AI Interview with David Hernandez: "I’m Planning to Shop Around an Album"

[Yardgnome]

I had the opportunity to participate in a media call with David Hernandez, the first eliminated contestant on American Idol. He had lots to say about the show and where he hopes his career takes him. I was able to ask a few questions and those are highlighted in red.

One of the ironies was that you’re the guy that took the Beatles course and Lennon and McCartney week was the week that finished you there.

D. Hernandez: Yes.

Was there anything that you picked up from the course that was helpful, or was there anything that you learned from the last couple of days how Lennon and McCartney music is maybe a little tougher on people than you thought.

D. Hernandez: You know, with the Beatles, and them being so legendary, it’s really tough to cover them. Like it’s hard to cover a Whitney or a Celine or a Luther song. It’s very challenging, and people almost have already set in their minds how they want the song to sound, so it’s hard to change it and make it your own. In that aspect, that wasn’t my first choice, however. My first choice was “Let It Be,” but that was already taken. The course there was a next alternative, and, in my eyes, I did the best I could, and I made it my own. If I look back at my performances, I’ve been actually pretty consistent with my style. I’m R&B influenced, and I can look at the total package and be like I’m really proud of that.

The course really was more of an elective course, and doesn’t necessarily mean that, just because I took the course, I was going to sing the song any better. Do you know what I mean?

What are your career plans short-term and long-term.

D. Hernandez: Well, right now, at the moment, I’m getting ready to do a bunch of press. I’m going to be on Ellen and The Today Show, and then I’m actually going to shop around a record deal. I’m actually looking for labels that are interested in me right now. I would like to have an album release within the next year, and then definitely other options like Broadway. I’m definitely keeping my mind open to all that kind of stuff. I would love to do Broadway, but, more importantly, and top of everything, I definitely want a record out within the next year. So, that’s my long-term goal, because I’ve been singing for awhile, and that’s just one of my passions. I mean, that is my passion.

With all the news floating around the past couple of weeks, do you feel like that’s been a distraction to you in any way, or have you managed to block it all out?

D. Hernandez: You know, I did a pretty good job of blocking it all out, as you probably saw on TV. I actually watched my performance back from Tuesday night and I was very happy with my stage presence and everything like that. It was just unfortunately not the best song selection in the judges’ eyes, and America voted. No, actually, I’ve been staying away from the Internet and the TV. If this is the worst thing that comes out of my career, then I’m pretty set to go. Do you know what I mean?

That’s great.

D. Hernandez: This has actually been really good for me, because I’ve learned how to have a thick skin and still be able to get on stage and perform for 35 million people.

What would have been the next Beatles song you would have sung if you had had the chance to get that opportunity?

D. Hernandez: You know, I looked through the list and probably “Yesterday” would have been a really good one.

That would have been great.

D. Hernandez: Yes, it would have been good with the guitar. No, it’s a great song, but it would have been amazing to tackle with all of that. I think my voice would have been really great on that song.

You probably haven’t seen much on-line coverage, but we’ve been hearing that David Archuleta has been having some issues, and there was some conflict between him and his father. We wondered if you wanted to comment on that.

D. Hernandez: Actually, I’m not really here to talk about any other of the contestants. If you want to ask me a question about anything pertaining to my career, that’s totally fine.

What did you guys talk about afterwards? Were you really happy for her?

D. Hernandez: Absolutely. There have been a lot of things in the works for me right now. I’m actually going to shop a record deal and hopefully, have a record out within the next year, and Kristy is a really talented girl, and she’s such a sweetheart. She and I still keep in contact. We’re going to keep communicating and hopefully, her and I in the future, maybe we’ll do a collaboration or something.

I noticed right after you were eliminated you said wow. Was that just the natural shock, or were you genuinely surprised? What was going through your head?

D. Hernandez: I was genuinely shocked. I really didn’t think that I would be going home. Honestly, based on all the things the judges had said about my vocals, I thought that I would definitely be in the bottom three, but I didn’t feel like I deserved to go home. But, everything, as I said, happens for a reason, as I said on the show. But yes, when I said wow, I was genuinely wow.

