American Idol 14: Keith Urban Dishes on the Upcoming Season

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American Idol 14 judge, Keith Urban, spoke to reporters today (12/10/14) via teleconference about the upcoming season. He dished on format changes, including “The Showcase” where the Top 48 got to strut their stuff at the House of Blues in LA, in front of a real audience. Keith felt the round gave the judges a good idea about which of the singers could cut the mustard on the live shows.

He also answered questions about working with new mentor, Big Machine Records CEO, Scott Borchetta, on which city had the most talent, and his love for the audition phase of Idol.

In addition to The Showcase, Keith described a new element of the competition, where the judges actually sat down and interviewed the singers to get to know them before deciding to advance or cut them.

The Idol judge became emotional when asked about the death of his wife’s (actress, Nicole Kidman) father and how grateful he was that his Idol family stepped up to help.

Also, Keith confirmed that the TOP 24 HAS BEEN CHOSEN!

Read the full interview with Keith below:

Are there any changes this year to the format? “Once we narrowed down our list…of more than 200…and even further down to get to our Top 48–those guys and girls we took into the House of Blues in Los Angeles to put them into a live club setting  where the band was set up. They got up onstage and did a song each in front of the audience.  We’ve never done that before. It was a really important part of the process, because in years past we’ve seen them in these in various audition environments and then they go straight to the TV studio, in front of a live audience. I really wanted to see what they were like in front of the club setting. Can they perform? Do they know how to perform live? Do they know how to move and connect with an audience? That was a really telling environment to have them in. We then narrowed it down from there. That was a really helpful part to make sure that we had solo performers going into the live shows.”

How does he feel about the new crop of contestants? “We took the Top 48 singers into the House of Blues in Los Angeles and put them in a real club setting so they’ve got the band on stage. They do a song each and there’s an audience. Just like it would be if you wandered into the HOB and saw them singing, playing at their own gig. I loved that we got to see what it was like being at their gig. It was a very telling environment. You could see quickly the ones–maybe they sang great, but they just froze on stage. They’re not ready. For me, it was such a great part of this process. From there we could whittle it down to the Top 24.

More on the House of Blues experience “…on this season of Idol, taking these 48 artists that we finally narrowed it down to into the House of Blues was such a great experience. That was a friendly environment, but nonetheless, it’s a club. You’re on stage. There’s the audience. We had a few technical glitches. It was interesting to watch the guys and girls who knew how to handle those moments where there was a long pause, awkward silences, things that went wrong. It’s just crucial. Some people dive straight into the arenas. Zero to 100. That’s how their careers go. But I think there’s no substitute for the slow build–learning the ropes gradually as you go. Otherwise, you’re going to have to figure it out in a huge venue.”

What are his favorite moments of the season so far? “The House of Blues was pretty fun! Collectively, I think, just the audition cities. I love that part of it, because they are long days where [we’re] often hearing sometimes 100 people or so in a day. Getting to be on the set with Harry makes it a really fun day. Half the stuff that we talk about and engage in with Jen ends up on the cutting room floor! Those audition cities are a blast. I can’t single anything out. That whole part of the journey is really enjoyable for me.”

What does he think new mentor, Scott Borchetta, will bring to the show? “He’s been there [through Hollywood Week] and for me it’s been great. He brings a different kind of eye and ear and overall view. The best way to put it is having a sense of the [relevance] of an artist in today’s marketplace and what sort of audience they’re going to find, what kind of record would they make. I feel like he’s brought something very fresh into the family. They’ve been very helpful already– weighing in as we start narrowing everybody down.” (Keith used the pronoun “they” twice. Seems like Scott has a team with him.)

Do you think you’ve found the next Taylor Swift? Is Scott looking for a Nashville act or crossover? “I never think in terms of finding the next anybody. We want to find the first of anyone. That sort of individualism and uniqueness is what I’m always waiting for with Idol. I want to find that person that is just extraordinarily original. They’re the ones.  Adele was just very original. Taylor was very original. The artists that have really solidified their careers and made significant albums–they’re the ones that everybody else then tries to copy. I’m interested in finding originals.”

Keith reveals that the panel sat down and talked with contestants as part of the decision making process “When we did the green mile last year, which is that part of the process where they come in and we tell them whether it’s a yes or a no [to advance to the live shows].  They’d come in, and we’d sit for a second and talk with them. And then we’d suddenly be thinking, ‘Ha. Wish we’d gotten to know this person a little better. There’s something about them that seems quite interesting.’ So this season we had a moment when we brought in a select amount of people that we wanted to meet, just so that we could get to talk to them for a little bit. It’s usually that they come up on stage and sing and then leave… We don’t really get to know them very well. From there I think we really found some artists. You can tell. You can have people who can sing really well, but they may not be really ARTISTS with a vision, and an artistic vision of who they are and what kind of career they want to have. Sitting down and talking with them really allowed us to see that.”

Was there an audition city that was a hot bed of talent? “I would say San Francisco delivered in spades. We finished up there. The turnout was extraordinary. We sent an enormous amount of people through. Certainly having said that, every town had very very strong people. We went to six different cities, mostly spending two days in every [one]. I’m sure we saw five or six hundred people in the whole audition process. We sent well over 200 through to Hollywood. It’s a pretty potent group we have this year.”

