It was less than 24 hours when Candice Glover spoke with the press via conference call, and she still could not believe that she won American Idol! See what she has to say about her time on Idol, recording her debut album, and more plans for the future below. Addition video interviews are at the bottom of the page.
***
What were her first thoughts and reactions when she heard that she won? “I immediately thought about the album that I’m going to be recording and the fact that my album was on pre-order as soon as the show was over Thursday night and people could buy that. I was super excited about that and going on tour and just getting myself out there. Mostly I just thought about the fact that I’d been here 3 times already. I was definitely excited.”
What is she most looking forward to about the tour? “I’m looking forward to singing and not having to worry about being judged or being eliminated the following day or getting votes– mostly just singing for the fans and getting my music out there. And just being with the Top 11 again.”
It must have been tough on her confidence to have been eliminated twice before. Why did she decide to keep trying for Idol? “I definitely was hurt and broken hearted when I got cut. For some reason even though I kept saying that I wasn’t coming back, I kept thinking maybe this one time it will work. I would find myself looking at auditions again on line, and going and saying if it doesn’t work this time, I’ll just fine a way to branch my music career another way. But I’m so glad that it worked.”
Was there any point during the competition where she thought that maybe it wouldn’t work either? Maybe the week that only Mariah Carey had her in her top 3? “I was definitely hurt at the fact that Mariah was the only one that picked me that week. But at the same time, I felt like that was the week that I had one of my weaker performances, so I definitely understood. But, that is how “Don’t Make Me Over” by Burt Bacharach and “Lovesong” by The Cure came about, because I decided that I needed something that would put me over the edge and show people why I was in the competition to begin with. At the same time, while it hurt, it also gave me a boost to do my best the next week.”
How does she plan on staying in the spotlight so we don’t forget about her, “That’s why I’m glad that Idol took a different approach as far as the album this year, because it will be out on July 16, and it’s also on pre-order now. While I’m still fresh in people’s minds, they can order the album. If they like me, if they voted for me, they can order the album. That’s a good way to keep the American Idol winner in the minds of everybody. Also, getting myself out there to do other things as far as acting and modeling [like] the careers of people that have won and even people that haven’t had the chance of winning like Jennifer Hudson. She also did very well in her career.”
If she had the chance to audition again, would she audition in front of the same judges? “Definitely. I told someone that these are my favorite judges. Not only because I did a good job on the show, but because they all were a great asset to the panel.”
Was it challenging to rehearse for the show, while doing songwriting and more on the side? “It was definitely a challenge. On the night that we made the top3, before we flew home to our hometowns, we were approached with the songs just in case we made the top 2. You had going home on your mind. You had singing your hometown concert on your mind. But you also had the fact that when you flew back, you had to sing three songs. Then you also had to choose your single as if you made top 2. There was so much to think about at the same time. You just pace yourself and take it one day at a time. And I think that’s why I was really happy that I got a chance to do 3 songs. I’m glad that I got the song that I got, because I was definitely connecting with the lyrics.”
Was it difficult to be on the show, being a reserved person? “Yes. It was definitely difficult to be on such a popular show and being shy and reserved and stuff like that. You’ve got all these bubbly people that are so fun and, you’re just more laid back. People tend to gravitate to the ones that are more excited. I’ll be excited, but you would never know by looking at my face. I think it definitely brought out the inner crazy in me and it brought me out of my shell a little bit.”
Does she have a favorite judges? “I don’t know if I have a favorite judge, but I do know that I connect more with Randy because he’s been there the 3 years [I auditioned]. He’s seen me grow, and I definitely look forward to his opinion, as well as Mariah Carey’s. She’s been doing this forever, and she knows what it’s like. Nicki also knows what it’s like today. I look up to all 3 of them. And getting a chance to meet Keith Urban–they all bring something good to the table.”
Does she see herself being bigger than Mariah and Nicki? “I definitely would model my career after them. I don’t know. It’s a pretty hard act to follow. Mariah and Nicki are both great in their different genres. So I would just have to hope for the best, and hope that I can do as well as they are.”
Would she like to splurge on something now that she’s won? “I got a car. That’s it. I would probably just pay all my bills. I still haven’t even gotten a chance to really think–now that I think about it I have some bills that need to be paid!”
