by Gina Scarpa

 

Paul McDonald was known for many things this season on American Idol - his unique singing voice, his flashy outfits, and that million dollar smile. Perhaps all three were contributing factors in the fans picking up the phone for him. He sailed through to the Top 12 and finished in 8th place when he was eliminated last night. Today, he talked to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about his Idol experience.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You have such a unique style - how did you think America was going to react to you and like you?
A. Paul: In all honesty, I tried not to think of that at all. I never watched the show while I was on it. I never read reviews of what people thought. I was doing what I wanted to do. It was tough, picking all these different songs. I was just being me. The hair and makeup team would say that they didn't need to do anything to me. The stylist was like, "I like your clothes better than the ones I picked out!" It worked out good enough for 8th place.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What current artists do you listen to and feel you're most like?
A. Paul: I try to be like a whole lot of artists. Right now, I'm listening to Mumford and Sons. I've been digging on them hard. That whole kind of scene is what I'm into. My band played Bonaroo and I love the stuff that's going on at Coachella. I listen to all kinds of music. My main goal is to make music that lasts.

 

Q. How long have you been in Nashville?
A. Paul: I've been touring for about five years doing my own original material. I've been living in Nashville for two years and I've been trying to make it as an artist. We just released an album in November right before this tv stuff happened. That's my heart and my soul. I love those guys and I'm really proud of the material that we've come out with. Hopefully, I get to work with those guys soon.

 

Q. You said there should be original material on the show. Can you talk more about why you feel that way?
A. Paul: It's one of those things... like I said, I've been touring for a few years. It's one of those things where there's a bunch of singers all around but it's good to have people that are artists and who can show what they can do as an individual. I'm not very good at singing other people's songs. I learned that in the past. That's why I started playing my own. It's good to showcase who you are as an artist other than singing other people's songs. There's only so much you can do singing other people's songs.

 

Q. We got to hear a little bit of your song, "American Dreams", when you sang for your life. Tell us a little bit about how that felt.
A. Paul: That was my whole thing on the show, to branch out. When they said we could do original material, I was like, "Awesome. This is right up my alley." It made me really happy that they let me do that. Original music, to me, comes off as more real because it is real. It came from stuff from my life. I was really happy they let me do that.

 

Q. Are there any plans to work with Kendra Chantelle?
A. Paul: Kendra is great. After me and Kendra sang "Blackbird", I told her she should come over and test a song with me. As soon as I get back to Nashville, I wanna work on that. I've been writing a bunch of stuff. I'm sure we'll meet up. She's a great writer and she has a ridiculous voice.

 

Q. I heard you say that you regretted some things and wish you did some things differently. Can you elaborate on that?
A. Paul: Some of the song choices that I did probably weren't the best for me. When I first tried out, it was kinda for fun. I didn't expect to get this far. I listened to some people when I probably should've stuck with my guns. I wish I had stuck to some more obscure artists and more of the vibe that I'm into. It came across on stage that I wasn't comfortable all the time. It wasn't me. Other than that, it was good. I had a great time and it was an amazing learning experience. It opened my brain to do these cover songs and try to recreate something new.

 

Q. What will you miss most about the show?
A. Paul: I was saying last night that I'll probably miss the people around me. People don't realize how many people work around the clock to make American Idol happen. People at 19, the security, my people... they've all been supportive and nice. It's gonna be weird going back to the real world and not seeing these people every day. American Idol is a super tight knit community. I'm sure we'll see each other soon.

 

Q. You became known for your flashy outfits. Will you get to keep them?
A. Paul: Actually, I got those outfits made for me before the show. Everyone keeps saying, "That's awesome that Idol did that," but I actually had that before. I broke my bank on that white suit. They were custom made for me back home. I have the white and the black one. I get to keep them forever. I'll wear them for my birthday and New Year's and all that stuff.

 

 

Be sure to tune in when the Top 7 take the stage on American Idol, Wednesday at 8/7c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa