If anyone had any question about what Tyler Grady will be doing now that he’s been eliminated from American Idol, he cleared it up Friday afternoon.
The 20-year-old from Nazareth is coming back to Pennsylvania to perform with his band, Wailing Waters.
He dropped the name of the band at least three times during a conference call with the media, then gave Wailing Waters another plug during his closing remarks.
And while the judges suggested that he might want to change his style and his 1970s vibe a bit had he hung around on Idol …
… well, that wasn’t likely to happen, whether he was performing on the Idol stage next week or back home with his band.
Had he survived elimination, Tyler figures it would have been because his fans appreciated his style of music, which was definitely different from that of any of the other contestants.
“You wouldn’t have seen me coming back wearing baggy jeans and wearing a headset microphone,” Tyler said. “When you’re building a fan base, and they’re supporting you, they’re supporting you because of what you’re doing. You can’t turn on your fans.”
On a night of subdued — and generally subpar — performances, Tyler tried to inject some excitement into Wednesday’s show with a rock classic — The Guess Who’s hit, “American Woman.” But the judges chided him for a performance Randy Jackson described as “style over substance” and for mimicking 1970s rockers instead of bringing something new to the stage.
Tyler wasn’t about to be baited into criticizing the judges Friday, even though they seemed to embrace his 1970s look during the auditions and Hollywood Week, then criticize him for it once he reached the semifinals.
But he did balk at one critique from Ellen, that his performance seemed less than genuine.
“Honesty in performance is everything,” the 20-year-old said. “And I am very honest when I’m performing on stage.”
The one change he might have made had he stuck around — performing a more current song in week two.
After all, it’s not like Wailing Waters performs nothing but covers from the 1970s.
“When I’m performing with my band, we’re performing original material that’s written in 2010,” Tyler said. “When we do any cover songs, we’ll cover ’60s rock, we’ll cover 2000s rock. It’s not about the era. It’s about the performance. It’s about the emotion.
“I just want my fans to realize, what you see on American Idol is the type of performer I am. If you see my band perform, you’ll see the same thing. Hopefully I can get my fans from the show on board with my band, Wailing Waters, and, if all goes well, we’ll get a record out in the near future.”
The band already has a three-song EP available on iTunes. The first song, “Runaround Rodeo” is particularly good. So are Tyler’s vocals.
And no doubt, the Pennsylvanian says American Idol was a learning experience.
“This is one of the best education programs you can get into,” Tyler said. “There’s no better school for the entertainment industry than American Idol. You get a phenomenal crash course on the entertainment business.”
Related Posts
-
April 1, 2025 -
March 31, 2025 Top 10 on American Idol in Hollywood
-
March 31, 2025 American Idol ladies — who advanced and who didn’t
Featured Music
Daddy's Mugshot
Laci Kaye Booth, Top 5 on American Idol Season 17, dropped a new single Friday. And if you somehow missed her 2024 album, "Loneliest Girl in the World," do yourself a favor and check it out!
Aaron Rizzo Adam David Alanna Lynise Angie Rey Ari Camille BDII (Brian Darden) Braxton Garza Britton Moore Carlos Santiago Conor JamesMORE BELOW
The Voice Season 27 Profiles
The Voice Season 27 Profiles
Darius J.
Dennis Lorenzo
Dimitrius Graham
Ethan Eckenroad
Fran
Hailey Wright
Iris Herrera
Jacquelyn George
Jaelen Johnston
Jay Ammo
Jayden Cree (Olesen)
Jessica Manalo
Lucia Flores-Wiseman
Naomi Soleil
Nell Simmons
Olivia Kuper Harris
Page Mackenzie
Ricardo Moreno
Robert Hunter
Simone Marijic
Tatum Scott
Tori Templet
Trevon Dawson
American Idol Season 19 Profiles
Featured Music
'Treasure' indeed
Laci Kaye Booth, Top 5 on American Idol Season 17, dropped her debut album Aug. 6. Her debut single, the ridiculously addictive "Treasure," heads to country radio in mid-September.
Archives
-
American Idol Hollywood Week photo gallery
April 1, 2025 By Mark Franklin -
Angie Rey, Kolby Cordell nab steals on The Voice
March 31, 2025 By Mark Franklin -
Top 10 on American Idol in Hollywood
March 31, 2025 By Mark Franklin -
The American Idol guys — Who advanced and who didn’t
March 31, 2025 By Mark Franklin -
American Idol ladies — who advanced and who didn’t
March 31, 2025 By Mark Franklin
-
Song by song grades for the Top 8 on American Idol
April 29, 2024 By Mark Franklin -
Iam Tongi scores an Apple Music hit for American Idol
May 19, 2023 By Mark Franklin -
Song by song grades for the Top 12 on The Voice
December 4, 2023 By Mark Franklin -
Song by song grades for the Top 14 on American Idol
April 21, 2024 By Mark Franklin -
Song by song grades for American Idol’s Top 24, Group 2
April 8, 2024 By Mark Franklin
-
-
We haven’t heard the last from David Archuleta
February 21, 2011 By Mark Franklin -
Meet American Idol contestant Hollie Cavanagh
January 30, 2012 By Mark Franklin -
Meet American Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez
February 5, 2012 By Mark Franklin -
Meet American Idol contestant Phillip Phillips
January 19, 2012 By Mark Franklin
Post-Voice Music
Recent Voice Views Interviews
-
American Idol Hollywood Week photo gallery
April 1, 2025 By Mark Franklin -
Angie Rey, Kolby Cordell nab steals on The Voice
March 31, 2025 By Mark Franklin -
Top 10 on American Idol in Hollywood
March 31, 2025 By Mark Franklin
-
Song by song grades for the Top 8 on American Idol
April 29, 2024 By Mark Franklin -
Iam Tongi scores an Apple Music hit for American Idol
May 19, 2023 By Mark Franklin -
Song by song grades for the Top 12 on The Voice
December 4, 2023 By Mark Franklin
-
-
We haven’t heard the last from David Archuleta
February 21, 2011 By Mark Franklin -
Meet American Idol contestant Hollie Cavanagh
January 30, 2012 By Mark Franklin
Post-American Idol Music
M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 |
Leave a reply