The lack of buzz about season 6 since the finale aired has been astounding - in case you can’t tell by our meager June archives. However, now that the tour has started and recaps are starting to come in from just about every city, we’re finally starting to gear back up with some AI news regarding the tour - and a little info about the albums.
Why management and recording deals haven’t been announced yet for Blake OR Jordin is anyone’s guess. Right now, all we can do is speculate, since the people who DO know aren’t talking (as well they shouldn’t be, since there has been no official announcement). Hopefully, we’ll get some news soon, because I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m really anxious to know what’s going on with the albums.
However, in the meantime, here’s a little mini interview with Blake that a reporter from the Houston Chronicle was lucky enough to snag before the PopTarts show in Houston on Sunday (the link will also give you snippets of his interviews with Lakisha, Gina, Phil, and Haley). Here are the highlights about Blake’s album from the link:
Lewis describes his upcoming disc as “2000-’80s.” He was listening to rough mixes of new tunes on his IPod and graciously offered to–gasp!–let me hear a few.
“I haven’t let anybody hear this yet,” he said. My hopes were high.
It was an expectedly eclectic, electro-pop mix, ranging from Kylie Minogue-esque club grooves to a quick sample of ’80s hit Owner of a Lonely Heart. Killer stuff.
“I try not to be put in a box,” he says. “I’m inspired by everything. I’ve got six tracks done. I’ve got a track that’s very Erasure-sounding, a track that’s Sting-meets-Neverending Story and a track that’s very electro-poppy Depeche Mode. It’s all over the map.”
Sound awesome (ding!) to you? It does to me! I definitely can’t wait to hear this album!
It’s also been discovered that not only is Blake working on his album with a producer he’s said that he’s always wanted to work with, BT, he’s also been in the studio with Ryan Tedder of One Republic. Check out his myspace for more info on the artists he’s previously worked with and is currently working with. Also, check out the song “Apologize” on One Republic’s myspace. I heard it for the first time last week (yeah I know, I’m always behind) and it’s a hot song, fo sho.
Also, Blake got a mention in an article about 311 in the Palm Beach Post. Check out the full article - it’s really great. Here’s part of the bit that mentions Blake:
This past spring, a whole new group of people got an education in 311 - American Idol fans, via the relatively adventurous musical tastes of Seattle’s Blake Lewis. The band was contacted by the show’s producers for permission to let Lewis sing its All Mixed Up. Mahoney says they agreed but didn’t realize how much mileage they’d get.
“We didn’t know (Lewis) was such a big 311 fan. He really kicked a— on All Mixed Up,” he says. “After he sang the judges said they didn’t know who we were, and he said ‘They’re my favorite band. They’re great.’ It was the best publicity ever.”
And after that, 311, in turn, became big Blake Lewis fans - “Nick went a couple of times to the tapings of the show and hung out with (Lewis) and made friends with him,” Mahoney reports, adding that the diminutive beat-boxer also covered their version of Love Song.
Last but not least, for star, because she’s awesome (ding!) and got us some killer video from Nashville last week.
IMO, Blake’s original music as posted on youtube is not mainstream enough to sell to a mass audience like Daughtry did. Especially if he’s not willing to compromise on the sound.
I think his original work could become mainstream very easily. Emotional Waterfalls could be played on the radio right now. That song reworked on studio would sound fantastic. I am still hoping he includes that one on his album. It’s my favorite.
A little twitches here and there and that song it’s ready to go.
I am not saying he needs to completely compromise but he can create good songs that fit the radio and still be Blake. Remember Blake once said he likes GOOD pop music.
IMO he has a great melodic pop voice.. Perfect for mainstream. It’s up to him really.
I think he needs to be smart on his debut album, he really ius just starting in the music scene, and he has to take some advice from pros. If he goes completely underground his career would be short lived and on a very low profile. And that would be a shame with all his popularity right now.
