore?
Blake: I think it's terrible that Paula left - I'm sad that she's gone. I don't think Kara needed to be an addition to the show. I only watched a couple of episodes -- I've never watched American Idol really. I'd never seen it before I was on it, and I've never seen my season still. I could never watch myself. It's weird to me.
J-14: Did you know they'll be filming the fourth Twilight movie in Seattle?
Blake: (gasps) I love vampires, so anything to do with vampires! I haven't read the books. [But] I'm from Seattle, and I think my song "Rapture of Love" should be on.
After we spotted David Archuleta and David Cook hugging on the red carpet at the American Idol finale on Wednesday, we caught up with Idol alums Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis, and Syesha Mercado and they dished to us who they think should win (Obvs this was before Kris Allen took the title!), they answered questions for our new video series, "When I was 14...", and Syesha told us her favorite judge!
Hey there J-14ers!
What a journey this year's American Idol has been -- from the wacky Norman Gentle (aka Nick Mitchell) and sassy Megan Joy to the heart-tugging Danny Gokey and the err, interesting Tatiana Nicole Del Toro... and of course, the attention-grabbing Bikini Girl (heck, did anyone bother to learn her name?! Ha!).
But the entire way, the quietly charming Kris Allen was the little engine that could. And just hours ago the 23-year-old Conway, Arkansas, student captured the American Idol title that most people predicted would go to the 27-year-old San Diego showman, Adam Lambert.
And to be honest, I breathed a sigh of relief when Ryan Seacrest read out the name. (Okay, I shed a tear of joy too. ;) ). But it's not that I was on Team Kris because I was against Team Adam. In fact, Adam was one of my early favorites -- his unique take on anything and everything was so fearless that I admired him (and wished I could be like him!). He has that one-of-a-kind nature that Blake Lewis did on season six with the music -- plus he can work the stage like no other. I defy you to blink during any of his performances... Adam knows how to get your attention -- and keep it. And he's just so frickin' likable!
But there was just something about Kris from the first time I spotted him in one of those group numbers in the Hollywood round. Maybe it's because I always root for the underdog... or maybe it's because I tend to judge people on how they handle fame and Kris is 110% modest... but when it comes down to it, whether he planned it or not, Kris' strategy on the show was perfect: starting out slow and shy and transforming into a super star -- and that's what American Idol is all about.
Unlike most competitors who have their off weeks -- Kris grew every single week. Sure, he had his not-so-good performances, but his overall projectile was the perfect course and he peaked exactly when he needed to in order to capture that crown. (Seriously, have you ever seen the guy sing his heart out the way he did on Tuesday in "Ain't No Sunshine"?)
Kris comes as a package artist -- you already know the kind of music he's going to bring on his debut album. One part pop, one part rock, with that tinge of country. He'll give artists ranging from John Mayer and The Fray to fellow Idol alumni David Cook and David Archuleta a run for their money since his genre mixes them all together.
I have no doubt that Adam's album is going to be spectacular as well -- yet at the same time have no idea what to expect. Adam is all about the surprise, which is perfect for a show like American Idol, but may not translate so well post-Idol.
Both Kris and Adam are going to be super successful in the next year... we definitely have a Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood on our hands as opposed to, errrr, some other past winners I won't name. ;)
But perhaps the most appealing part of the season was the true friendship between Kris and Adam. Have you ever seen two contestants genuinely support each so much? David Cook definitely seemed to look out for David Archuleta like a big brother -- but this was different. Kris and Adam seemed to truly appreciate and understand each other's talent and be rooting for the other one. Kris even said on Tuesday night they weren't competing!
Yet when it comes down to it, Kris still didn't believe he could win. One of the first things he said after the results was "Adam deserves this! I don't know what to say, this is crazy!" Fellow finalist Alexis Grace confirmed, "[Kris] did look dumbfounded. He was definitely shocked. He thought Adam was going to win!"
And that's why Kris deserved to win... the little engine that could.
Congratulations, Kris on your American Idol win! And congrats to you too Adam on an amazing season!
What do you guys think of Kris Allen's win on American Idol?
Can't wait to hear from you!
Rachel
J-14 Editor
PS- How brilliant was the Jason Mraz, Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace trio sining "I'm Yours"? I would have died to be in Alexis' place! ;)
Photo: Courtesy of Fox
