an interview with the gokester
The world met Danny Gokey when he arrived in Kansas City at the American Idol auditions with a story to tell. With his best friend and fellow contestant Jamar Rogers in toe [sic], Gokey went in and floored all four judges with his rendition of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gay. He had spunk, he shined, and he was everything the judges were looking for in Kansas. With passion in his heart and soul in his voice, the aspiring musician and grieving widow wanted to be heard and get his message out.
And heard he was; Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Kara DioGuardi deemed Danny a musical wonder. For weeks fans gathered around every Tuesday night to see what the music teacher had to offer and voted for him putting him in the Top 3. Currently touring with his American Idol contestants Danny Gokey is making stops in all major cities and during his off time he is working closely with business partners to bring awareness to the most important thing to him; his foundation, Sophia's Heart Foundation.
The energy and passion that was felt through Danny's Idol performances are felt tenfold in person as we experienced at the American Idol concert. Danny had a way of grabbing the fans attention and getting them involved with the story he was telling. Whether he was rocking out his salsa moves or slowing it down with some country, Danny was always in control of the audiences who truly loved him. PopStar spoke with Danny Gokey backstage before the American Idol concert about his musical plans for the future, life on the "stinky" tour bus, and his plans to bring attention to Sophia's Heart Foundation.
PopStar: Can you tell us about the tour. How is it going?
Danny Gokey: Awesome, It has been a dream come true. We have it so hard; you should feel bad for us [laugh].
PopStar: Which is your favorite song to perform out of your set of four songs; Pretty Young Things (Michael Jackson), Maria Maria (Santana), What Hurts the Most (Rascal Flats), and My Wish (Rascal Flatts)?
Danny Gokey: I like all of them. I can’t really pull one from another because they all really flow.
PopStar: When you are not out on stage performing who do you like to listen to?
Danny Gokey: I like Matt Giraud's opening song on his set, "Hard to Handle." Also in act five, the top five do a group number and it’s awesome. You gotta watch those two.
PopStar: You guys have been on the road since June, can you tell us about life on the tour bus?
Danny Gokey: So far so good, it stinks, it really does. Neil and I are the only ones that can smell it, no one else smells it. [op - ... who is Neil?]
PopStar: Are there any cities that you visited that you would like to go back to?
Danny Gokey: I liked Philly; I liked Vancouver and would really like to go back. I could start naming a few, I was surprised by Salt Lake City, Utah it was a good looking city. Tampa Bay had the ocean right there and I am a sucker for the ocean.
PopStar: When you are not on stage what do you like to do in your downtime?
Danny Gokey: Work on my business Sophia's Heart Foundation. I like the fact that what a business is an idea. It starts up here and you bring down and grow it from nothing to something. It is a business I have a passion for which is helping people. There is no profit in it for me.
PopStar: Where can we learn more about Sophia's Heart Foundation?
Danny Gokey: You can go to www.sophiasheart.org and there you can learn about the foundation. Right now we are taking financial donations and we are looking to get a building to begin implementing our programs.
PopStar: Do you plan on holding events and brining [sic] the message of Sophia's Heart Foundation to the public?
Danny Gokey: I plan on making this really big. I plan on mixing my music with my entertainment. Let me entertain because that is all I want to do and let my foundation inspire.
PopStar: What are your plans after the American Idol summer tour ends, will you continue with music?
Danny Gokey: I have a potential signing coming up and I will find out more next week. This one record company has come to see me a lot and it is a country label. Country is a label where you can express yourself, I don't necessarily have to change, and country is more about the music itself. It is the last genre you can go into and talk about life and relatable things. [op - ... WAT] I am very excited to go down that road.
PopStar: When we spoke to you after exiting American Idol in May you spoke about starting an eye glass line. You felt that eye glasses were cool and you wanted to bring that message out, do those plans still exist?
Danny Gokey: I have a meeting next week with somebody. Hopefully, something good comes out of it. I hope I keep on making it cool; that is why I want to come up with my own line.
PopStar: Message to the fans?
Danny Gokey: Sometimes I get lost for words because they made us who we are. I want to thank them by putting out good music. You put all this time into me and I want to give back with good music that you can relate to, music that touches your heart, and music that gets you going. That is my goal and I am thankful that you take out the time to support me. It means so much to me, I love you, I love everything you have done with me.
Fans fell in love with Danny Gokey when he auditioned in Kansas City; his strong voice, his dedication to his faith, and his sincere personality made this Midwestern stick out. Gokey's favorite quote, "Unshakable faith is faith that has been shaken" got him through some of the toughest times the young singer had to face with the passing of his wife. Through music and his foundation Sophia's Heart Foundation, Danny will bring the message of hope to those in need. You can't miss Danny Gokey on the Idol tour this summer with a set full of eclectic music that will have you dancing and swinging your arms in the air.
