Taylor Hicks featured in this week’s People
American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks is featured in this week’s People magazine, available on newsstands now. The pictures inside (Taylor on the back of an old pick-up truck) are worth the price of the magazine. Here’s an excerpt:
“Part of his appeal lies in Hicks’s sheer intensity. ‘I’m an energy ball, ‘ says Hicks, whose two front teeth are fake–the originals got knocked out when he was playing all-out in a high school basketball game. ‘You have to be if you’re a performer. I love watching Mick Jagger perform and all those high-energy people because you get your money’s worth.’
Still, Hicks is trying to keep his new found fame low-key. ‘He’s not the type to get his head turned around by a little bit of attention.’ says his mom. ‘he’s not doing this so that people will scream and chant his name. He’s doing this because he has a genuine love for music’.
…Then, in the fall, he’s expected to release his post-idol debut album to be overseen by industry legend Clive Davis.
Where Hicks goes from there is an open question. ‘If you come up with an album merely to satisfy the TV fans, ‘ says Davis, ‘you will sell a few hundred thousand and be over. He has to really move to the next step and show he is a recording artist and is involved in material that can compete with Mariah Carey, James Blunt, Usher and Alicia Keys.’ Hicks’s edge, says Davis, ‘is that he is charismatic and soulful at the same time, and already knows how to use his stage [presence] in a very winning fashion.'”
The article is not posted online at People.com, but I did find a page of American Idol coverage. Recent posts include online video quizzes featuring Taylor, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin–who I understand recently visited People’s offices.
Also worth reading…
From MSNBC, a review from a reporter who attended the finale.