Wow. Okay.

D. Hernandez: I was definitely shocked, but I’m very happy. There are probably a lot of doors that are going to open with this one closing.

The majority of people felt that it was Kristy’s time to go. Why do you think she’s still there and you’re not?

D. Hernandez: Let me just put it to you this way. The competition right now is so intense, everybody can sing, that there is nobody that’s safe right now. Vocals, they’re very important, but I think that, at this point, song selection is very important for people. So, I can’t really say why it was my time to go, or why so-and-so stayed, but I can say that, at this point, I’m going to keep on shopping for a record deal. I hope that labels out there get in contact with me that are interested. Currently I’m unemployed, so I would love for any opportunities to come my way.

Do you think there are other factors involved? Do you think people are voting for Kristy maybe because they like country music better?

D. Hernandez: No, not at all. I actually I think the way that everything is happening now is based on song selection, and some people have bigger fan bases, and some people don’t. It just really depends on the voting. I think that I can’t really speculate why I went, but I think that it was my time to go regardless, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

Now that you have a taste of the fame, and you know what direction you want to take your career in, what sort of role model do you see yourself being and what sort of person do you want to inspire with your career?

D. Hernandez: Since I was a little kid, I’ve always been touched by music, so I would like to touch people with my music as well. I write my own stuff, and I’m shopping a major deal right now. Hopefully, I can get signed very soon and have a record out within the next year.

Basically, as far as role modeling is concerned, of course, I would like to inspire people, but I can only be me, and I can only do with it what’s within my capacity. Singing, thank God, is something I was blessed with, so I would like to basically reach out to people through my records.

I was wondering what you would like to say to everyone who was a fan and supporter of you while you were on the show.

D. Hernandez: That’s a good question. I would like to say thank you very much, and if it wasn’t for you voting for me, I would not be where I am with today with the huge platform that I’ve been given from American Idol, and all the millions of fans out there that have supported me through everything. I’m very grateful and thankful.

What advice do you have for future contestants?

D. Hernandez: Never doubt yourself, always go with your instinct, and usually your first song selection is the right one.

Do you think your Idol experience was shortened because voters or the public was uncomfortable with your past as an exotic dancer?

D. Hernandez: No, I really don’t think so. I actually believe that it was based on song selection. I think America’s smart enough to know by know that people’s personal lives should not influence their musical career.

How did the song selection thing go where you wanted to do “Let It Be,” but Brooke White got it. How does that work in terms of who gets dibs on what songs?

D. Hernandez: It just is a first come, first serve basis, and it was between “Let It Be” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” and I chose the more upbeat song, because I wanted to perform it and have a little bit more of an upbeat paced song. That’s basically how it worked.

Talk about all of you guys on the show. You make this almost overnight jump from aspiring singer to overnight sensation. What has that been like for you? What will you take away from it the most?

D. Hernandez: It’s been a roller coaster, but through all of the madness and chaos, I think that I have gained a deeper respect for myself, and an appreciation for the music business, and also, I have a newfound confidence in myself as a performer.

I had heard that Chikezie was your roommate.

D. Hernandez: Yes.

Was it hard for you to room together being the two R&B guys jockeying for the R&B spot in the top ten?

D. Hernandez: No way. We actually fed off each other in that aspect. We really encouraged each other from the beginning. We went through the first auditions together, and we ended up being roommates until the end. We actually would listen to each other and critique each other, because even though it’s a competition, we were still best friends. It was pretty cool. We never really had that animosity or anything like that. We both have very different voices. He’s more like a soul and I’m more like an R&B, so, if you listen to us, we’re very different.

Who are you rooting for now?

D. Hernandez: Actually, I’m so close to everybody, I’m going to vote for everybody or not vote at all, because I can’t get myself in that kind of predicament. Everyone is so talented.

I do agree with your comment on the depth of the talent and song selection this year. I think it is anybody’s race at this point.