What did her Grandma whisper in her ear when she gave her the Ford Fiesta? “She just said, ‘I love you.’ I think she was pretty speechless. She didn’t really know what to think. She was really having a hard time, she was overwhelmed. Especially when I won, I think she almost passed out. I don’t know what happened. I would have to ask my mom. I was kind of worried about her!”
What did her parents say to her before and after the show? “Before the show, they just said, ‘Whatever happens, you’ve done a good job, this is your 3rd time. Top 2 is definitely an accomplishment and don’t be sad if you don’t win.’ After the show, they said how proud of me [they were] and we just kind of sat there and realized that I actually came on the show a 3rd time and won. It was an amazing feeling. We just all soaked it in.”
What impact did it have on her when the judges implied that she had the edge on Kree, “Actually, I don’t know. The judges, when they give you critiques, they’re not the ones that are voting. They give you their input, but at the end of the day, it all depends on your fans. Kree’s amazing. At the same time, when we were waiting for the result to be called, we were calling each other’s names and saying ‘you won.’ She was like ‘No, you won.’ We had no idea what was going to happen, because America is so unpredictable sometimes.”
Angie was presented as the front runner during the competition. Did she ever think she had a chance to beat her? “I know that Angie has a humongous fan base and her fans are very dedicated to her. I’m pretty sure all of us–I would go as far as saying that I knew that Angie would possibly be the winner. All because of how big her fanbase was. I don’t know if I would say that it was a benefit that she went home. I definitely know that, no matter what, I knew that she would be successful. I knew it was a shock to America and everything, because she got cut. But she’s phenomenal and I know that no matter what she’ll be fine. I don’t know if she was a threat, everybody in the top 5–all the girls are so different–and we had our different fan bases for different reasons. ”
What is the single best thing she’s learned about herself as an artist throughout the process? “I’ve learned that I’m very different. Some of the ideas that I have are really odd to some people. Like, doing the Drake song. Drake is a rap artist, and I surprised a lot of people by doing that. I learned that I need to just take those ideas on full force, and go with them, and don’t hide behind, trying to do what I think America loves. I think the previous seasons I fell short because of that–because I was so worried. This year I finally realized that I’m different and I need to embrace it.”
Does she feel comfortable that she’ll be able to embrace that on her first album? “I’m confident. Some of the stuff that I’ve been doing and listening too, I definitely know that it will be different.”
Was she nervous about keeping up with Jennifer Hudson during their duet of “Inseparable?” I was nervous. I didn’t know if I was going to keep up. I thought I was going to suck, actually. I called my vocal coach, Michael Orland, and I said, ‘Can we please practice one more time? Because I don’t think that I’m good enough.’ He said ‘I don’t think we have time to practice. Just go over it in your head and everything will be fine. I was so nervous and so scared. I’m really glad I got a chance to do that with her.”
Would she a consider a collaboration with Jennifer in the future? “I would love to do a collaboration with her if she’s willing to do it. She’s so phenomenal and I look up to her. And people like Jazmine Sullivan who’s my favorite singer of all time, and Kim Burrell and even Drake and Nicki Minaj. I would love to do some different things with them.”
Is there a downside to quickly recording her debut album? “I’m focusing on not being put in a box. That’s the one thing that I don’t want to happen. I want to be able to be broad and expand–not to go as far creating a new genre–but do my own thing and not worry about being ‘Oh, she’s just an R&B diva’ ’cause the single that I have out right now is like R&B with a touch of pop. I know pop is something nobody expected me to ever do. I just want to keep that unexpected aspect going.”
What is her next big goal? What is her overarching goal? “Having an album is a pretty good goal to accomplish. I think to model after the career of Jennifer Hudson–be in movies and do different things like that. Actually–go further than music–I would love to do something like that.”
What was going through her head when Nicki was crying as she sang “Next to Me”? “She had seen my hometown visit before that. I saw her crying while the tape was being played. I think she knows what it’s like to have your career take off after just living a normal life and trying to pay your bills and stay on top of things. I think connected with her. We had that moment, because I know how it feels to work a 10 hour job, and want your music to work. But then having all these different things stopping you. She also talked about my confidence and that’s also something I used to struggle with. I’m glad I had that time to connect with her.”
What performance was she most proud of this season? “I was proud of the way that ‘Lovesong’ turned out, because I was so excited to do that song. I finally got a chance to.”
