Thursday, July 30, 2009

‘Idol’ chatter: Kris Allen talks up tour

No tabloid-ready rivalry, no behind-the-scenes sniping and recrimination, no senseless drama — in short, Season 8 of "American Idol” was nicer than nice. And this year’s champion, Kris Allen, couldn’t be happier.

"I think a lot of people have seen that, and that’s where I think this year was kind of cool: No one was just trying to go out there and beat the other person,” said Allen, who performs with his fellow finalists in "American Idols Live” at 7 tonight at Tulsa’s BOK Center. "They were just trying to do their best. If you won, you won, and if you didn’t, hopefully cool things would happen for you.”

For this year’s Top 10 finalists — Allen, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre — "American Idols Live” is the first of those cool things. The concert is a victory lap, a chance for the singers to connect directly with their fans and play favorite songs from the show.

Read the full NewsOK article

The American Idols visit Graceland: Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Lil Rounds

The American Idol Season 8 Top 10 visit Graceland during a break from the Idols Live! Tour. Interviews with Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Lil Rounds included.




Sunday, July 26, 2009

Fans pack the Tulsa BOK Center to cheer for 'Idols'

Fans packed the arena to cheer for their favorite singers from the top 10 finalists of America's most popular TV show's eighth season.

Winner and Arkansas homeboy Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert closed the show and drew the biggest cheers — but their sets could not have been more different.

Allen played stripped-down, soulful versions of pop and rock favorites, while Lambert played a sexed-up set of metal-infused, artsy glam rock.

Allen — sporting jeans and a plaid shirt — opted for a set that included Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," the Killers' "All These Things I've Done" and the Beatles' "Hey Jude."

Lambert, decked out in a spiked black leather jacket and sparkly belt buckle, slithered through a set that included Tears for Fears' "Mad World," Muse's "Starlight" and a medley of David Bowie hits.

Read the full Tulsa World review

Kris Allen Intro and singing Heartless

Arkansas' own American Idol - Kris Allen singing Heartless in Little Rock 7-25-09 after an amazing screaming welcome from his fans!!!!

Kris Allen & Adam Lambert talk about Life after Idol

American Idol is ready to hit the road! Season 8 winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert were on hand at a press day on Thursday to talk about the Idols Live Tour, which kicks off in Portland, Ore., on July 5, and will take the top 10 — which also includes Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre — to 50 cities in North America. PEOPLE spoke separately with Allen and Lambert about their upcoming albums, the tour and how their life has changed.

Kris Allen
Are you moving or planning on staying in Conway, Ark.?
My wife is going to move back home for the tour, so we still have to have a place to live, and still have our apartment. But things have changed completely. Four months ago, I could have never imagined ever doing anything like this. I don’t get much sleep now but there’s a lot of work to be done writing for the album and … rehearsals, as well. It’s nonstop but I’d rather be doing this than anything else.

How is the recording process coming along?
It feels great! It feels great to know that you’ve wanted to do this thing your whole life and to know that you have an album coming out in the fall that you’ve worked hard on that is you.

Read the full People Magazine interviews

Friday, July 24, 2009

Kris Allen, Adam Lambert Reveal Plans Behind “American Idol” Tour

What can fans expect of Season Eight’s Top 10 on an arena stage? Adam Lambert promises a “post-apocalyptic-rocked-out-space-disco-funk” look to his ensemble, while Matt Giraud is gearing up for dance lessons courtesy of tour choreographer JaQuel Knight, who was the creative brain behind BeyoncĂ©’s “Single Ladies” video.

“To not have to worry about where the camera’s gonna be or where you’re standing is so liberating,” says Anoop Desai, who’ll be reprising “My Prerogative” as one of his show numbers. Allen is also adjusting to a new Idol world, and the idea of building his own set list. “People want to see you do songs from the show, but it’s nice to be able to throw in something that you want to do and really mold your time onstage,” he says.

see the full Rolling Stone, Rock & Roll Daily story

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Adam Lambert & Kris Allen: They Want to Record Together!

For the next three months or so, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen will be spending a lot of time with each other crisscrossing the country on the American Idol tour.

