MANILA, Philippines—“American Idol” Season 7 finalist Michael Johns says life is good, even if his schedule these days is a bit crazy.
Born in Perth, Australia, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter has taken time off from recording his forthcoming debut album in New York to do a series of gigs at the Ayala Malls.
Excerpts from his interview with the Inquirer:
What is the most important thing you've done after “Idol”?
David Foster asked me to come to Motown’s 50th anniversary show to sing two Commodores songs as requested by Lionel Richie … so I did. Seated in a room with legendary artists, I wanted to pinch myself, like, how did I get here? But I think the most amazing thing I’ve done was in my hometown, Perth. There’s a big charity held there every year, a telethon to raise money for children’s hospitals. I played a bunch of tunes, took donations on air, made phone calls. It was really special. We raised US$7 million. Anytime you can give back, that’s very important.
What sparked your interest in music when you were a child?
Oh, it was always around me. My grandma was a phenomenal singer and my mom was also great. She sounded like Doris Day. We had a piano and my brother, sister and I used to play it. My mom had me listen to everything, from Sam Cooke to Otis Redding to ABBA to the Beatles. I found out at an early age that I could sing. But it wasn’t till I was 16 or 17, during parties, when I thought it was interesting because girls liked it. I felt most comfortable, very natural and completely at home whenever I was singing onstage.
Any particular artist you idolized or who has influenced you?
I liked Crowded House. For me, Neil Finn is one of the best songwriters. I’m a huge Beatles fan. INXS was a big influence on me as well. I took bits and pieces and different flavors from different singers and hoped some of it stuck into my pores.
You moved to America and played in clubs. How fulfilling was that?
I was 19 when I started playing in bars in Atlanta. It was unbelievable. It was like a home-school kind of thing where you learn on your own. There was a whole different audience listening to me perform a variety of songs. I wouldn’t change a thing about the five years that I got to do that.
You were an early favorite in “Idol” and people were disappointed when you got eliminated. Did you feel the same way?
Yeah, absolutely. At that time I was really upset; but then, the next day, I did a lot of press interviews and it made me feel good to hear people say I’m gonna have a good career after this. And I’ve been so busy since.
What have you learned from the experience?
Music has to come from your heart. Every song that I chose on the show, whether or not Simon Cowell said it was good, meant something to me. I think if you do something in life just to impress people because it’s what you want to do, most probably it won’t turn out the way you want it. But if you do it from the heart, usually good things come out of it.
What happens after your Manila shows?
I go back to the recording studio to finish my album by mid-December. I wrote a song for the holidays and hopefully it can be played in the Philippines. It’s called “Another Christmas.”
Michael Johns performs Thursday night, 6:30 p.m. at Alabang Town Center and Friday night, 7 p.m. at Greenbelt, Makati.
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