Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The way Kris Allen figures it, he was lucky to get to audition before the Idol judges, let alone make the finals or walk away with the season eight Idol crown.

Kris auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky, with his brother, and recalls that he showed up that day without a voice because he was so sick.

“We were waiting like 14 hours because we were some of the very last ones to (audition). And I seriously would not talk all day. It was really scary. I was there with my brother and I said, ‘I hope you get through because there’s no way I’m getting through.”

Turns out, saving his voice helped. He recalls that he “sang OK.” OK enough to get a second shot in front of the judges at a later date. And the rest, of course, is Idol history.

Not that there weren’t other obstacles — obstacles besides the 35 other semifinalists and 12 other finalists — to overcome on the way to winning season eight.

For instance, Idol viewers saw very little of Kris during the Hollywood round. The focus instead was on group performance drama and early favorites like Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds and even a guy named Adam Lambert.

Kris says he wasn’t bothered by that, too much.

“I think there was maybe a little bit of just like, ‘Wow, they’re not showing me.’ More shock than anything. But for me, that’s kind of the way I live my life. I’m kind of laid back and low key and every now and then I stick my head out.

“That’s the way I approached the competition, and it seemed to work out pretty well.”

Well enough that he wound up pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Idol history Wednesday night, defeating Adam, who clearly had most of the judges on his side.

During a conference call with the media Friday afternoon, Kris also explained his initial comment after being named winner. The comment: “Adam deserves this.”

“I still feel that way,” the 23-year-old from Conway, Ark., said. “I feel like Adam deserved it just as much as I did. He was the most consistent performer all year. He is seriously one of the most gifted performers that I’ve ever met.

“He’s really just a great guy, and we became great friends. We told each other that day, ‘You deserve it,’ and he shot it back at me. You know, I think it could have gone either way, and America could definitely not have gotten it wrong.”

How close was the voting?

Kris doesn’t know; no one from Idol has said either.

“I have a feeling it was really close. I mean, come on, Adam was a huge frontrunner through the whole thing, and I knew he had a lot of people voting for him.”

Among the other issues Kris addressed during his Friday afternoon interview …

Is there any chance he and his wife of eight months will someday form a Sonny and Cher type duo?

“Absolutely not,” Kris says. “She will tell you that she does not sing. That will definitely not happen.” Besides, he added, his wife has other things she’s passionate about, like acting, like helping others, like perhaps creating a foundation to do so.

What’s the biggest lesson he’ll take away from Idol?

“Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned is that … for me, I’ve always been kind of a procrastinator. And on the show, I felt like the times that I worked the hardest were the times that I did the best. Seriously, the harder you work for the thing you love the most, then everything you want is going to come true.”

What should we expect from a Kris Allen record?

“You know, for me, I felt like I did exactly what I wanted to do on the show that I would want to do on a record. When I did ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ like that’s the stuff I want to do.”

What’s his goal in the music business?

“The only thing that I really want to do is to be respected in music industry and have my music be respected. Whether that means selling albums or winning Grammys or just people liking your music, that’s all I really want to do.”

A modest goal for a guy who’s modesty and likeability helped propel him to the season eight Idol title.