After wading through a sea of the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly during American Idol’s often over-the-top auditions, tonight (finally) kicks off Hollywood Week. But aside from getting to the heart of the show — whittling things down to the top 24 — we’ll be introduced to this season’s “farewell song” by a newcomer named Ferras. When “Hollywood’s Not America” plays as contestants get the boot, he’s hoping to grab viewers’ attention and score a smash hit a la Idol’s season 5 song you just couldn’t seem to get away from — Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day.” We were able to squeeze in a few quick questions with the up-and-coming star while he was here at 1515. Here’s what he had to say about his high-profile national debut…
Buzzworthy: Did you write “Hollywood’s Not America” thinking it would be a perfect fit for American Idol?
Ferras: I wrote it as kind of a reflection on what’s going on in Hollywood. I’m not going to name specific people, but there’s just that whole sort of thing of moving to Hollywood and getting caught up in the craziness. I’m not preaching; I certainly cannot preach. It was just one of those things. I wrote the song and the president of my label was like, “This should be on American Idol as their farewell song.” So he contacted the producers and they thought it was a good idea.
BW: What do you plan to do with this exposure?
Ferras: That’s a really good question, actually. I hope eventually to be able to sort of bring some kind of light into people’s lives in some way. It’s not really all about me. But if I can inspire one person or touch one person or help somebody express feelings through my music in some way, then I’m doing my job, I guess.
BW: What else can we expect from you this year?
Ferras: My record, Aliens and Rainbows, comes out April 1. Then I’m going on tour with A Fine Frenzy and will just continue to keep playing shows and hope everybody likes it.
Listen for “Hollywood’s Not America” during Hollywood Week and tell us what you think…