Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Danny Gokey has a clear vision for his post-Idol career.

And it’s not about making tons of money or living the glamorous life of a pop star.

He wants to start a movement with his music, to change people’s hearts.

“My dream is to mix my music with my foundation,” Gokey said during Thursday’s exit interview with the media. “For my career, I don’t want it to be necessarily all about me. I want it to be about people.

“I see opening up concerts with possibly the story of a young kid whose father was maybe killed in a gang and whose mother is a drug addict and kind of watching his life, how he had to overcome this and that, then possibly how Sophia’s Heart Foundation has impacted this kid. And then I would come out and entertain people, then flash back to another story.

“I want to entertain people, but at the same time, I want people to come out of their zone for a bit and out their problems and have a perspective of looking at someone else’s problems and watching what they’ve overcome. Hopefully, they’ll walk away feeling good … They’re going to want to make a change.”

Sophia’s Heart, of course, is the foundation Gokey created in honor of his late wife, who died after convincing him that he should try out for Idol.

According to the foundation’s Web site, its mission is to “help mend and heal the hearts of children who have been touched by poverty, sickness, disease, broken families and broken dreams.”

Danny says once his Idol commitments end, one of his priorities is to devote more time to the foundation, to help define a clear set of goals for the group.

“I want to grow this foundation because this foundation means so much to me,” he said. “It’s the legacy of myself and my wife on this earth, even though she’s gone.”

Growing the foundation means creating centers that will keep children active and pull them back to music.

And if Idol has kept him at arm’s length from the foundation in recent months, it’s never been far from his mind.

You know that little heart shape Danny is always forming with his hands on stage? He borrowed it from a photo, posted on the foundation Web site, of a child making the same sign with his hands.

“That’s part of movement that I see in the music. I could be way off. This is just visions and dreams I have inside of me, but I would love for that to be my symbol for my music,” Danny said. “I did the hearts thing in Milwaukee last week. There were 25,000 people there. Half the crowd did the same thing. That’s what I want people to do.”

Have no doubt, Danny’s post-Idol plans also include recording music. He envisions a soulful album with nice R&B beats and “a hint of Latin vibe” mixed in.

As for his Idol ouster, Danny says it wasn’t unexpected, especially when he was left standing on stage with Adam Lambert at the end of Wednesday’s show, knowing one of them was heading home. Danny admits he had a feeling he was going to be eliminated all day.

There are some things he’d change about his time on Idol, like that ill-fated shriek at the end of the performance of “Dream On” during Rock Week. But, all in all, Danny said he’s proud of his performance.

“I want people to know I’m thankful for the opportunity they gave me,” he said. “You know, I was a nobody, and this show turned me into somebody. I still believe the best is yet to come for me. I’m so thankful that my life had turned around. I can’t say that enough.”