Speaking of going home the morning after result show, the 22-year-old says, 'It feels like I've failed. But now, thinking about it, it's like, I haven't failed at all. This is just the beginning.'
- May 14, 2011
AceShowbiz - Hard rock singer James Durbin was apparently caught off guard by his elimination from "American Idol" on Thursday night, May 12. The 22-year-old spoke to the press in a conference call held the morning after he got the boot from the singing competition, and admitted that he was definitely blindsided by the news.
"I'm not gonna lie, I definitely was," the fourth-placer confessed. "But there was something off with the kinetic energy of everyone at the studio yesterday. I just kind of felt it off of people's body language - not that people knew, it's just that there was a real somber feeling... I freaked out a little bit before the show started, and I just knew it, I really did."
During the chat, it was mentioned that previous fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, who also found fame post-"Idol" with band DAUGHTRY, said not winning the show was the best thing that happened to him. To which, James commented, "That makes plenty of sense." Still, he added, "Winning would have been just great too."
"There's the first instinct when you're up there, and Ryan says, 'You're going home,' the first instinct is, 'Gosh, I wanted to win so badly,' and it feels like I've failed," he explained. "But now, thinking about it, it's like, I haven't failed at all. This is just the beginning... I can really appreciate now - and I'll figure it out more in the coming days - the finale, and the tour, and releasing my stuff, and just really getting to work, is exciting, and I'm really stoked."
Asked if he had any idea why his "Don't Stop Believin' " and "Love Potion #9?" rendition didn't connect with people, James said, "I don't know. It's kind of funny and I've been waiting for someone to ask me this question all morning, since 5 A.M. here."
"The funny thing is, a friend I made out here is Chris Jericho - who's on 'Dancing with the Stars' - big metal head, singer in a metal band, pro-wrestler. The last song that he danced to before his elimination was 'Don't Stop Believin.' ' 'Don't Stop Believin' ' eliminated James Durbin, Chris Jericho, and Tony Soprano."
In another interview, James also spoke about the hands-on hip shaking guidance Lady GaGa provided when mentoring him for his Wednesday night, May 11 performance. To the Hollywood Reported, the aspiring singer honestly said, "To sum it for me, it was awkward. It was unexpected and very uncomfortable. I warned [my girlfriend] first. She didn't like it. Only on Idol."