Up next we will be bringing you a can't miss interview with American Idol winner Kris Allen who talks about life on tour and the release of his new album this fall.
source: http://news.tvstar.com/Article/224
And heard he was; Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Kara DioGuardi deemed Danny a musical wonder. For weeks fans gathered around every Tuesday night to see what the music teacher had to offer and voted for him putting him in the Top 3. Currently touring with his American Idol contestants Danny Gokey is making stops in all major cities and during his off time he is working closely with business partners to bring awareness to the most important thing to him; his foundation, Sophia's Heart Foundation.
The energy and passion that was felt through Danny's Idol performances are felt tenfold in person as we experienced at the American Idol concert. Danny had a way of grabbing the fans attention and getting them involved with the story he was telling. Whether he was rocking out his salsa moves or slowing it down with some country, Danny was always in control of the audiences who truly loved him. PopStar spoke with Danny Gokey backstage before the American Idol concert about his musical plans for the future, life on the "stinky" tour bus, and his plans to bring attention to Sophia's Heart Foundation.
PopStar: Can you tell us about the tour. How is it going?
Danny Gokey: Awesome, It has been a dream come true. We have it so hard; you should feel bad for us [laugh].
PopStar: Which is your favorite song to perform out of your set of four songs; Pretty Young Things (Michael Jackson), Maria Maria (Santana), What Hurts the Most (Rascal Flats), and My Wish (Rascal Flatts)?
Danny Gokey: I like all of them. I can’t really pull one from another because they all really flow.
PopStar: When you are not out on stage performing who do you like to listen to?
Danny Gokey: I like Matt Giraud's opening song on his set, "Hard to Handle." Also in act five, the top five do a group number and it’s awesome. You gotta watch those two.
PopStar: You guys have been on the road since June, can you tell us about life on the tour bus?
Danny Gokey: So far so good, it stinks, it really does. Neil and I are the only ones that can smell it, no one else smells it. [op - ... who is Neil?]
PopStar: Are there any cities that you visited that you would like to go back to?
Danny Gokey: I liked Philly; I liked Vancouver and would really like to go back. I could start naming a few, I was surprised by Salt Lake City, Utah it was a good looking city. Tampa Bay had the ocean right there and I am a sucker for the ocean.
PopStar: When you are not on stage what do you like to do in your downtime?
Danny Gokey: Work on my business Sophia's Heart Foundation. I like the fact that what a business is an idea. It starts up here and you bring down and grow it from nothing to something. It is a business I have a passion for which is helping people. There is no profit in it for me.
PopStar: Where can we learn more about Sophia's Heart Foundation?
Danny Gokey: You can go to www.sophiasheart.org and there you can learn about the foundation. Right now we are taking financial donations and we are looking to get a building to begin implementing our programs.
PopStar: Do you plan on holding events and brining [sic] the message of Sophia's Heart Foundation to the public?
Danny Gokey: I plan on making this really big. I plan on mixing my music with my entertainment. Let me entertain because that is all I want to do and let my foundation inspire.
PopStar: What are your plans after the American Idol summer tour ends, will you continue with music?
Danny Gokey: I have a potential signing coming up and I will find out more next week. This one record company has come to see me a lot and it is a country label. Country is a label where you can express yourself, I don't necessarily have to change, and country is more about the music itself. It is the last genre you can go into and talk about life and relatable things. [op - ... WAT] I am very excited to go down that road.
PopStar: When we spoke to you after exiting American Idol in May you spoke about starting an eye glass line. You felt that eye glasses were cool and you wanted to bring that message out, do those plans still exist?
Danny Gokey: I have a meeting next week with somebody. Hopefully, something good comes out of it. I hope I keep on making it cool; that is why I want to come up with my own line.
PopStar: Message to the fans?
Danny Gokey: Sometimes I get lost for words because they made us who we are. I want to thank them by putting out good music. You put all this time into me and I want to give back with good music that you can relate to, music that touches your heart, and music that gets you going. That is my goal and I am thankful that you take out the time to support me. It means so much to me, I love you, I love everything you have done with me.
Fans fell in love with Danny Gokey when he auditioned in Kansas City; his strong voice, his dedication to his faith, and his sincere personality made this Midwestern stick out. Gokey's favorite quote, "Unshakable faith is faith that has been shaken" got him through some of the toughest times the young singer had to face with the passing of his wife. Through music and his foundation Sophia's Heart Foundation, Danny will bring the message of hope to those in need. You can't miss Danny Gokey on the Idol tour this summer with a set full of eclectic music that will have you dancing and swinging your arms in the air.
Up next we will be bringing you a can't miss interview with American Idol winner Kris Allen who talks about life on tour and the release of his new album this fall.
source: http://news.tvstar.com/Article/224