The TV singing competition show, American Idol XIV is coming to end, with the finale taking place on Wednesday where a new superstar will be crowned.
Every year, tens of thousands of hopefuls from across the nation audition for a shot to be the next singing superstar, but only a select few have what it takes to make it to the top. In the interview transcript below, Idol contestant Quentin Alexander talk about his journey as an 'Idol hopeful', his refreshing fashion style and the drama behind the heated argument with Harry Connick Jr. when he called the show 'wack' on live television.
American Idol S14 on StarWorld (Singtel TV Ch. 301 / StarHub TV Ch. 501)
Season Finale Part 1 - Top 3 Performance: Wednesday, 13 May, 6pm
Season Finale Part 2 - Top 2 Performance: Thursday, 14 May @ 8am (Live from the US), 6pm and 8pm (encore)
Thursday’s final episode will have all-star performances by Idol Judge Keith Urban, along with fellow judges Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr.. Chris Brown, Echosmith, Fall Out Boy, Jamie Foxx, The Jacksons, Vance Joy, Ricky Martin and Steven Tyler will be performing their hit songs as well!
Transcript courtesy of StarWorld.
Qn: What is next for you? Will you have time to go back to New Orleans? And, going forward, where do you see yourself going in music?
Quentin: I’m going to be focused on doing my personal things. I have a couple projects that I was working on before, and that is the short films that I’m working on that incorporates my music, as well as the fashion that I’ve created, so I’m really excited to introduce that to everyone, so we get a chance to see firsthand what kind of artist I want to be.
Qn: It was almost a year ago when you first auditioned for the show in New Orleans. Through Hollywood, through this last few weeks, can you talk about the ways that you’ve grown, the way this experience changed you? And, then the things that you take from this experience for your career going forward?
Quentin: Well, thinking back to January of last year when I first auditioned for the show. I would have never imagined that I would make it this far, and it seemed as though every week that I went through the process, I shocked myself more and more, and it ultimately built my confidence as an artist.
They really kind of nurtured my art within myself because I was afraid coming in to the competition that people weren’t going to understand or people weren’t going to be receptive, and they were automatically going to ridicule what I did, and the fact that they embraced it, and now they want more, it made it all worth it.
I’ve learned so much about my vocal strength and learning more about the stage, learning more about the technical aspect of it, as well as the business and work side of it, and I’ve gained so much knowledge, and so many tools, and so many relationships. The bonds that I’ve built in this competition are going to be there for life, and it’s great to know that I have something tangible to hold onto after everything is done.
Qn: You haven’t just impressed everyone with your vocal abilities, but also with your style. I think you probably took the most risks, especially out of the guys with different hair and outfits. What is kind of your fashion inspiration and would we ever see anything in the stylistic realm from you with fashion in the coming weeks or months?
Quentin: Absolutely. I take a lot of inspiration just from being broke and having to go thrift for things, and seeing kind of the things that are in the shops, in the costume shops, and then watching people initially today, like Andre 3000, Erica Badu, Kanye West. They all kind of have their own look at everything, and they put things together just to kind of make themselves happy, I feel first, and then people just enjoy it. So, I kind of do that same thing, but I definitely sketched out a couple of things that I’ve been working on before, and hopefully within the next month or so there’s going to be some clothing out. So, just be looking forward to that.
Qn: Do you think your heated exchange with Harry Connick played any role in your bottom two placement, or even elimination? And, I guess, if so, any regrets about that situation because obviously maybe some viewers saw things from Harry’s perspective, do you know what I mean?
Quentin: Yes. It definitely could have played a role, but I don’t really know that, and I’m never really going to know, but either way, I’m still proud of the way that things happened. I wouldn’t change that moment with Harry and I for anything because it was a real, genuine moment, and for me to change it would be for me to change my journey overall. And I think things happen for a reason, and I’m all about timing, and it happened and maybe it wasn’t time for me to be on tour, or stay on the show. There’s maybe another path that I need to take first for that to happen, and I’m just excited and I’m glad that I came as far as I did. And, to go out on a note like that, I’m fine with.
