‘American Idol’ was just his beginning
Scarypoolparty had only been making music for a few years before he appeared on the latest season of “American Idol,” competing under his real name, Alejandro Aranda.
The singer-songwriter, 25, was one of the only “Idol” finalists to ever perform songs he’d written himself, which may be part of the reason he only came in second, and the judges were fulsome in their praise.
“I just feel like I’m in the presence of greatness,” said Luke Bryan.
Katy Perry asked if she could roadie for Aranda on his almost instantly soldout first headlining tour. Stevie Nicks said he made her cry (she wasn’t actually a judge, but still).
After “Idol,” things started happening quickly.
Aranda signed a deal with Hollywood Records and began work on a debut album. He performed his first full-band show just a few months ago, at Lollapalooza. His hometown of Pomona, California, where Aranda had recently toiled as a dishwasher, threw him a parade. His friend Twin Shadow, who gave him an early break when he recruited Aranda for his touring band, is now opening for him.
In a phone interview, Scarypoolparty broke down his almost unrecognizably weird new life.
The following is an edited transcript:
The show was “a good opportunity for me to showcase my songs.”
Q: This feels fast. Does it feel fast to you?
A: Yeah, it feels extremely fast. It feels kind of like a dream, in a sense.
Q: It must be a hard transition, to be on the show and all these famous judges are telling you how great you are and millions of people are supporting you, and then the show ends and you’re just sort of cast out to figure it out for yourself.
A: For me, it’s not really a transition. You’re just an artist. It matters how you view your music and how you view your identity.
It was a good opportunity for me to showcase my songs, which they allowed me to (do). I’m still the same coming in and out. I don’t think I’ll ever change that mentality.
Q: Did “Idol” change how you approach making music in any way?
A: Not really. It kind of put me in this weird state where I wasn’t really writing songs because you’re busy recording the show.
I wasn’t really writing, but I was trying to stay true to writing every day, practicing every day. It was actually kind of hard to be on that show and try to write music. Coming out of it was a breath of air.
Q: You’re doing some dates with Twin Shadow. You were recently working for him.
A: We both have this relationship which is nothing but goodness.
Oct. 27 birthdays: Actor John Cleese is 80. Director Ivan Reitman is 73. Author Fran Lebowitz is 69. Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 67. Actor Robert Picardo is 66. Singer Simon LeBon is 61. Actor Sean Holland is 51. TV personality Kelly Osbourne is 35.