Phil on Idol Chatter!

Phil's Pages: Chapter 4

As you might have heard, my album has been delayed a couple weeks. It’ll now come out April 29. We only had a few studio days to get the album done in time for the original release date. I ended up being sick on a couple of those days, and then my grandmother passed away. Because of all the other things we had planned, we ended up having to schedule a couple more recording days. That forced us to move back the release date two weeks.

We’ve got about five songs left to record – and we haven’t even picked all of them yet. I’ll be in the studio Tuesday and Wednesday. I’m planning to get two vocal tracks done those days, and we’ll also make the selection on the album’s final three songs. Then Wayne Kirkpatrick, my producer, will cut the rhythm tracks over the next week. I’ll probably go in the week after that and cut the vocals for those songs.

We’re still up in the air about those last three songs. We’ve got so many great ones to choose from. We just need to sit down and figure out which three will fit the record best, which ones say stuff we haven’t said on the record yet.

Because I was traveling between radio stations last week – we went from Memphis to Little Rock to Tulsa to Houston to Baton Rouge, La. – I didn’t get to see Hollywood Week on American Idol. But I have heard so many comments about the talent this year. I’m really hoping for a killer season, and I think everybody should be watching. I think it’s the first season where we’ve gone through the entire audition process and Hollywood Week and nobody knows who the front-runners are. It’s going to be one of those seasons where there’ll be shock eliminations all over the place. Some people’s favorites probably will be eliminated even before the Top 12. It’s all very exciting.

I’m planning to go back and watch Hollywood Week, because I was thrilled with the addition of the instruments. We complained last year that we didn’t get to play our instruments. Most of us – at least, most of us guys – felt more comfortable with a guitar or a keyboard in front of us. As a church performer, I usually performed with a keyboard or a guitar. Brandon Rogers is a monster on keyboards. Blake Lewis has this thing where he plays his guitar and sends it through a loop pedal, then does his beatboxing over it. The people who caught the American Idol tour last year saw it. Chris Richardson did the same sort of thing, and Chris Sligh is certainly a proficient guitar player. If people had heard that, they would know more about what to expect from Chris’ album, which is coming out in May. He plays almost all the guitars on the album.

This weekend, I played another gig with Sawyer Brown. On Saturday, I went up to Grand Rapids, Mich., to sing at a hockey game and sign some autographs. I came back to Nashville yesterday and got to see a cut of the music video for If You Didn’t Love Me, which we shot the previous weekend. Today, I’ll head down to Cleveland, Tenn., for my grandmother’s funeral.

My band and I will be going back to Cleveland on Wednesday. We play at my college, Lee University, that day, and we’re playing a big music ministers’ conference there that night.

So, remember – new date. April 29. Thanks for being patient. I’ll talk to you again next week!

Phil's Pages: Chapter 5

I had the day off yesterday, so I'm a little behind in posting. So let's immediately hear from Phil in the latest installment of his diary, with some fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into the challenges of mustering up a decent performance on the show. Definitely a must to read ...

I've always been a big fan of American Idol, and watched and voted every year, and, after this first week of live performances, I'm hooked again for another season. I'll say that there were a few that I was really happy for and others that I felt for. It's funny that someone can give one non-perfect performance on American Idol and everyone starts talking about how non-talented they are. Come on, people, these are the folks who emerged as the best 24 contestants out of 100,000 auditions. Though I'm sure there were 99,976 people back home telling everyone in the room with them, "I could've done better", there are some inherent challenges that can make for a less-than-perfect performance.

First of all, you can't hear yourself. Unlike most artists you see in concert at arenas and stadiums, you aren't using in-ear monitors and you can't hear the tiny speakers sitting next to the judges at all. So basically you're singing by muscle memory.

Second, you have already watched as some of your friends who impressed you during rehearsals were criticized by Simon. That can be a little discouraging. Unless of course, you're first. Then, you have to deal with the first performance of the night curse (which many a mighty have fallen... in a blaze of glory!!!).

Third, right before you go on to sing you are reminded to be conscious of the 30 million viewers back home and to look into the camera ... So while a performer usually gets their energy from a crowd, we don't even get to see them. They're all sitting behind us, watching our backs as we sing into a big black abyss of a studio wall in front of us with a little red light from a camera - constantly reminding us ... people are watching.

Then you have to pick the right song. You're given a list of songs to select from and if you choose one that's already been chosen by someone else, you get to pick another which you may or may not know. And if you didn't get your first choice, you probably get to choose from the ones that none of the other 23 wanted, since they already picked the best ones. Should you choose a slow one to pull heartstrings, or should you choose a fast one that could easily be forgotten? All the great performances remembered from seasons past are typically ballads, but then you could end up like my dear friend Amy Krebs, who was voted off the first week for singing a ballad, and had to do a repeat on her performance of I Can't Make You Love Me to the very people that she couldn't make love her. Just a little awkward for her, I'm sure.