ON the other hand, if he signed with Simon Fuller I am not worried at all. I think Simon will know how to bring the best out of Blake. He has the complete pakage to be successful. JMHO.
I think his original work could become mainstream easily also. Dumpty Humpty and Jealousy are hard to get out of your head once you have heard them a few times. Those are two of my favorites:)
Sarah, I agree. I think a lot of fans are still stuck on the “idea” of who Blake was on American Idol. Thus, they LOVE anything he already has done. The truth is that Blake is an indie artist, at least the music that he likes is. Sure, Seattle has been known to spawn BIG movements, the most noteable of which started with Nirvana and the Seattle Rock sound. However, rock is rock and Blake’s music, at least what he wants for his sound, MIGHT find resistance on radio.
Sure, there are some “hooks” within his melodies, and his songs could make an album. However, there just isn’t a lead-off single amongst what we have heard thus far. Producing can massage the tunes so that they “work”, but the “Blake” who Blake sees is FAR LESS commercial than the “Blake” that everyone else does.
Whatever he releases WILL have a big opening week when the Blaker Girls buy his material. After that, we’ll see how mainstream “Blake the musician” really is.
I agree.. to me it seems Blake is an Indie artist at heart, but because he already knows who is as an artist, he’s not going to want to change for the sake of selling a lot of music.
Nyla’s right in that he will have a BIG opening week, and after that, is up to all the fans. The ones that love it will stick, and don’t well… we’ll have to see. He can still be as big as mainstream if fans are behind him..
I still think that if Simon Fuller is backing him up his new music will have mass appeal. At least I hope so.
Why settle for less when he has it all going on to become another success storylike Daughtry? Blake likes Maroon 5 too, and they are mainstream.
Just saying.Sorry for being such a dreamer but hey I like all the songs Blake did on Idol so I hope I get some of thatvibe on his new album.That’s just me I know.
Exactly, exactly, exactly!!! He had to do what he had to do on AI. But maybe HE doesn’t WANT to be the some HUGE!!!111!1!1!1!!!! bubble gum popstar. Obviously, I can’t speak for him, but that’s just a thought in my head.
He has said that his style is Electro-pop with influences of funk and jazz. His myspace puts his style at Pop/Hip Hop/Electro. Those combinations, while great, are not exactly mainstream.
From what I hear Simon Fuller doesn’t have a flawless track record so I’m not assuming just because he’s working with him that automatically means success.
EXACTLY. Here’s the thing, I think expecting or wanting Daughtry like success is having hopes way too high. Blake can have a perfectly fine career but not sell like Daughtry. Daughtry set the bar for non-winner success so its a mighty high bar to top and not being as successful does not equal failure. I wasn’t familar with Daughtry’s music until last week when I finally bought their CD. I knew of Home obviously and liked it well enough, but their CD is INCREDIBLE. At least 7 of the songs were playing in my head for days and I can see now why its sold the way it has and gets airplay the way they do. Some of Blake’s original music is OKAY, I do like Transmission, but IMO none of the songs are nearly as catchy as what Daughtry recorded.
Maybe. But none of us really haven’t heard his new songs or what new single he comes up with. He is working with new producers now so he could come up with great catchy tunes too for his debut.
None of us know. I am still positive he will be successful. Sorry for being such optimistic fan.
We should all be optimisic fans, so no need to feel sorry. Everyone should just hope for the best, and know that he can make it…:)
Well I for one hope he doesn’t wind up a Daughtry. Because I don’t want to loathe one of his songs like I now loathe Home. Seriously that song is on the radio every other minute. And I used to like it.
Charles, thanks for posting the download stats. I always felt like Blake led in downloads, so it’s nice to see it confirmed. :)
Oh yeah, he definitely did get a great reception. He had by far the most applause of any of the contestants.