D. Hernandez: Absolutely. You’ve seen how things change so quickly overnight. For example, Chikezie was at the bottom one night, and then bam, he was at the top, because he had a stellar performance. Each performance really does matter. You’re only as good as your next performance.

Will you go back to college? I didn’t hear that on your list of things to do.

D. Hernandez: You know, that’s at the bottom of my list. I actually would love to get a record deal right now. I’m actually unemployed, and I would love to have a record out within the next year, so I’m looking for prospective record labels to have meetings with and talk to.

Were there any songs that you were really looking forward to being able to perform on the show before being eliminated?

D. Hernandez: Yes, absolutely. Actually, I wanted to sing “I Believe I Can Fly.”

Okay.

D. Hernandez: That was actually one of my favorite songs. It’s like a staple of mine. I always sing that song, and I was actually getting ready to sing “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan, but make it my own little version, and then “Yesterday” by The Beatles, of course, I was going to sing.

Okay, and who in the top 12 were you closest with?

D. Hernandez: I was actually really close with Chikezie and that was it in the top 12. I’m close with everybody, but Chikezie was with me from the beginning of the audition to the end, so he was like one of my closest friends and confidantes.

I’m interested in asking you about last week even more, because last week all this news comes out and I’m thinking how do you even walk out on the stage? I couldn’t even breathe when you first walked out, and then you went out there and you more than nailed it, but what was going on inside? Would you think you even gave a better performance because you were going through such an intense time?

D. Hernandez: I think adversity is my best friend, to be completely honest. I think it’s something that inspires me. It makes me work harder and I don’t have anything to say to the people that try to bring me down or count me out. I just tell them to count me back in, because, honestly, that’s all you can do. In this industry, you really have to have thick skin and know that people are going to say bad things about you, and if this is the worst thing that people say about me in my career then I think that I’ll be okay.

On this morning’s broadcast of The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck thought your elimination might have been some kind of a conspiracy. Do you have any belief in that, or do you just think it was a lack of home viewer votes?

D. Hernandez: First of all, I would like to thank Elizabeth for defending me and feeling that I was eliminated a little prematurely, but I don’t like to speculate about that kind of stuff, because I like to have faith in Idol. They’ve given me this huge platform and I totally respect everything that they do on that show. If that was the case, it really doesn’t matter anymore. I’m off the show. I’m not going back on, obviously, unless they were to pull me as a wildcard, which would be amazing. But, I would like to think that America voted on me and it was legitimate.

I know you don’t want to drive on this too much, but when you went into the top 24 and you started to do really well on the show, did you worry that anything of your past was going to come out? Was that something that was on your mind?

D. Hernandez: Absolutely not. I’m not ashamed of anything that I’ve done in my past. I’m actually looking forward to moving on in the future, because singing is really what matters in my career, and that’s what mattered in the competition. So, no, the only thing I was worried about was my song selection.

What did you miss most during your time on Idol from your day-to-day life, and is there anything that you’re really looking forward to doing back home just to unwind from the whole experience?

D. Hernandez: I’m looking forward to eating pork flavored Ramen noodles.

Okay.

D. Hernandez: And having a deep breath away from paparazzi. I’m definitely excited about that.

Yes?

D. Hernandez: Absolutely. I just want to go to my mom’s house and lie on the couch with her cats for 48 hours and watch nonsense TV.

Are you a big fan of other reality shows other than American Idol obviously?

D. Hernandez: I’m going to stay away from reality shows for a while. I’ve been on one for the last eight months and I’m just a little bit needing a break. I’m probably going to actually watch reruns of “Friends” or something.

Okay, great.

D. Hernandez: I just want to relax and take a deep breath and then go right into shopping a major record deal, hopefully, and getting an album out within the next year.

You said you spent nine months in this crazy intense situation. What do you think that you’ve learned about the business, particularly the whole L.A. aspect of it that you didn’t know before you started?

D. Hernandez: I’ve learned that all is fair in love, war, and entertainment. It’s been an interesting experience that I’ve only begun to see the tip of the iceberg, because I really believe that this is the beginning of my career, and I think that I’ve been given an amazing platform. I would like to get a major record deal and have a record out within the next year or so, and I’m definitely hoping to Broadway and other things. I have huge aspirations for myself. I’ve learned a lot about self-confidence and about being a great performer.

