Back in the Idol auditions, Jennifer Lopez pronounced that Stefano Langone had a “star on his forehead.”
The star nearly never saw Idol’s big stage.
But the judges gave him a wild-card berth after a rousing performance of “Need You Now.”
And Stefano wound up being the last wild-card contestant standing until his elimination Thursday night, leaving him 7th among the final 13, good enough for a spot on Idol’s summer tour.
Stefano talked to the media today about his Idol experience and his career plans. Here’s what he had to say.
* He admits being shocked when Pia was eliminated instead of him a couple of weeks ago. He calls Pia’s elimination “a shocking moment for the whole world.” He says he knew how much she wanted to be the American Idol. He said he never entered the show with that intent, determined more to use the show as a way to get a foot in the door of the music industry.
* He wants to show the world his song-writing and piano-playing skills. “I think it will be special … I love music. I live and breathe it. I write a lot. I’m really excited and know I will be doing super well after this.”
* After James Durbin’s embrace at the end of his performance. Stefano says the two of them have been like brothers, not to mention roommates during most of their Idol journey. Stefano says he’ll “be the best man” at James’ wedding.
* He says there’s a market out there for who he is and what he does. He says as a performer, he wasn’t able to showcase everything he can do on the show. It’s all about timing, he said. And he thinks the timing is perfect for a performer with his skills.
* No, he’s not mad at Casey for thinking of kissing J-Lo first. “It’s probably the first kiss he’s had in a long time,” Stefano said, laughing.
* He says he’s capable of doing a different style of singing sitting behind a piano, combining the soul of a John Legend with the range of a Stevie Wonder for a unique sort of sound.
* He says he didn’t play behind the piano on the show because he didn’t want 20 million people to remember him sitting behind a piano and singing a cover song. He wanted to save that moment for himself and his music.
* Keeping his eyes open while singing “was very, very hard.” Sitting behind his piano, grooving, he didn’t have to worry about his eyes being open, he said. Now he understands the importance of making that connection with the audience.
* He wants his fans to be happy for him and enjoy the moment because he had the “absolute most amazing time” on Idol and accomplished everything he wanted to do on the show.
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