I think we all need to take a cue from the TWOP thread and schedule a trip to the Zen Garden. Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Blake iiiiis fiiiiiiiiine. Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Blake wiiiiiiiiiiiill beeeeeeeeeee fiiiiiiiine. Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. *repeat in a monotone chant*
Really, just let our beloved beatboxer do what he does best and “communicate his art” (not anyone else’s) - however that might end up happening.
Rolltide,
I got to agree with you about “Home” I loved the song when I first got the CD back in November and I still do, but just like you, I hear it on the radio about maybe twice a day! lol
Laura,
I have to say lol to that and I do agree. We need to try and remain positive for Blake’s sake. Whatever happens with the CD in the future just happens and we are just along with the ride as his fans trying to support him.
I am really more anxious to hear new material than the pre-AI stuff myself. It’s not that I’m saying the pre-AI stuff isn’t good, because it is, it’s just this is a way for Blake to show the world what a successful artist he could potentially be.
There’s a follow up to yesterday’s download numbers article, breaking down sales by week. Blake and Jordin outsold the rest by a huuuuuge margin throughout Finals (surprising to me that Melinda did not do as well as I thought, but I guess the Top 2 were the right Top 2), and Blake got the top spot more often than Jordin did.
The boy is a cash cow. He WILL be signed.
“Blake, You Give Love a Bad Name: 192,000″
Holy S***! Well that might be overall as compared to just one week’s total’s, but it is pretty dang good start into mainstream music. Let’s hope Blake can continue the success.
Well, I understand why Blake and Jordin were the top two and I understand why AI did not release the download totals. If we had known that Blake and Jordin were leading the pack all along we would have known that they were going to be the final two. The producers had to have seen this coming from a mile a way.
I am shocked that the other contestants did so poorly compared to Blake and Jordin. I never liked Chris R’s singing and I thought Mel was bland, but I would have expected them both to sell very well. They seemed to have a lot of support while on idol.
I KNEW I HAD A FEELING BLAKE WOULD KILL AND I KNOW HE IS GOING TO BECOME SO FAMOUS KEEP IT UP BLAKE
HE MIGHT BECOME MORE FAMOUZS THEN HJORDIN HELL YAY!!!!
“Home” is a good song. It’s got major crossover appeal into many formats. It’s a HUGE hit. Daughtry’s album isn’t breaking any new ground, but it’s certainly commercial.
Re: Blake’s songs thus far … Jealousy is very catchy. Emotional Waterfalls is very catchy. Transmission drags, but I think with the right production, that could be made into something. SLTW is the track on the album that his fans will LOVE, but will never see the light of day on radio. I actually like that “Dumpty Humpty” song too (needs to be slowed a bit, but it has heart).
I know he’s writing songs now and he’s been doing so during the entirety of American Idol. Also, keep in mind that a lot of what makes a song is the production of the song. For example, Kelly Clarkson’s single, “Since You’ve Been Gone”, was originally written to be a ballad. It fell flat that way. Kelly and Max Martin sped the track up, then added the rock flavor to it…and…wha la…the best pop single of the 21’st century was born. That’s why I’m wondering what Blake’s producers are going to do with his songs.
Lisa, we finally agree! Heh.
Yes, we should all be optimistic, that’s always a good thing to be. But I fear that if we expect Blake to go the way of Chris Daughtry, that everyone will be disappointed. He’ll sell just fine, he’ll be popular, but I really don’t think with the kind of music that HE says that HE wants to do, he’s going to be all that mainstream. Simon might have called him a “popstar,” but did HE ever say he wants to BE one?
It’s dangerous to have inflated expectations, especially with a brand new artist. Hell, going into Daughtry’s release last year (and if you know me from MJ’s, you know I’m a HUGE Daughtry fan), I was hoping his cd would just go platinum so wouldn’t be dropped from the label. I never even DARED to dream that he’d be as successful as he is. That’s his job, his label’s job, and his management’s job. As fans, I think it’s great to be optimistic, but you also have to be realistic. You know they all are.