It's no wonder that the two say we shouldn't be surprised if, in the end, they decide to record a song together.

"It could happen," Lambert told me Friday during my exclusive sitdown with him and Allen. "Maybe we'll write a song on the road."

Allen smiled, "We have to figure it out, but yeah, we should do it."

No surprise, but the American Idol winner and runner-up have become as tight as any two best friends could be. So, just how close are they?

EOnline.com Exclusive Interview

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Kris Allen & Adam Lambert talk about Michael Jackson

"His voice was just one of a kind," Adam Lambert said. "No one else sounds like him. Furthermore, the visual stuff he brought to the table was so groundbreaking and edgy and ahead of its time, in a way. There wasn't anyone else really going out there like that."

Lambert added that the King of Pop broke barriers. "He defied sexuality and race in a way that no one else has," he said. "He wasn't openly masculine or feminine. He was kind of somewhere in the middle in this androgynous space and at some point he was like, 'Black or white, it doesn't matter.' There were a lot of things he straddled the line of, and I think that was really cool."

"He was the most influential musical person that I had in my life," Kris Allen said. "On the artist side of things, everything that he did was just so right." "Every album that he did, it hit you in a way that just made you feel good. It made you feel him and feel his music. He was a genius, a complete genius."

from Marc Malkin, EOnline.com

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert on the Today Show

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert on the Today Show from May 28, 2009.

Five American Idols open up about life on the road: Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre

It's four hours to show time on Saturday and the Idols are wandering in and around the San Diego Sports Arena, killing time before the curtain rises on the 10th stop of their 50-city American Idol Live concert tour .

Kris Allen, dressed in what looks to be the same plaid shirt, black jeans and high-top sneakers he'll wear in concert that night, wanders into the arena from the direction of the nearby swap meet clutching a large soft-drink cup. A smiling Lil Rounds carefully pads around barefoot, cotton balls stuffed between her toes, so as not to smudge her fresh French pedicure. Michael Sarver, Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud cheerfully sign autographs and pose for photos for the crowd of 100 or so fans waiting patiently outside. And inside the arena, Adam Lambert's feet are hot, so before he sits down for an interview he pulls off his boots and socks (mischievously handing them to an amused crew member) and reveals 10 toenails painted with the same onyx polish that's on his fingernails.


Read the full North County Times interviews

Monday, July 20, 2009

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert talk "No Boundaries"

Los Angeles – Cutting Kara DioGuardi's "No Boundaries" from the American Idol tour was a no-brainer for Kris Allen.

"Taking that out is kind of helping my set a little bit," Allen explained to us this morning as he and Adam Lambert picked up their new Ford vehicles at Galpin Ford just outside of Los Angeles. "It gave it a little bit more energy … It just felt like a better fit to put something else in."

Critics and fans have pretty much trashed "No Boundaries," which DioGuardi cowrote, ever since it debuted as the American Idol victory song during the finale in May. Allen has replaced it with The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done." "Everyone knows that song," Lambert said. "It's really great."

Our favorite singing bromancers also talked about which Idol alums they'd like to work with... "I love Kelly Clarkson," Allen said. "She's incredible, so that's who I'd want to work with."

Lambert is a big fan, too. "The album Kelly just came out with is fantastic," he said. "Great writers, great producers. She wrote a bunch of songs on there, and Katy Perry—my girl—wrote songs on there, too. It's great." But then Lambert added, "I want to work with Fantasia, just hollerin' back and forth."

On a more serious note, the openly gay Lambert said he's trying not to think too much about protesters who showed up at one of the recent Idol tour stops. "I don't think I'm going to change their minds," he said. "I respect their opinion, but they didn't need to come to a concert and spread negativity...Go use your energy for something productive."

 Source: E! Online

The Idols Live Tour

On the second night of the American Idols Live: 2009 Tour, the 10 were settling comfortably into their lives as wandering rock stars. At 3 p.m., the day was gray, frigid and windy outside. The subdued crowd of a hundred or so leaned in eerie silence against the metal barricade as Megan Joy walked down the row singing autographs and posing for pictures. 

