Is Shy John Idol Material?
Shyness and stage fright can spell doom for performers. Especially on the ultra-competitive
American Idol, where those fickle, temperamental judges and home viewers decide your fate like spectators in the Roman coliseum! So does
John Stevens — that mild-mannered 16-year-old carrot top who idolizes
Frank Sinatra — even have a prayer? Here, TV Guide Online probes Stevens, now one of two finalists from Group 4, to see if he really has the makings of an
Idol champ.
TV Guide Online: Do you mind comparisons to Clay Aiken, the geek who made good?
John Stevens: He's a star! I appreciate any comparisons that could be made between me and him.
TVGO: You're quiet for an aspiring pop star. Will you try to be more extroverted?
Stevens: I guess it's always been hard for me, but I'm working on it. Hopefully, it'll get better. It depends on whether I'm comfortable with who I'm talking to. The more comfortable I am with you, the more outgoing I am.
TVGO: Showbiz is another story, though. You're expected to be "on" with zillions of strangers. How might you improve?
Stevens: Work on confidence. Some people lack confidence — or maybe they're just not talkative. But you have to remember you have just as much to offer as anyone else.
TVGO: Your red hair is cute, but do you catch any grief for looking different?
Stevens: In middle school, I did. I got a lot of problems with kids over my hair. I had glasses, I had braces, I was shorter, I was whiter... [Laughs] But in high school, I don't have any problem.
TVGO: Maybe you should go Mystic Tan! Anyway, the judges criticized you for moving away from singing Sinatra-style. Did you mind?
Stevens: I was pretty frustrated because they told me I should go away from Sinatra. When I did, they told me to go back! They missed it. I'm good at that, so of course, they're going to miss it. They're very tough to please.
TVGO: Which judge is toughest?
Stevens: For me, Randy Jackson. Simon has really been pretty nice to me. I guess Randy favors R&B, and I'm definitely not an R&B singer. So I guess I have a disadvantage there, but you can't please everyone.
TVGO: Going forward, will you change your style?
Stevens: Hopefully, I can still try to go into the pop stuff, but still have my style. I'll see where that takes me. If that doesn't work, I can always go back to Sinatra, but Sinatra doesn't work with all the different [musical] genres they give me.
TVGO: Do you regret singing "She's Always A Woman," since the judges suggested the song didn't suit you?
Stevens: [Sighs] Not really. I knew I hadn't done my best. If I had done my best, they wouldn't have said that. I guess I let nerves get me a little bit. Listening to the criticism of the other singers before I sang got to me. I let the nerves hurt my performance.
TVGO: By the way, who got you so hooked on Old Blue Eyes?
Stevens: My grandfather. He's still with us. He's 84.
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