This is what was mentioned as an announcement by Jordin but I don’t think so. There’s nothing about her on the Arista site or on the AI site. I’m not sure why they’re waiting since it’s killing any buzz unless they’re just trying to drive the fans crazy, lol.
I think it’s okay to be hopeful. I’m a big Chris D fan and didn’t know what to expect so was very happy with his success. This time I feel the same way. All we can really hope for is a decent album that the fans will enjoy and everything else is icing. I do think that Blake has the potential for Daughtry-like numbers but it doesn’t really matter as long as he can do what he enjoys and we can buy it.
It’s really odd that by all appearances Jordin is signed and recording, and there are some mentions of her being with Arista, but there was no press release or anything to announce it?
Bean,
You are correct. That is not a press release. She claims she was going try and have 2 singles out by Thanksgiving. I’m just wondering if she has even signed her contract yet.
Michelle,
I agree it is quite odd. This is the first time we’ve gone so long without seeing a press release about the winner. I’m just wondering if her dad really is the culprit with the holdup and that’s no offense to Jordin at all because we all realize that she is still 17.
Does anyone know if Blake is still flying out on tour off days to record in the studio? I haven’t heard any mention of him doing this lately.
I don’t think so. As far as we know, he’s only recorded the 6 songs he mentioned before the idols left for LA for the first concert in Sunrise, FL. As of right now, unless something changes and he does receive a recording contract with 19E, I don’t think he will be flying back and forth until the tour ends and he comes home. He talked about communting back and forth after the tour when he returned to Seattle. They’ve had very little breaks during this years tour, so there really isn’t time for him to fly back to LA.
The concert schedule for the rest of the month of July is like this:
19th-San Diego
20th-Fresno
22nd-Anaheim
23rd-LA
24th-San Jose
25th-Sacramento
27th-Tacoma, WA
28th-Portland, OR
30th-Nampa, ID
31st-Salt Lake City
Then they have a 2 day break before heading to Omaha on August 3rd. Plus, they have after partys after each concert and I’m sure they probably go into the wee hours of the morning.
As far as we know, Jordin hasn’t flown back to LA since the tour started either.
Technically if someone is flying him out to record it can be done while touring. Every year they have a tight schedule and some manage to do it. Its still very early in the tour. I don’t think the afterparties mean much if any of them are on a tight studio schedule, they would skip the party. Even if he records on some days off he would probably still have to do recording after the tour. Even Jordin specifically said in some interview “after the tour” she was going to be working extra hard on the CD. This might be nitpicking but I thought it was interesting in Ryan Tedder’s blog he said he was in the studio with Blake, like in present terms. For some others he said he worked with or recorded a song for. It made me wonder if he’s currently still working with him.
In season 4 they had a mobile recording studio for Carrie. It is possible that Jordin is recording the same way. It’s also possible that they will be recording along the way in cities with top notch recording studios.
The fact that Blake already has 6 songs down is pretty incredible. He deserves an artistic break to focus on the tour. Even if not all of those 6 songs end up on the album, he’s still way ahead of schedule.
Erinn,
I totally agree! When this news first came up after MJ did the interview with Blake in Tampa, I have to admit I was shocked myself. He actually recorded 6 songs in 8 days! I think from what we know so far, Jordin has recorded 1 song. That is a major accomplishment for Blake. I’m sure he will get back in the studio again once time permits, but all 10 of them are on an extremely tight schedule with this tour. There aren’t really as many dates as last year since there were no complete sellouts at the venues. I guess we should look at it like this, Blake needs to save his voice as much as possible so that it can last him the rest of this tour.
I am really anxious for the Tacoma date because I can’t wait to hear the recaps from that show from those who will be there. It will be a heroes welcome for him that’s for sure!
The date of Ryan Tedder’s blog is 7/14/07. That was just this past Saturday. The Idols were having a day off in Texas.
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