Paul McDonald – Reporters Conference Call and More

I’ll be live blogging the conference call with Paul McDonald in this space today.

I’ll also be gathering interviews that pop up today. Like this one from Entertainment Weekly. “It was weird, man,” Paul told EW, “I had a feeling about it…When I got up there, I was completely at peace. It was good, man, you know, because I looked over, and I saw these kids, man, that they’ve dreamed of winning American Idol forever. So I’m like, ‘Go get it, win this thing!’”

Paul says song choice was hard– maybe he would have listened to different people…maybe stayed more true to himself in the process. Next week the producers wanted him to do a James Blunt tune, and he balked. He really wanted to do a Zac Brown or Ray Montagne song–tunes that would have “gotten me kicked off anyway.”

Blog and interviews after the JUMP…

Reporters conference call:

• About his band – He’s been touring for 5 yrs performing orig material. He’s been living in Nashville for 2 years.  He’s proud of the work he’s done with his band.
• He really wanted an “original songs” week. Doesn’t think he’s good at singing other people’s songs. “Only so much you can do singing other people’s songs”
• What was it like singing his own song on Idol, “Wanted to let people know what he does on the show. Was right at home singing “American Dreams” during Hollywood.  That stuff came from real times in my life. I was happy to do that.
• On his duet with Kendra. As soon as he gets back to Nash, he’ll be hanging out with her. Did a lot of writing during his time on Idol “Probably why I was kicked off” he laughs.
• Some of the song choices weren’t the best ones for me…I kinda listened to some people when I should have stuck to my gut.” He wishes he’d done more of the obscure artists that he loved.  Didn’t always feel like it was “me.” But he did have a blast on the show.
• Will miss the people who surrounded him. Will really miss 19 peeps, the crew, security “We’ve kind of grown into a family.”  Says it will be tough to leave.
• What were his expectations? Never watched the show, never read reviews. Picking the songs was tough. The stylists let him do his own thing.
• Fav artists: Mumford and Sons, Black Keys, festival circuit stuff. “I listen to all kinds of music.  my main goal is to make music that lasts and people enjoy.”  He got into music to “let loose my feelings and write about real stuff.”
• He broke the bank on that first white suit.  Never had professional whitening done on his teeth. His teeth have always been white.
• About meeting famous actresses: “It’s cool to meet people in the business who say the are fine. It kind of blows my mind. It’s super humbling to have ppl like that to think my art is good.”  Meeting Kurt Warner was a real rush.
• On the female controversy:  “I definitely do….the teenage girls are the ones who watch the show the most…a thousand screaming posters with Scotty McCreery posters.  It’s a shame for the girls. The guys definitely have an advantage.”
• Is he dating Nikki Reed?  He confirms: He is dating Nikki Reed from the Twilight movies.
• On why he didn’t win, “I was just doing my thing. I wasn’t planning on winning or anything.”
• On his voice troubles, “My voice has been kind of out of it through the competition. Sometimes I can get away with it…gives it that raspy off key drive. I need sleep for my voice.”
• “It just kept surprising me how far along I got.  It’s been a killer platform for me to get out my original music.”
• Did he feel a generation gap between himself and the youngsters “It was really cook, because I haven’t hung out with 16 year old kids in 10 years. It made me feel like I was in high school. It blows my mind how professional they are. I was trying to be an older mentor to them. They’re good kids. There are some superstars in this group.”
• Will Idol hurt his cred? “That was one of my main concerns.  Is it worth the credibility? I’ve wanted respect in the community.  It’s a tough call. I think I can bridge that gap. If I cut a good record, I’ll have the respect of the music community. American Idol has been great.”
• It has never been his dream to win AI.  He didn’t expect to get this far.  He was taking it one day at a time.
• Best advice “Be myself and do my thing. The whole Idol experience has helped me so much. It would have taken years and years of touring to get to this point. Now I have pros calling me to say ‘lets cut some albums.’”
• Why did he try out in the first place? “We just cut an album and spent all of our money on it.  We had a manager at the time…playing frat parties to pay the bills. The business is so tough. Might as well try it out.”  His guitar player’s gf was on SYTYCD and she urged him to do it.  “It worked out good, I’m happy.”