Season 2 alum, Carmen Rasmussen, asked a question on behalf of the Desert news: Was she hurt by negative criticism, or read nasty stuff online? How did she push past the negativity? “I’m glad you said the thing about reading on line, because that is poison. That is so bad to get on there and read that type of stuff. At the same time, it hurt my feelings. Seeing all that stuff…all it did was push me to do better the next week. When I did ‘Satisfaction’ in top 7, when all the judges didn’t put me in their top 3, but Mariah did–seeing on top of that–what [people] online thought about me. I pushed forward and did ‘Lovesong’ and did the other songs, When I got bad critiques from the judges, I just used it as fuel to better the next week.”
Did she have a goal in mind in terms of how far she wanted to go? “I remember speaking to my parents and saying ‘If I could just make it to the Top 20 and get to voting I know that I would have a fan base that would vote me into the top 10.’ If I could just do top 10, top 5, top3–when I got to top 2 I said, ‘Oh my gosh, next Wednesday, I could probably win this entire show.’ And then it happened, and I still can’t even believe that it did.”
What was her favorite part of the whole process, other than winning, “My favorite part would have to be meeting Smokey Robinson and having Aretha Franklin know who you are and Drake surprising me on the show, and Paula Abdul, and all those different people that are stars that you look up to and having them acknowledge your talent.”
How is she going to get her album finished in time for a July 16th release? Will she do much of it before the tour starts? How much of it has she done already? Does she have songs picked out? “I have songs I’ve been looking into and focusing on, but the one song that’s on iTunes right now is the only one that I’ve actually gone and recorded. I’m just excited to see how it goes as well as being on tour. But I’m definitely going to have to work hard to be in a studio late hours and do an album.
Will she be able to do any songwriting for the album? “I hope so. If there’s no time, then there’s no time.”
Has she maintained a friendship with Jessica Sanchez from her time on Season 11? Has she given her any advice? “She was at the party last night and I talked to her all the time during the season last year, encouraging her and voting for her and being there when she needed someone to talk to. I definitely maintained that friendship and she would always tell me, ‘Be yourself and just go through the whole thing and pace yourself cause it’s going to get harder down the road.'”
What surprised her the most about her Idol experience? “I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I did not know that it was going to be THIS much work. Joshua Ledet and Jessica, all them would tell me last year ‘This is going to be a lot of hard work. You’re going to do the Ford commercials and everything on Sundays.’ I thought it was going to be like ‘easy breezy’ or whatever, but we worked super-hard.”
How did she imagine fame? “I dreamed about it ever since I [was young]. I would be in the living room when none was home and just blasting the music from the computer and having the remote in my hand, and I just imagined a sea of people below me reach for my hand, and me just being on a tour or in a place of 7,000 people like I was this past week. I definitely would fantasize about what it would feel like to have people ask for your autograph, which is why I would practice it. It’s finally happening.”
What would she tell her younger self? “I would tell her to ‘be yourself’ and not worry about what America thinks about you, or what ANYBODY thinks about you. Go out there and be confident in who you are.”
Was there ever a point that she felt she had a chance of winning the whole thing? “I think when I first auditioned, Nicki said, ‘If you don’t make it to the last round of this entire competition, then something is definitely wrong.’ That stuck with me throughout the whole competition. I stuck with it and said, ‘I just have to make it to the last round.’ I just want to make Nicki proud and my family. Mariah is asking me for a mixtape at my audition and she was asking for an album. Ever since then, I said ‘OK, this is going to turn out to be something good.’ ”
Did she feel she had a slight advantage over Kree because she got to end the show with a show stopping performance? “I don’t know if it was an advantage. There was only two of us. Usually, in Top 10 if you get the order and you worry about being forgotten if you go early in the show. But there was only me and Kree and there was only one hour. I was confident in all 3 of my performances, but at the same time, so was Kree and she did a real good job. We went into it Thursday night not even really knowing what was going to happen.”
What did she do in the past year that made her better prepared for this year? “I listened to every single genre of music out there and got my musical knowledge up and just focused on being myself more and being different and not worrying about being accepted. In the previous two years I cared about that a little bit more than I should have. I think that’s why it really didn’t work out.”
***
CANDICE GLOVER After Show Press Conference
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
Access Hollywood
The Hollywood Reporter
