Interview with Jon Peter Lewis of American Idol, Season 3
Jon's New Single and His Upcoming Mentoring Experience at Idol Camp
 The first time I interviewed Jon Peter Lewis from season three of American Idol, I was so nervous to be talking to him. His season, he defined the show for me, and I'm still following his career. Getting a second chance to interview Jon again, the nerves weren't there, but I was just as excited. Once again, he put me at ease, just like before.
Jon started the interview telling me he was up to the same old same old, then said he was getting ready to release a new single and album. He seemed pretty impressed that I did my homework, as I knew the single Break the Silence would be out Tuesday morning. But hey, I wasn't doing homework, but keeping up with one of my favorite Idols.
Telling Jon I actually interviewed him a year and a half ago when his first album, Stories From Hollywood, came out, I mentioned that he had told me then that it was about his first few years after Idol, with a little trinket from that time embedded in each song. As far as the Break the Silence album, he didn't feel there was really an overall theme again. The title came out, though, and made it seem like it was a theme. The songs are all mostly relationship based, all really heartfelt, yet not as melancholic. Instead of being about "I'm alone and life sucks," he feels Break the Silence has a much more positive message.
Talking more of the upcoming album, Jon feels it's more singer-based than Stories From Hollywood. It still has a lot of rock tunes, but they are much more melodic than the last record. He really likes what came out of it, as it's more special. He again wrote a couple tunes himself and cowrote a few others. The writing on Break the Silence was opened up to writers all over the world, such as Germany and Australia.
Like his first album, Break the Silence is still independently released, but they're going to spend a lot more time on making people know it's out there. It'll be released on iTunes, and will be in all the major stores. Something I just learned recently was that Jon was the first Idol export to release an independent album. He believes there are a few other firsts that he can claim as well, and is quite proud of that. He feels he was one of the first on American Idol to successfully pull off performance-driven songs, and move away from the Whitney Houston/Stevie Wonder song catalog. I told him here I think it was him doing that that opened the way to Taylor Hicks doing that and being just all around different, similar in ways to Jason Castro this year doin' his own thing.
Speaking of Jason Castro and his Hallelujah performance, Jon admits he actually tried to clear that song and couldn't during his season. It kills him how the Idols now get cleared everything they wanted to do in earlier seasons, but couldn't. So remember that, season 7! As hard of a time as you have with song selection, the earlier seasons had it a little tougher! Yet, Jon thinks season three was the perfect time for him and doesn't wish he had waited longer to be on the show. Everything's good, and he's happy where he is right now.
Yet, if he was on American Idol this season, I wanted to know what Jon would have picked for Beatles week. He admits he was dying last week listening to all those folks and thinking they had so many to choose, why choose the ones they did? It would be hard to pick one, as he loves them all, but he knows he'd want to pick one that was good for the show. He'd have to shut himself in a room and think for awhile, but off the top of his head, he thinks he might do Any Time At All, and it was here Jon broke out in spontaneous song, singing a few bars, which was incredible to hear impromptu over the phone.
I switched gears here and started talking about Idol Camp, was held last year, and after a very successful summer, they're doing it again, yet on the west coast, instead of the east coast. Kids that are aspiring singers and musicians go to the camp to meet other kids with the same dreams and learn a few things about performing as well.
Past Idols turn up for the camp both in performing and teaching/mentoring roles. Jon first participated in the camp last year and plans to do it again this year. I asked whether he was involved in camp activities, or whether it was just in a concert type of situation. He taught a few classes during last summer's Idol Camp, and performed several times as well. He did everything right along with the kids there, such as eating with them in the cafeteria, meaning he ate all the same terrible food. He thinks they shared both bad food and good experiences.
As far as a favorite memory from Idol Camp, last year, Jon believes it has to revolve around this one girl that was in one of his R&B classes. She sat down at the drums to play for the first time, and said she couldn't do it, as she wasn't a drummer. Yet, with a little motivation, Jon thought it was interesting and cool to then overhear her say to some other campers that she played the drums that day. That's what he wants to see out the camp, to be sure these kids walk away feeling empowered in the arts.
As far as the teaching environment and the experience as a whole, Jon admits he always wanted to be a teacher growing up. He finds this a fun little outlet, yet doesn't have much opportunity to do more of it as he's so busy. His first love is absolutely doing music, yet he loves to teach and it was kind of exciting to be involved in it his way and to be on this side of it. He's sure there will be plenty of other teaching or mentoring opportunities in the future.
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