Examiner Interview with Kris
by: Esme Mazzeo
Long Island Reality TV Examiner
Sometimes, covering Reality TV on Long Island is not just about what’s on screen. We were lucky enough to speak to American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen about his recent visit to New York City and Long Island opening for Lifehouse on the Smoke & Mirrors tour, his Grammy aspirations, and lots of things in between.
You recently told Jim Cantiello a pretty crazy tour story that happened in Pennsylvania, do you have any crazy fan or personal stories that happened while you were in New York City or Long island?
Actually, all the fans were pretty nice, especially on Long Island, they were waiting out there for a long time in the cold…and I felt bad so we had a bunch of cookies that were made for us, so I just went and gave them all the cookies, they were warm and toasty.
Do you actually eat the stuff that fans make for you?
Some of it we do eat, [and some of it] we try, and then we’re like ‘maybe we shouldn’t be eating this', because you never know. Probably ninety eight percent of the time it’s fine, or even ninety nine, but there’s always that one percent…and you just don’t want that to happen, you know?
You haven’t played a show around here in over a year, how did it feel to be back?
It was good, actually. Now that I know [Manhattan] a lot more, I know where I am, I know what street I’m on and I’m not just completely lost like a touristy kind of thing, I feel like I like it a lot better. The shows are great there. A lot of people say that New York and L.A. are the hardest cities to play in, [but] I mean it was a lot of fun. Alot of people came to the shows and they were screaming and having a good time, so it was great for us.
Did you get to do any touristy things?
I went and took a run in Central Park, that was fun. Not really. We did a lot of walking around kind of just chillin’ really. We’ve done Empire State Building, we’ve done Central Park before, we’ve done a couple museums before. We need to see The Statue of Liberty, we haven’t done that yet.
Have you gotten a chance to use that Tour Stop book fans made for you?
Oh, yeah, we use it everyday. We look at it every day, and it’s really helpful. I remember one day in New York we didn’t know we were that close to Central Park, we were like six blocks away, so we just looked at the map and walked over there, it’s great.
So, you got to play two different venues while you were here, one was kind of a crazier atmosphere at Roseland and one was more intimate at Westbury. How do the different vibes change the show, and which do you like playing better?
It’s different. I think [in] the crazy atmosphere you get a little bit more hype and you get a little bit more pumped for the shows because you know that no one’s gonna be sitting down, and they’re all like ready to have a good time. And then when we did the Long Island [show], it’s a little bit weird obviously, because it’s in the round and there’s people almost behind you. It was a little bit more intimate so you get to talk a little bit more, people appreciate that, but in still got a little wild in the end.
Since you’ve been touring you’ve become known for your mash-ups, what’s the craziest mash up you can think of right now?
Lady Gaga “Pokerface” and Michael Jackson “Billie Jean”. I don’t even know if that would work, but in my head it works.
Would you ever consider arranging it and performing it on this tour?
Maybe so. Now that I’m thinking about it, it sounds pretty cool.
“Alright with Me" is your new single, and it’s a really great song and fans love it, but it seems like a risky choice, especially for Jive. Did you have anything to do with persuading them to make that choice?
You know, the label actually knew that I love the song, and they knew that the fans really believed in it and a lot of people believed in it. I feel like initially it kind of is a risk, but I think it’s such a catchy song that once it gets in your head it doesn’t go anywhere, so I think that if a song is catchy then it’s not a complete risk to me.
Do you have any details on its Itunes release, or any video details you can give us yet?
We may do [a separate single release], we may not, we’ll see what happens. And the video stuff, we’re working on it, we’re trying to figure out something to get out there really quick, and hopefully the fans will like it.
Do you have the idea in your head?
We actually have a bunch of ideas, we just have to figure out which one is best, or stick them all together.
Obviously, American Idol is going through a lot of changes right now. What kind of judge would you be if you were on the panel?
I feel like I would be honest, but in a nice way. I don’t think I could be one of those brutally honest people. I think I’d go be honest, but with some optimism thrown in there as well. Maybe not, I don’t know, put me on the spot and I might get real mean.
What other reality show do you think you’d want to be on?
Well, “The Jersey Shore” is pretty big right now, but I don’t know if I would fit on there. In fact, I know I wouldn’t fit on there. But, I do love “Iron Chef” though.
You’re a pretty consistent celebrity tweeter. Has one of your tweets ever gotten you in trouble with your friends or fans?
I don’t know. I try to be respectful of everybody, even when I’m maybe a little snarky and mean to people. Maybe one or two times, but I don’t remember what it was.
Are you ever nervous that a tweet will get you in trouble, before you send it out into the Twitter universe?
I feel like I don’t have to be censored. Whatever comes out of my mouth, comes through my brain is usually pretty clean, so I don’t feel like I have to worry about what people are gonna think or if I’m going to offend people.
When we do hear new music from you, in what ways do you think it will change from what we heard on the first album?
I think just the album, as a whole will be a little bit more cohesive, which will be great. And I think a lot of artists are like this, but the plan is to write better songs. I feel like there’s some great ones [on the current album] but I feel like as an artist, as a writer, I can do better. So, I’m ready to try that, ready to work on that stuff, and hopefully the fans really think the same thing.
Obviously you’ve been very successful in your life so far, but what is one thing you still want to do before you die?
There’s a couple things, and these are pretty high goals. I want to backpack Europe, I’ve always wanted to do that, since I was in high school, and I would like to win a Grammy at some point.
Your name was submitted for Grammys this year, so it might happen this year.
Yeah, I saw that, maybe so. I mean, we’ll see what happens, but that would be incredible.
Because you’re on tour with Lifehouse right now, we have to ask, what is your favorite Lifehouse song?
I’ve always loved “Everything”. It’s one of my favorite songs since [when it came out], I think it came out when I was in high school or early college. I’ve always loved that song, it’s a lot of fun to sing too.
Is there any one issue or question that you’ve never been asked in an interview that you’ve always wanted to talk about?
I feel like everybody has asked me everything. And maybe that’s a little boring but I feel like most people know everything they need to know about me. I mean, there’s nothing out there, nothing that I’ve done that I feel like people don’t know.
Is that a little scary sometimes, that you’re so open?
You know what? I don’t feel like it’s scary. I feel like it’s something that the fans appreciate. I’m not hiding anything at all. I am who I am and I feel like I put myself out there and let people know me as much as they can know me. I feel like it’s a good thing.
Kris Allen and Lifehouse will play The Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, NJ tomorrow night. Both acts are worth the road trip, if you have the time. Up for a little more adventure than New Jersey has to offer? Check out the rest of the tour dates on Kris' Events page : http://www.krisallenofficial.com/us/events
And don't forget to request his new single, "Alright with Me" on NY radio stations:
http://www.z100.com/pages/info/request.html
http://wbli.com/
Source
(I thought that this was a really good interview so I would recommend that you read it!)