Qn: Did you ever have a personal conversation with Harry following that exchange last week, like did you guys talk backstage or ever kind of hash things out, or did an awkward elephant kind of always remain in the room after that between you guys?
Quentin: We actually did not have a conversation after that. I spoke with him briefly once I was eliminated after I left the stage and all that, and we had a conversation on things other than that incident because I feel that we both, or at least I know that myself—I’ve moved on from it right after it happened, and I was just ready to move on and focus on the performances. And, I feel that he kind of thought the same thing, so it wasn’t really worth us dwelling on.
Qn: How did growing up in New Orleans, like which is an epi-center of some amazing music and culture, influence you as an artist?
Quentin: Growing up there, it actually really, really, really played the biggest part in the way that I present my art and the way that I am, just because there’s so many different musical influences, so many different cultural influences, different ways of life all in one small bowl. It’s kind of the gumbo pot, which is what we call it. It’s just a mixture of everything, and I pride myself on that because I don’t think most people realize how far your reach can go when you’re kind of dabbing in each pot. You know what each flavor is like, you know how far you can go, and it ultimately shapes how I look at music and how I look at fashion, and it’s going to play a huge part in the rest of my career.
Qn: You know that Trevor and Savion are doing their own tour, their own separate tour. Is there any possibility maybe seeing maybe you and Joey do some shows together? That might be fun.
Quentin: You know I would not be opposed to that. The great thing about Joey and I is we both live in the same city, so that’s something that could happen very, very easily. So, we’ll definitely be discussing that.
Qn: Have you talked to her?
Quentin: Yes. Joey texted me, actually, right before the show and I haven’t got a chance to talk to her today because I’ve been working non-stop, but we’re going to get a chance to have that conversation and we got a wedding to plan, so it’s going to pretty awesome.
Qn: What kind of album could you see yourself making?
Quentin: Like I said, with—as my influences, there is a bunch of different things that I’m influenced by, but I feel that an overall vibe of the album would be like a really cool bluesy soulful rock album with hints of modern music, and I think it’d be really cool to kind of mesh that old, classic flavor with the new, and make something that, I don’t want to say hasn’t been done yet, but hasn’t been done enough.
Qn: were being critiqued week after week by judges who have a career in the music industry. What was the best piece of advice or takeaway that you received from them throughout the process?
Quentin: The one thing that I definitely held since—I want to say top 24, I think it was top 24, it may have been earlier, but JLo—we had a sit down, all three of the judges and I, and JLo said to me, hold on to your art because it’s the one thing that makes you you, and that’s one thing that definitely stuck with me because it’s the truth. It’s the one thing that separates me from everyone else is my art, my personal feelings, how I go about doing things, and it’s the same for every other contestant.
So, it was great to hear that from her because I know she could kind of tell at that time that I was struggling to understand my position in the competition, and where I stood as far as should I compromise my performances just to kind of fit this mold, and she confirmed for me that no, it’s fine. You be yourself, and everything will work out as it’s supposed to.
Qn: The finale, coming up at the Dolby, are you excited about that, and who would you like to perform with if you had your pick, or do you know?
Quentin: I am extremely excited for that. We go into it looking forward to that big bang ending, and I’m excited to see who’s there at the finish line because it’s like I said, we’ve built such a strong bond that it’s like a family. I’m going to be proud of whoever it is, and it’s going to be exciting.
If I had a chance to perform with anyone, at this point I don’t really know who it would be just because I feel that everyone is so great, and if it was anyone on the show, automatically, it’s going to be an amazing performance.
American Idol XIV Season Finale Part 1 airs on Wednesday, 13 May, 6pm & Part 2 on Thursday, 14 May, 8am (Live telecast) and 8pm (Encore) on StarWorld (Singtel TV Ch. 301/ StarHub TV Ch. 501)