TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

'American Idol' Season Six Exit Interviews
Blake Lewis

Before he hits the 'American Idol' stage one last time, Blake is talking to us. Plus, check out our 'American Idol' full coverage for news, recaps, photos, rumors and more.


Blake Lewis
Age: 25
Hometown: Bothell, Wash.

What can you share about what you're singing this week?
We're doing one that was picked for the songwriting contest, one that we pick and one that we've done from the past, and that's all I can reveal.

So when did you realize that you would no longer be "Shorty from Bothell" and instead you were Blake Lewis from 'American Idol'? Has it hit you yet?
I will forever be Shorty from Bothell. But when I came home, it was amazing to see all the support from everybody. Now I guess, I'm Blake Lewis to the world, but will always still be Shorty from Bothell.

You've kind of become a fashion icon over the course of the show? Who is your fashion icon?
I don't think I have a fashion icon. I'm just really into poppy, bright colors -- a hip-hop fashion mix. My old roommate was a stylist. People think I have some style because I don't wear jeans. I like to wear my grandpa pants, as I call them, or the grandpa slacks with the cool patterns. I just like to have fun with whatever I wear, depending on what mood I'm in.

When did you first start beatboxing, and who inspired you to do it?
Actually, I started around '99 with a man named Matthew Selby. He was in a group called M-Pact, which is Rudy Cardenas' group, who was on the show in the Top 24, who I've been friends with for many years. I'd been doing it subconsciously my whole life. As soon as I actually saw someone do it, it became conscious and I could do it after that, and I haven't stopped making noise since.

I know that one of the key factors in your progression has been your original take on your selected songs. Do you feel more pressure every week to make it fresher or newer?
Yes, I think everyone feels that. They want you to "up" yourselves every week and strive for being better every week. On a personal level, you want to do that, too. You want to progress as an artist. It's really tough to do that, especially for me, because we get caught up in these theme weeks. I just try to go out there and have fun each week. If I'm having fun, hopefully the viewers and the people that have supported me are having fun and that's all I can hope for. I look at this as more of a remix competition from a producer's standpoint because when I dig into a song on the theme weeks, I want to remix it. I don't want to do it like the original, so I think that has helped me.

What would the difference be between winning this week and not?
Honestly, I don't know anymore. I've never looked at it as a competition. Because I'm such an eclectic artist, I've just tried to be true to myself this whole time, and I think I've done that. And I think all the fans of me on the show have seen that, and that's why I've gone this far. So I've never looked at it as a competition, so I think I've won, regardless. I won when I got into the top 10, so I've already reached my goal. So regardless of win or lose, I think I'm a winner on this show already.

Post-'Idol,' what kind of CD would you like to make?
I definitely have more of a dance/electro kind of feel in my music. I've listened to a lot of electronic music, so it would definitely have more of a dance vibe to it. I love having people have a good time. But then I have more of a softer jazzy side that not a lot of people have gotten to see on the show. I've been writing music for the last seven years and I have a lot of different tracks, because I'm inspired in so many areas of music.

When you sang Maroon 5's 'This Love,' was it a struggle to get permission to sing that song? What it was like to meet them when they performed on the show?
Well, actually that's kind of a funny story. I've known them for about six years. About two years ago, I had lost my cell phone, and I lost touch with them. I was really good friends with Ryan, the drummer. And I just happened to run into someone who was dating him, and I got reconnected with them about a month ago. I didn't ask then, but I called them last week and asked if the boys would pull out a solid for me. I called them the night before we had to pick our songs, and they said I could sing anything I wanted to, so it was really a solid from them. And then getting back in touch with them, it was a really good experience and I've been a huge fan since when they were Kara's Flowers back like seven years ago before they were Maroon 5.

Going into the finale, what do you think gives you the edge, or why do you think Jordin Sparks may have the edge to win?
You know, at this point I can't tell. I have such an amazing support right now, I never thought I'd get this far in the first place. I never thought I'd be on the show in the first place. I don't know about edge or whatnot. I'm just going to stay true to myself and hopefully have three good performances, because we're doing three songs. So that's all I can hope for. Jordin and Gina were my pick in the beginning to win this whole thing. So I think she's an amazing woman. She's 17 and she's already a woman. She performs. She's good-looking. She's got a fantastic personality, and it reads really well on camera. I love Jordin Sparks, so regardless of the finale, I think she already won it in my mind. She was my pick in the beginning.

Why did you dye your hair black?
I went black, because I'm not huge into image, although I am at the same time. It's kind of weird, because I really wanted to do really well on that song for Bon Jovi week. I had been planning to dye my hair dark brown for like two weeks and it just happened to fall on that day. Really, I wanted the performance to outshine it. I didn't even get any questions about my hair for like a week after that. So I was just really counting on my performance to outshine an image and just prove to myself that image doesn't really have to play a big part.

How did you end up working with Sir Mix-A-Lot?
Actually, I did a show with him about four or five years ago. I used to emcee a lot of hip-hop and rave style parties, more electronic stuff. And he was playing it and I beatboxed, I opened for him one night. I was like the main MC, so I was pretty much opening for everyone, while they got their stuff set up. I met him then and that was cool, and then he kind of wanted to get onboard when I came into town, and it was pretty neat.

Was there ever a time that you thought you were going home?
I can't remember anymore. It's been such a long journey and there's so much that goes on. I try not to think negatively like that, even though going home is not necessarily negative. But I try to focus on the positive, so I don't really ever think of it. Hopefully, good things will come after the show.

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