Would you suggest to other people coming up that they try to get into the business this way, even if they don’t go as far as they would like to in the competition?

D. Hernandez: Absolutely. Even being in the top 24 is a huge honor. You have to realize that even when you’re in the top 24, millions of people are watching you. I used to dream about having a fan base of 1,000 people, and now I have I don’t know how many millions of people that would go out and support me and come to a concert. So, absolutely. No matter how far you get in this competition, especially this season, I think that all top 12 are going to be winners.

While you’re on the show, is it like a bubble? I know that you’re allowed to look at the Internet and everything, but are you told not to, and are the contestants supporting each other by saying don’t go on this certain site?

D. Hernandez: Absolutely. When I was in the media for a while, all the contestants were, and I remember one instance when we were upstairs in the red room. They all huddled around me and they just gave me a big hug. They were like don’t you get on the Internet and we’re going to keep the TV off and we’re not going to worry about any of that stuff. It’s really like a family, all 12 of us, so it was sad to leave, but it’s going to be great, because I think there’s a lot to come ahead. I’m going to be on Ellen and The Today Show, and hopefully, we get some prospective companies from there.

Can I ask you too, you mentioned the paparazzi. Is that a problem with you guys? I know you can only go out in twos, right?

D. Hernandez: Now I don’t think they can even go out in twos. I think you have to go out with your own security now, because I know I tried to go to the store yesterday and I had to take security with me. It’s not a problem. It’s just different. It’s not what you’re used to. You go from being anonymous to whatever it is, famous, so it’s just crazy.

Okay. I just wanted to clarify on the song selection issue. You said you were hoping to do “Let It Be,” but it was already taken. Then later you said you picked the upbeat song. Just to be sure, did you want to do “Let It Be,” and it was, in fact, gone when it was your turn to pick?

D. Hernandez: It was, in fact, gone. I did want to do “Let It Be,” but it was, in fact, gone when it was my turn to pick, but just to clarify, I am happy with what I did choose and in no way do I feel like Brooke White didn’t deserve the song. Do you know what I mean? I don’t want there to be a misconception there for everybody that’s listening. It was fair. Everything was fair, like it always is on American Idol, and I felt confident in my song or else they wouldn’t have made me move forward with that song. It’s all up to the contestants and they choose their songs.

Okay, but just to be clear on this first come, first serve thing, how is it decided who gets first crack at the songs? I understand you had maybe 25 songs to choose from, is that correct?

D. Hernandez: Yes.

How many were gone by the time it was your turn to pick?

D. Hernandez: I don’t really recall. I don’t think there was any gone. We just put in our top three and then it’s chosen from there.

Chosen by the producers?

D. Hernandez: No, it’s actually chosen based on the availability of the song. If someone has the same song, then we draw out of a hat.

Okay, but again, you said you were okay ultimately with the song that you performed.

D. Hernandez: Yes, absolutely. You have to roll with it. The biggest thing is getting the song and feeling confident with it. It doesn’t matter if you walk up there in a pink suit, as long as you’re walking it with confidence, people are going to love it. I look back at my performance and I’m happy with it, and that’s really what counts.

Are you going to be coming back home to Glendale?

D. Hernandez: I am in probably another week.

Are you going to move back here? Are you coming to stay, or are you just going to be here for a little bit?

D. Hernandez: I’ll be here for a little while. I’ll be there for a little while. Sorry, I’m still in L.A. I’ll be there for a little while, and then, obviously, right now my main goal is shopping a record deal. I would like to have an album out within the next year and then maybe some Broadway prospective things. I’m just looking out to see what’s available.

What do you miss most about your hometown?

D. Hernandez: What do I miss most about Arizona? I miss the lack of traffic in Arizona. Do you know what I mean, because here in L.A. it’s so busy and jammed up. Also, Arizona’s home to me and I miss the warmth and how everything is so spread out and clean. I miss that and I miss my family.