This doesn't even touch on the other things going on, like the 300 friends who have emerged out of nowhere since they saw your audition, now calling you with suggestions on what to sing, and when you tell them your song choice they say something along the lines of "really?" or "hmmm, you think that one, huh?" Then the stylists might be experimenting with a new look and end up putting you in a hat that looks like the one Hannibal Lecter wore on the end of Silence of the Lambs. Then, there's hair and make-up, and you saw what they did to Sanjaya last year ... Though I admit, I would've worked the pony-hawk too, but alas, God has chosen a different path for me ...



Overall, I want America to understand that it isn't easy singing on that stage. Not everyone is up to these challenges. And I am grateful to American Idol and each and every person who worked on the show and all the fans who voted each week for giving me this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It probably won't be a surprise to any of you that I won't be criticizing any contestants this season. I may not be entirely blown away by everyone, but I understand their circumstances and will leave the criticizing to the other 29,999,999 people watching the show. I have yet to see anyone go through an American Idol season without at least one off performance, with the exception of Melinda Doolittle.

Speaking of Melinda, I was very honored to have just performed with her at a benefit for St. Jude hosted by Amy Grant and Vince Gill. It was an awesome experience, and I am all about supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It takes more than $1.3 million a day to run this facility and the bulk of that comes from regular folks like me and you who give $15-$20 a month to their cause. Their research has helped bring up the survival rate of children battling leukemia to a staggering 94%. That is awesome. It is so encouraging to drive by their place in Memphis at 3:00 in the morning because the research lights are still on. They are working around the clock to put themselves out of business. If you are interested in finding out how you can support St. Jude, visit their website at www.stjude.org . Thanks and I'll see you again next week!

Posted at 12:50 PM/ET, February 25, 2008 in Phil Stacey | Permalink

Phil's Pages: Chapter 6 -- A week in the life

This week, Phil continues to peel back the curtain that enshrouds Idol by casting a retrospective glance at a typical week for a contestant:

Greetings, all! I hope your weekend was fantastic. Thanks for the positive feedback on my blog last week.

This week, I am writing you from Las Vegas, where I continue my radio tour promoting my debut hit, If You Didn't Love Me. No one ever warned me how much work goes into launching a record career. My days are filled with endless performances, traveling and meeting folks, and I gotta tell you, I LOVE IT!!! I have been having a blast, just going around and meeting the fine people at country radio who are bringing my song into your cars, homes, and workplaces via radio airwaves (and of course trying to convince those who are not that they should!!).

It takes me back to the old Idol days, when our schedule was just as crazy. And everyone always hears that it's crazy, but no one ever tells you what the Idols are busy doing all the time, so I thought I'd give a look at a typical week of our lives.

The first day of the week on the American Idol calendar is Thursday. Ryan Seacrest had announced the elimination the night before, and now that you knew you were safe, it was time to prepare for the next week (except during the semifinals, where you have to prepare for the next week and just hope).

Thursday morning was about picking out songs and meeting with the arrangers and vocal coaches (who were AWESOME). Thursday afternoon was spent shopping for your wardrobe. Then, we would come together for dinner and spend the rest of the evening rehearsing our songs and doing telephone interviews with newspapers and radio stations.



Friday morning, we went back to the arrangers and made all the necessary adjustments to our songs. Sometimes we needed key changes, sometimes we picked new songs altogether. Different activities happened every Friday afternoon and evening. Usually, it was an appearance that was used in the show, such as when we went to DreamWorks to promote Shrek III. And of course if there was any shopping left to do, or alterations to our wardrobe, Friday was the day to do it.

Saturday was when we met with our mentors. This was a day all of us looked forward to a great deal. We took as much time as we needed with each mentor. While the others would take their turns, I generally worked on memorizing my song. After the mentor shoots there would be another activity planned for us, such as going to a L.A. Dodgers game or recording the songs for the Ford videos at a local recording studio.

Between each of these events, both Friday and Saturday, we would also shoot videos for Idol Extra, TV Guide channel, or Idol UK (which was always fun because the host was the coolest). Not to mention, these were the only days that we could do photo shoots for different things like People magazine, Entertainment Weekly, or just American Idol photos that we would use for americanidol.com and the upcoming Idol Live Tour, which happens every summer after the season is done.

Sunday was Ford video day. The Ford videos were probably my favorite part of the experience. They were a blast; we all had so much fun making these little videos. The video shoot lasted all day, from early morning to late night.

Monday morning, we went in shifts to a recording studio to record the full versions of our songs that were distributed on the American Idol website. This would throw us off a little, because it becomes difficult to remember your short version of the full song when you have been working on both versions. This is why so many of us forgot lyrics on Top 12 week. After recording our songs, we headed over to the studio where Idol is taped and rehearsed our performances with Rickey Minor and the band. Then, we would head to the vocal coach rooms to learn the ever-dreaded group song for the week. This was kind of a drag, because we were already worried about forgetting the lyrics to our own song, then we were adding another new song on top of that. They were generally good about releasing us early enough to where we could rehearse our own songs at our apartments for an hour or two before going to bed.

