Interview with John Stevens
By Rodney Ho | Friday, October 10, 2008, 07:41 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“American Idol Rewind” offered up a few of the lesser known “Idols” from seasons three and four to talk to to promote the syndicated show (also seen on TV Guide Channel.). I decided on John Stevens, the cute redheaded singer from season three who managed to finish sixth ahead of Jennifer Hudson.
Stevens, who is now a senior at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, didn’t feed me any cool insider anecdotes or shocking insights. But he sounds very grounded and ready to work when he graduates next year. I liked him on the show though he was clearly uncomfortable stretching into genres he was unfamiliar with at the time.
“I’m much more confident with my own voice and everything,” he said. “My repertoire has expanded so much. I’ve got so many more tools. I could be able to pull off from different genres now.”
He said he had only performed solo for a couple of years before “Idol,” unlike Diana DeGarmo, who was the same age but had done so since he was age five. (The two still keep in touch. He also keeps tabs with Jasmine Trias, who continues to make a living in the Phillipines.)
Though Stevens could imitate Dean Martin (the audition was replayed in the first “Rewind” episode), he was actually the youngest contestant on the show in its history, having just turned 16 at the time. After the show, he released an album “Red,” which featured standards such as “Come Fly With Me” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” It sold modestly. After touring in 2005, he chose to go to Berklee.
He did so because he felt like he didn’t know enough about music. During his “Red” tour, he had worked with a seven-piece band, guys from ages 24 to 30 who had gone to college for music. “There was this communication barrier,” he said. “I needed to go back to school and get accustomed to the language.”
While in school, he’s learned to write his own music, which he said remains jazz flavored. He is also taking acting classes. He performs with swing orchestras in Boston and does regular gigs whereever he can. He is surrounded by musicians from 70 countries at his school and has learned much more about jazz and bebop. He also has gotten into Afro Cuban, R&B, pop, rock. But can he still do a mean Dean Martin? “I can still do those imitations but I keep them on the back burner,” he said.
He said he did receive “a lot of flak” for outlasting Hudson in 2004, but such befuddlement has receded with time.
“She’s obviously gone on to do much bigger and betting things and done fantastic for herself,” he said. “We were actually very close on the tour. I would say she’s one of my best friends from that show.” But he hasn’t heard from her recently and has been seeking a way to track her down while she’s busy winning Oscars and promoting “Spotlight.” (So, Jennifer, the folks at BWR public relations has his number if you want to catch up with him!)
American Idol Buzz | AccessAtlanta
TOTW/F/M Award(s): 1
Linear Mode
Carrie Underwood News 