You had mentioned about how it was cool to be a Hispanic contestant on Idol. In this season, for some reason, there are a lot of Hispanic contestants on Idol. Why do you think that is?

D. Hernandez: I don’t think there’s any particular reason for it. I just think that there is some talent in the Hispanic community and I’m glad that it’s coming through in major ways.

David, the judges, several times on Tuesday night, talked about whether they liked or disliked the arrangements. How much input did you as a contestant really have into the arrangement of the songs that you choose. Who does them, and do you think that’s a fair criticism coming from the judges?

D. Hernandez: You’ll be surprised to know that actually the contestants have a lot of say with the arrangement of the songs. Then, of course, we have mentors that help us to make sure that we’re still staying true to the original artist that recorded the song, so we do have a lot. In my song, “I Saw Her Standing There,” I added those breaks in the beginning, and then I did some different things in the verses. You’re able to switch it up and make it your own definitely, within reason, of course, because it is a show, and you definitely want to give a consistently good performance and still pay respect to the artist that did it.

Do you or any of the contestants actually score music and write the arrangements?

D. Hernandez: No, we actually sit down with the piano player, who is Michael Orland, and a vocal arranger, Dorian or Bird, and we sit down with them in a room. We have several rehearsals and we come up with the arrangement, all of us together.

This season the results show has gone to an hour long show. Did the contestants feel that that’s a lot of pressure to be out there for an hour with lots of other things going on in between picking the bottom three? It seemed like it went on a while.

D. Hernandez: It’s kind of nerve wracking, because we go through so much stress already as it is that, when we finally get out there, it’s like our stomachs are turning for a full hour. But, on the flipside of that, it’s cool to see guest performers like Katherine McPhee and Blake Lewis, and all those other people that come and perform on the show, so it’s like a free mini concert for us.

Was it fun to meet Jim Carey?

D. Hernandez: He’s so funny. I met him at the Horton Hears Who premiere too, and he’s just really funny. He offered words of advice to me. He was like stay off the TV, don’t get on the Internet, so he’s awesome, and you would be surprised that most of these celebrities we meet are actually really good people.

Somebody mentioned earlier in the call about how you and Chikezie were battling it out for the R&B thing. I don’t know if that was necessarily true, but did you feel it seems to me a lot that the judges try to put the contestants in boxes, and then they make their judgments based on how well they’re sticking to the box. If you’re the rock guy, oh, wait, you’re not being true to yourself. You’re the rock girl, you’re the R&B girl, you’re the country person. Did you ever feel like they were trying to put pressure on you to stay in one box, or do one style?

D. Hernandez: I think in America people can relate to certain types of people, like the rocker type or the R&B type, so I think everybody fell into their own little pocket, and I just happened to fall into the R&B zone a little bit. Chikezie is more on the soul side. There was never competition with Chikezie and me, besides the general competition itself. I’ve never felt threatened or anything, and neither did he. We have two completely different voices. I don’t think it’s really forced. I think America helps with those pockets. I think that it’s a combination of the artist, because I know who I am as a singer and what I want to put out there, and I think I’ve been pretty consistent with that.

Also, I’ve heard this before and I don’t know whether it’s true, but maybe you can clear it up. When you become an Idol contestant, do they ask you about everything in your past that absolutely could come out?

D. Hernandez: Yes.

So, things in your past you had told. The producers were aware.

D. Hernandez: Absolutely. If they weren’t comfortable with it, I wouldn’t have been on the show. Everything was totally out there and open. The media can be vicious sometimes. Thank God I have thick skin and a great family behind me.

Several different times you’ve said album out within a year, so if you sit down tomorrow with an executive, what are you going to pitch to him?

D. Hernandez: My first album is going to be pop R&B influenced. I would like to collaborate with people like Alesia Keys, David Foster, and then also, I would like to write my own songs on the album. It’s definitely going to be an eclectic kind of vibe. I would like to put a little bit of a rock R&B in there too, and that’s the image I’ve put out there. I’m more of an urban R&B grit and grime singer. You’ve heard me on the show. People have heard me. I think that they can gather what type. I’m definitely more comfortable singing my own songs that I write, for sure.