Inside, the ancient Dome seemed like it was just waking up, a universe away from the frenzied hub of activity around the tour kickoff at the Paul Allen-built stadium. In a cafeteria-like room set up with round tables and folding chairs, half the Idols came to visit the four members of the press corps on hand.

Building up to Show 2, gone already was the repressed frenzy of anticipation the Idols felt in the hours before opening night. Now that it was over, nearly all confessed to fighting back serious attacks of nerves, either from excitement or fear, in the countdown to Sunday night’s show. The giddiness that followed opening night seemed to have led the Idols' emotional roller coaster on a long loop-the-loop; the group reported staying up until 5 a.m. Monday, despite fatigue, to celebrate their their bow.

read the full Los Angeles Times article

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen Hit the Stage Again as American Idols Live Tour Kicks Off

In true Robert Plant style, Adam Lambert made his arrival known, punctuating his three-octave howl on “Whole Lotta Love” with pelvic thrusts and microphone straddling, then quickly switched gears for the haunting “Mad World,” showing off his crystalline falsetto against a moody backdrop of smoke and twinkling lights. After reprising “Slow Ride,” his energetic duet with “little sister” Allison Iraheta, Lambert closed his set with a medley of Bowie songs, then sunk down into the stage to the loudest cheers of the night.

Marked by explosive bursts of noise and color, the countdown culminated in Season Eight champion Kris Allen, who eschewed theatrics for a straightforward set of Idol favorites, from the soulful, percussive “Heartless” to his stirring piano-and-vocals interpretation of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Calling for a sea of cell phones and lighters, Allen finished his set with a plaintive rendition of “Hey Jude,” bringing the rest of the Idols back on stage to close out the show with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”

Full Rock Daily article

Friday, July 17, 2009

American Idol Live! 2009 Summer Tour Dates

Did you get your tickets yet for the 2009 American Idols Live Summer Tour?!

All top 10 finalists: Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Megan Joy & Michael Sarver will perform on a 50 city tour beginning July 5th.

Kris Allen interviews Adam Lambert

Video of Kris Allen interviewing Adam Lambert while backstage at rehearsals for the Idols Live tour.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta Get Pumped for American Idols Live’s First Gig

“This is definitely the biggest crowd I’ve performed in front of,” said Adam Lambert, whose pre-show preparation includes some push-ups and sit-ups to get his blood pumping. There should be plenty of blood pumping in the audience, too, considering that Lambert is opening his set this summer with the awesomely over-the-top “Whole Lotta Love,” the Led Zeppelin cover that blew away the Idol judges (and fans). “It’s fun, it’s sexy,” he said.

Despite his rock god status, Lambert again confirmed he’ll be exploring a variety of genres — pop, dance, electronica, funk — on his upcoming album, which includes collaborations with producers Linda Perry, Sam Sparro, RedOne and Greg Wells. Iraheta, on the other hand, is happy to be nixing disco night and doing what she does best — rocking out. The raspy-voiced teenager is working on an alternative rock album with David Hodges and Kevin Rudolf.

Full Rolling Stone article

American Idol Record Deals: What's Up with the Top 10?

American Idol winner Kris Allen, runner-up Adam Lambert and fourth place finisher Allison Iraheta have all inked recording contracts. But what about the rest of the Top 10: Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds, Michael Sarver, Megan Joy, and Anoop Desai?

E Online catches up with the top 10 at their tour rehearsals to hear the status of their post-Idol plans.

EOnline.com Link

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Adam Lambert interviews Kris Allen

Video of Adam Lambert interviewing Kris Allen while backstage at rehearsals for the Idols Live tour.



Kris Allen Working With Fray Frontman, “Idol” Vets On Debut

Kris Allen is talking with Billboard.com about the producers and songwriters he’s recruiting for his debut disc, due out in the fall. So far, Allen has nailed down collaborations with songwriter Claude Kelly (Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You,” Britney Spears’ “Circus”), producer Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Nas) and former Evanescence keyboardist David Hodges, who previously worked with Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and David Archuleta.

“I’ve been writing a lot with a lot of different people, and it’s going well,” Allen told Billboard. “Each writing session has been a learning experience. I think that we are trying to figure it out and that it’s going the right way and I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait.”

Rolling Stone Link