Tuesday was a taping day, of course. We would go to the studio early, have breakfast, and then go run our songs with the band three or four times. After lunch, it was time to get ready for the show, which meant hair (which took forever -- ha ha), makeup, and wardrobe. Then we headed downstairs to do our dress rehearsal. The dress rehearsal is kind of a big deal because it is the last thing the American voting public will see of you before they start dialing in those votes. Because the show is taped live, it would be impossible to edit clips for all the different contestants in time, so the short clips of each performance that you see at the very end of the show are actually the dress rehearsal.

We go through the entire show, Ryan Seacrest and script included. They had stand-ins for the judges, and the audience was full of different folks than the ones who would be there later that night for the real deal. After the rehearsal we all would go upstairs and just wait for the show to start. Some of us would get on the blogs (not a good idea) to help pass the time. During the show, we all sat backstage and watched everyone else perform. Melinda always watched from the side of the stage and cheered on her "babies." After the show is when the choreographer would teach us our moves for the group performance the next evening. After we were done there was usually enough time for me to join up with my wife and family before the show started on the West Coast. We would go back to the hotel (or our apartment once in the finals), where we spent the rest of the night voting. Hey, if I'm asking all in America to spend their evening voting, I felt I needed to join them!

Wednesday morning was spent camera-blocking and rehearsing the group song. After morning rehearsal was lockdown! This is when the production staff (I'm sure on a need-to-know basis) goes over the elimination for the evening, and all of the contestants are stuck in the green room. This is so no one found out who was going home. After this time of such great fun, we followed Tuesday's schedule until, alas, our group was cut by one (or four during the semifinals -- ouch).

Once we hit the Top 12, all of the contestants and their families had a "Kiss Off" party for the dearly departed at a local eatery, a tradition started way back in Season 1. We didn't call it a "goodbye" party because we knew we would be seeing everyone at the finale and for Top 10 -- the tour!!! This was very laid-back and a lot of fun. We all just let our hair down (OK, not all of us), relaxed and got to know all of the other Idols' family and friends. After this I would go home to crash, thankful I made it another week (until of course, I didn't make it another week -- ha).

On Thursday, it started all over again.

Thanks again for all your support and feedback and I'll see you back here again next week.

Phil's Pages: Chapter 7
Hey there everyone. I am writing to you this week from Michigan, where I have just finished the Winter Bash Tour with Rissi Palmer, Chris Young, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, and headliner Sawyer Brown. I am learning more and more that touring is a blast and you always seem to become close with the people you tour with. Last night, as Sawyer Brown closed the show, Rissi and Carolyn rushed the stage to dance with Sawyer Brown front-man Mark Miller as Chris Young ran from one end of the stage to the other, showering us all with baby powder. We were all laughing and having a big old time. It was fun.

So I can't believe we're already to the Top 12 of American Idol Season 7. Believe it or not, the pressure actually lifts a little bit this week for the contestants, because there will only be one elimination as opposed to four. Top 12 week last year was very interesting for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was out first theme week and the theme was "Songs of Diana Ross." There were somewhere around 300 songs to choose from, but 297 of them were girlie songs that us "men" didn't really feel comfortable performing. This made song selection a bit of a challenge, since there were six guys still in the competition.

Chris Sligh requested the song I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, but was denied because it wasn't on the list, so he chose one of the only songs available that a guy sang on, Endless Love. Since Sligh had requested the song, Idol ran his first song pick for clearance without his knowledge, and it came back as cleared just hours before we met Ms. Ross. Sligh had already made an arrangement for Endless Love, so he suggested I take the one that had just cleared, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me. I figured it would be more comfortable for me to sing a song that Michael McDonald had recorded, rather than the one I had chosen, Someday, We'll Be Together, so I chose to perform I'm Gonna Make You Love Me instead.

The second challenge was recording the MP3s of the full versions of each song for Internet sales. The Monday night before Tuesday's live recording, each of us recorded the full version of the songs we sang on the live broadcast, which made remembering the lyrics we used in our shorter versions a challenge. Probably half of us actually forgot our lyrics during the live performance, but only two were noticed by the judges and viewing audience. One of those two was eliminated that week, which was unfortunate since Brandon Rogers was one of the greatest talents discovered last season.

In just a couple weeks, we'll be down to the Top 10, which will be touring together next summer. Good times will be had by all. Meanwhile, I finished my record this last week and am incredibly proud of what we've produced. There is a story behind each and every song, so each one is very special to me. The record is coming out April 29. If you'd like to see the album cover, check out www.philstacey.com. Until next week, be blessed.