It’s time for the last of our American Idols Live! 2011 Tour interviews. We caught up with Season 10’s resident metal man, James Durbin, to find out about life on the road, wedding planning, and his devoted fans.
We wanted to know what James likes the best and what is the hardest thing about being on tour. “The best part about being on tour, besides singing and living my dream, it’s having fun with my friends, really. We’re having a good time, especially after the shows. We have fun. We go to the bus, and by the time we leave we’re all in the back playing music and cracking up together. Another good thing is I’ve gotten Scotty, Casey, and Stefano into watching wrestling. Every other night they’re asking me to put on wrestling. The hardest part is being away from my family. I don’t get to see them until the very end of the tour. They came to a couple stops early on. We talk a lot on the phone and computer, but it’s not really that good of a substitute.”
James has received a particularly special gift from a fan. “I’d say the coolest thing I got was a book that chronicled every stage of my journey on the show such as my audition, Hollywood Week, Vegas round, Top 24, 13, 12 11, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and then the finale and post-show things and even pictures from the tour, so that was very cool.”
The Santa Cruz dad is engaged to Heidi, and we wanted to know how the wedding planning is coming along. “It’s hard to plan a wedding. She’s doing most of it and I don’t really have the energy to do it, which really stinks,” James admitted. “It’s hard for me to find time to do it and have the energy for it because I’m not getting to see what’s going on and where we’re choosing because I’m on the road.”
If you’re planning on auditioning for Season 11, James advises, “Don’t hold back. Just believe in your cause and shove it down their throats! If there’s something you believe in and something you stand for, don’t back down to anybody.”Through American Idol, James has racked up a very devoted fan base right here on AmericanIdol.com! “I love that the fans created the photo thread on AmericanIdol.com because that’s the only way I’m able to see any pictures of things that I’ve done on the show and things that I’ve done live. That’s how I get all my pictures, so kudos to them for working so hard.”
This week, James announced some big news: he signed a deal with Wind-Up Records. He said, “Wind-up Records isn’t a label, it’s a family and I wanted to be a part of that. They are true music fans that want to see me have a long career as an artist. I couldn’t have asked for more when signing a record deal.”