How has his decision making process on the show evolved compared to– maybe even last year, “I think more and more, I find myself going with a gut reaction to someone’s performance. I think it’s so simple. Did I feel something from this performer? Sometimes they can even have a pretty average voice, but they know what to do with it to communicate, and to get my attention and to make me feel something. I’m interested in all of those things. At the end of the day, it’s all about connecting, and the way in which we all do that is infinite. But there’s plenty of people that come on and they sing and they sound amazing, and I don’t feel anything. I drift off. I’m not interested. Those people, I’m not going to respond to them. I’m going to respond to the people that I feel something from.”

It’s less about perfect voices and more about the way singers make him feel, “It’s so impossible to define what that is. Someone’s got a great voice. Does Joe Cocker have a great voice? But he communicates! There are just so many ways to sing and make a connection. To me, that’s what it’s all about. I just want to be connected. Someone who sings a bit all over the place pitch wise still may be…riveting. [They make] me feel, and listen to what they’re singing.”

Will we see any more familiar faces this season? “There’s been a few people that have come back to try out again. For me, it’s always interesting to see what’s happened in the time since. What have they learned from not making it further in the previous season? Have they changed? I’m always curious, too, how the–I hate the world rejection–but that’s kind of what happens to them. They’re cut at a certain point. How did that make them feel? How did they channel that? For me, personally, I’ve almost gotten more inspiration from the naysayers in my life than the people who believed in me. They’ve been a stronger motivational force.  Times when I seemingly failed, or not gotten what I was trying to do–those moments have ended up being huge motivational moments. I’m interested if it’s the same for them.”

Has he ever had the occasion to pull somebody aside and discuss things other than singing? Like attitude and work ethic, for instance. “If I have the opportunity to have those moments with anybody that I think I can help, I certainly take to it straight away. We’re all needing guidance. For me that never stops. We all need some honest sounding board. One thing with Idol–and it’s just par for the course–a lot of these guys and girls come from towns where they may not have been exposed to lots and lots of people. They’re really revered in their little town. No one’s really been honest with them on the things they can work on. Even maybe the family is praising everything they do. Maybe they’re very talented, but now they need to hear some real feedback on things that they can work on.”

About Adam Lambert stepping in for him in New York and the way his Idol family stepped in for him when wife Nicole Kidman’s father died,  Keith gets a little choked up talking about the loss of Nic’s dad  – “The loss of Nic’s dad was just a huge, huge…I can’t even describe what that moment was like for our family. I was very very close to Nic’s dad. (Pause) It’s very fresh, it’s very recent. I was obviously scheduled to go to Brooklyn for two days to shoot Idol.  It was an amazing thing that a TV network would step in and say, ‘Don’t you worry. You be with your family. You’ve got to be there. We’ll figure out a way to cover all this. Don’t worry about it.’ I don’t take those things for granted. You would think people would have the heart–you often don’t see it. When I saw it in action with all of the network at FOX, and all of the people involved in Idol–and of course my fan base, because there was a couple of shows that I had to miss–It was an extraordinary thing. Adam Lambert stepped up and filled in for me in Brooklyn. It was an amazing thing to see that support. Very very grateful.

Has there been a particular “yes” that he’s given this season to someone that’s memorable to him? “There’s one or two people particularly that I’m thinking of right now–obviously their names I can’t say–either Harry or Jen or I, or sometimes a couple of us, felt really strongly about. Maybe other people didn’t pick up on [them], but we saw something, or felt something, and really fought for them and they made it through. [They] made it through to the next round and the next round–and everybody started to see ‘Oh my gosh! This person’s extremely talented! We never really noticed that before.’  I love when that happens. ”

What does Keith get out of working with young talent that he does not from being a performer himself? “One of the things I’ve loved about doing this show is that I did a few of them as a contestant when I was very young in Australia. When I was 9 years old, I went on a show called “Pot of Gold” and there was another show called “Have a Go Show.”  There was another show called “Stairway to the Stars.” For whatever reason, my parents thought these shows were a good place for me to go to maybe not only get a leg up career wise, but also get some advice and feedback. Which I certainly did. Some of it pretty scathing!  I know what it’s like to be humiliated in front of everybody on TV.  I haven’t been able to find any of those performances. Maybe a good thing I can’t find any of them! The only one that exists is when I was 16 and it was a pretty average performance.  I have a lot of empathy with these guys and girls on the other side of the desk singing.  Part of me enjoys it for being able to relate to them a lot.”

How would he describe Harry and Jennifer as judges. How are they different off camera? “They feel like family. To me it feels somewhere between family and a band. It feels like a four piece band. I’d put Ryan in there too. It’s very very fluid. There’s no other way to say it other than what you guys see on camera is what it is off camera. There’s no difference. It’s always the same. I’m constantly texting Harry goofball stuff.  It’s just a good synergy everybody has with one another.”

About mj santilli 35132 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!