Give me an example of what your songs are like.

D. Hernandez: My songs are, as I just said, they’re more of an R&B pop influence kind of songs. They’re real songs. I’ve written several songs. I actually had an album that was never released and I had a single that was played on the east coast and everything. You would have to hear some of my songs to know that they’re very personal songs. A lot of them are autobiographical.

You actually got the sense the Jim Carey was watching the show. That he was talking to you guys as if he knew who each of you were.

D. Hernandez: He definitely did. He watches the show for sure, because he would say specific things to us and he said a specific thing to me with everything that had gone on, so, yes, he definitely did. A lot of people do, and it’s great, because a lot of the celebrity mentors that come on and things like that, it’s awesome.

I wanted to know, because you said in your taped piece that you were a broadcast journalism major.

D. Hernandez: Yes.

What did you hope to do with that?

D. Hernandez: I was actually hoping to be a TV anchor either on a show like Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood.

Not Entertainment Tonight. You mean Access Hollywood.

D. Hernandez: Access Hollywood, yes. I wanted to actually do that. That was one of my big aspirations.

Will you still try to do that?

D. Hernandez: Right now, singing is taking priority, and with this platform I’ve been given, I would be crazy not to take advantage of it, so I’ll probably skip that. Yes, I’ll probably just keep with the singing and hopefully have an album out soon.

Did being on the show and anything that was out there about you take a toll on your body stress-wise? Did you lose weight, lose sleep, or anything like that?

D. Hernandez: Yes, I definitely lost a lot of sleep. I think I lost a little bit weight from not eating regularly, because there’s so much stress involved with making sure your performance and your song are perfect. I definitely lost a little bit of weight and I lost a lot of sleep, so I’m excited to get back to the gym and to get some sleep and to get more of my tan back.

Thank you to FOX for allowing us to participate in this media call!

[Google]

 

[calamari]

Wow -- so David Hernandez is exactly like he came across on the show: pleasant, competent, possessing a sense of professionalism, a little Broadway in style, and not excessively memorable as a personality.

I hope some director in NY notices David's willingness to use judges' feedback (which he was notably good about) and ability to play nicely by the rules (is this the first interview where we've gotten a coherent account of the arrangement process?) -- he sounds like he'd be an absolute dream as a second or third male lead in a musical, where his voice and good-trooper qualities are valuable, but he doesn't have to carry the show on his own charisma yet.

[Marleybone]

Great interview, thanks Yardgnome!

[paridy]

great job Yardgnome, I really got to know David H in that interview, and I definitely know he wants a record deal . Fab job as always

[astrotronix]

Aw, I miss you David

[blue valentine]

he really seems like such a nice and sweet guy but how many times is he going to say he wants a record deal? maybe its just the way the interview was edited. but one has to think if people were too lazy or uninterested to call in or text in to vote for him i really doubt people are going to rush out and purchase his album. i do however wish the best and i definitely see him possibly doing something on broadway.

also it was interesting to hear how they pick who gets what song and what happens when two people's first choice is the same song. one would think that since brooke is more popular amongst the judges and with fans that she would of course it get it. its good to hear they do the old pick it out of a hat routine.

[Yardgnome]

The interview was not edited at all. When I was on the phone listening I couldn't stop laughing about the wanting a record deal, he kept saying that. When it was my turn to ask a question I almost asked "are you going to look for a record deal?" I thought it might be unprofessional though for me to openly mock him.

[paridy]

Originally Posted by Yardgnome

The interview was not edited at all. When I was on the phone listening I couldn't stop laughing about the wanting a record deal, he kept saying that. When it was my turn to ask a question I almost asked "are you going to look for a record deal?" I thought it might be unprofessional though for me to openly mock him.

it must have been hard to not ask it though . Fab as usual Yardgnome

[blue valentine]

hilarious! thanks again yardgnome.

[bbnbama]

Great interview Yg....I still love David and hope that something good comes his way from this AI experience!