David H.: 'Not Ashamed of Anything'
The warning came quickly and it came clearly: Don’t ask David Hernandez about his days as a dancer at a gay strip club in Arizona. The weekly “American Idol” eliminated contestant call forced writers to get fancy with their questions as they tip-toed around the steely-eyed, chiseled and well choreographed elephant in the room while asking David questionsthe day after he was first top 12 singer voted out of the competition.
The call coordinator warned that David was there “to talk about his experience on ‘Idol,’” and that if the questions strayed too far from the call’s intended purpose they “reserve the right to ask the operator to move on.”
David said about 54 times, at last count, that he’s shopping around a record deal and he hopes to have an album out within a year, so read it now and read it once: He’s shopping around a record deal and he hopes to have an album out within a year.
Everyone played nice, asked the right questions and managed to get a few sound bites out of him. Roll it!
On his “wow” reaction after the elimination, and his genuine surprise… I was genuinely shocked, I really didn’t think that I’d be going home. Honestly, based on all the things the judges have said about my vocals, I thought that I would definitely be in the bottom three, but I didn’t think I would be going home. But I’m very happy, because probably a lot of doors are going to open with this one closing.
On “View” host Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s conspiracy theory about his elimination… First of all, I’d like to thank Elisabeth for defending me and feeling like I was eliminated a little bit prematurely. I don’t like to speculate about things like that because I like to have faith in “Idol.” They’ve given me this great platform and I’d like to think that America voted for me and it was legitimate.
On whether the news surrounding him the past few weeks has been a distraction…I did a pretty good job of blocking it all out, as you probably saw on TV. I watched my performances back from Tuesday night and I was very happy with my stage presence and all that. It was just, unfortunately, not the best song selection in the judges’ eyes, and America voted. So, no, actually. I’ve been staying away from the Internet and the TV, so if this is the worst thing that comes out in my career, then I’m pretty set to go. This has actually been really good for me, because I’ve learned how to have a thick skin and still get on stage and perform for 35 million people.
On how he was able to perform with all the gossip swirling around him… I think adversity is my best friend, to be completely honest. It’s something that inspires me and makes me work harder. I don’t have anything to say to the people who try to bring me down or count me out. I only say, count me back in.
On whether the producers knew about everything in his past… Absolutely. If they weren’t comfortable with it, I wouldn’t have been on the show. Everything is totally out there. The media can be vicious sometimes, but thank God I have thick skin and a great family behind me.
On whether he thought his “Idol” experience was shortened because voters weren’t comfortable with his past as an exotic dancer… No, I really don’t think so. I actually believe it was based on song selection. America’s smart enough to know by now that people’s personal lives should not influence their musical career.
On whether he worried about his past when he made it into the Top 24… Absolutely not. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done in my past. I’m actually looking forward to moving on with my future, because singing is the only thing that matters in my career.
On the overnight jump from being an aspiring singer to a sensation… It’s been a roller coaster, but though all the madness and chaos, I think that I have gained a deeper respect for myself and an appreciation for the music business, and I’ve got a newfound confidence in myself as a performer.
On which Beatles song he would’ve sung next week… You know I looked at the list, and probably “Yesterday” would’ve been a good one. It would’ve been amazing to tackle and I think my voice would’ve been really great on that song.
On many people thinking it was Kristy’s time to go, and why he went instead… The competition right now is so intense. Everyone can sing. There is nobody that’s safe right now. Vocals, they’re very important, but at this point song selection is very important for people.
On whether it’s really anybody’s game right now… You’ve seen how things change so quickly overnight. Chikezie was at the bottom one night, then, bam, he’s on top again with a stellar performance.
On whether he was affected, physically, by the stress… I definitely lost a lot of sleep, and I definitely lost a little bit of weight just because of not eating well. So I’m excited to get back to the gym, get some sleep and to get more of my tan back.
On what fans can expect from his first album… It will definitely be pop, R&B influenced. I’d love to do a collaboration with Alicia Keys or David Foster, and I would like to put my own songs on the album. I’m more like an urban R&B, grit and grime kind of singer. I’m definitely more comfortable singing my own songs that I write, for sure.
On what he’s looking forward to now that the show is done… I’m looking forward to eating pork flavored ramen noodles. And I’m looking forward taking a nice, deep breath away from the paparazzi for a while. I’m just going to go to my mom’s house and lay there, with her cats, for, like, 48 hours and watch nonsense TV. I’m gonna stay away from reality shows for a while. I’m probably going to watch, like, reruns of “Friends,” or something.
On what he learned about show business… I 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 (of), because I think this is just the beginning of my career.
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