May 27 2008 8:00 AM EDT
'American Idol' Standout Josiah Leming Inks A Record Deal, Calls Show 'Glorified Karaoke'

The early 'Idol' castoff says he wouldn't be where he is today if he'd made the cut.

By James Montgomery, with reporting by Jim Cantiello

When we last saw Josiah Leming, he was sleeping in his parents' basement in Morristown, Tennessee, hammering out otherworldly tunes on a rickety old piano and licking his wounds from his recent "American Idol" ouster.

He was "the kid who slept in his car," the homeless scamp who cried buckets on a televised singing competition, the scrappy underdog with the deck stacked against him. He was a directionless, idealistic dreamer, the kind of guy you really want to see succeed but at the same time were relatively certain he wouldn't. All you could really do was hope for the best.

Fast-forward three months. My, how things have changed.

Today, Leming sits behind a massive console in a shiny Los Angeles studio, tickles the keys of a well-lacquered baby grand and is talking about his freshly inked deal with Warner Bros. Records. He's still got the same mop of hair, the same amount of baby fat, and he's still wearing the same baggy T-shirts. But something is different about him: He's no longer an underdog. Rather, he's transformed into an emboldened and immensely talented recording artist, someone standing on the verge of something very big. And he knows it.

"I signed my deal with Warner Bros. about a month and a half ago, and I'm glad to finally announce it. The songs are written, the arrangements are done, and right now it's time to work with the producers," he said. "I'm so excited. I'm just beaming inside right now. Since I signed the deal, it's been a lot of wait, wait, wait. Now it's finally come. I'm in this awesome studio, working on songs. ... It's amazing. This is everything I ever wanted."

But herein lies the new quandary facing Leming: He's clearly an indie-minded artist playing in the big, bad world of the majors. And more often than not, this scenario doesn't exactly end well. So how does he plan on making sure that he ends up more like, say, Death Cab for Cutie than Jawbox?

Well, for starters, he's not gonna lose the attitude that got him here in the first place — you know, the one that was on display when he dismissed the band during "Idol" auditions and decided to perform Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" solo, and when he proclaimed he had "no regrets" immediately following that performance. And for further proof of this, well, let's just ask him about "Idol," shall we?

"It's like glorified karaoke," he said. "And yeah, I did it and it was great. I love those people there. They were great to me, and it gave me a great kick-start to my career. But the fact is, it's glorified karaoke — they pick people with pretty faces and the pretty voices, and they don't let them write their own songs. They pick these good-looking people with voices, and they have them sing these songs that other people have written. And therefore, it lacks passion, it lacks emotion and it lacks the things that set an artist off from being good to being great. So that's my feeling on it."

And while he's glad to point out that he holds no ill will against anyone involved with "Idol," he claims that he's glad he didn't make the cut. Because, really, he wouldn't be where he is right now if he had.

"As everyone clearly saw, I poured my heart and soul into the process and into the competition. But looking back now, things could not have gone any better. Things happened perfect," Leming said. "I got the exposure. ... People liked me, which was amazing, and I love my fans more than anything. I'm happy I didn't make it. Looking back, it couldn't have gone any better. It's like this tiny little door shut and voom, the door to the world opened."

Leming said he plans to work on his Warner debut in Los Angeles and London, and he's tapped post-punk heavyweight Nick Launay (Public Image Ltd., Gang of Four, Talking Heads) and electronic producer David Kosten (who records under the name Faultline) to helm the project. And while both might seem like odd choices for his bare-bones tunes, Leming said fans won't be disappointed with the results. After all, he didn't work his whole life to screw things up now.

"There's something in me — call it ambition, call it arrogance, call it cockiness, it doesn't bother me because it's necessary to my music. I can't be in that middle pile. I don't want to be in that middle pile. I don't want to be just another musician with a record label that's putting out albums that are just ... OK," he said. "It's got to be great, because this is everything to me. This is the reason I set on the road, this is the reason I dropped out of school. Everything has led up to this point. This is like the climax of what has been the last 19 years. It's finally all come to a peak. This is more than I could ever ask for — it's ridiculous."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1588044/20080523/id_0.jhtml

hmm..i am happy for him, he won't be sleeping in his car anymore at least!^^
i was sorry for the dude before during the auditions, im glad that he's ok now...
...but he better not say bad things bout AI when he becomes "rich & famous"...
..that's all i can say..^^

Yeah, I can't be sad for him either honestly. He's gotten a great opportunity after the hard and difficult life he has had but I agree he should be greatful for the opportunity that AI gave him because that is like biting the hand that feeds you, you know? lol

I have to say I liked him during the auditions. However he was not mature enough to handle the grinds of the show IMO. I am glad he is doing well. But glorified karaoke? Whatever

I hope things work out for the kid. Maybe it was the highly edited show format, but I found his attitude irritating. Also, don’t appreciate the “glorified karaoke” comment because, if Hollywood week is any indication, the kid would have cracked due to the show’s demands.

Geez, I remembered watching a ton of auditions and I think I missed about two episodes worth so I'm not sure if I saw him or not (I know I missed Cook's). The auditions were a blur to me, save for some of the bad ones....

But I really hope he doesn't have ill intentions with Idol in that he'll begin to bad mouth it because Idol has given many people opportunities and while I can see why some dislike it, I still feel that whether you're for or against it, you have to realize that Idol is a great outlet for struggling musicians trying to make a name for themselves.

I agree with you that he should watch what he says about AI. Nobody would even know who he was if he hadn't tried out for AI in the first place.

He was interesting. A nice kid, but his voice never really did anything for me, and I couldn't figure out why everyone liked him so much.

Well, I guess it is glorified karaoke for some contestants, but that just doesn't cut it on Idol anymore. Our Cookie was no karaoke singer. He was amazing and a true artist and performer. I think the kid is just speaking out of hurt. He was crushed when he was kicked off. I saw him on Ellen after that and his song he wrote was really good and Ellen gave him like $8000 worth of music equipment to help him kickstart a career. It's good to see that he did something with it.

Yeah...so that's very interesting. I sure hope they gave the kid like a blow up mattress or something...uh I am happy for the little guy...I wish him luck...however when it comes to our Idol...he should keep his mouth shut...I think there was a lot of great individuals that made the cut that were able to take the songs and make them their own...and duh...American Idol means you sing songs already written and make them your own...it's not American Songwriter...maybe he thought he was on a different show or something...but good luck rolling with the big dogs...(my personal opinion and that's all it is...a personal opinion and not saying anything bad about the guy as a person or anything)...but I wish him luck...because he sure is going to need it...like A LOT of it.

haha!
awesome
i loved that kid

UGH this kid was SO annoying!! I did not feel sorry for him at all. HE CHOSE TO MOVE AWAY FROM HIS FAMILY AND SLEEP IN HIS CAR. He didn't have to. I was glad Idol didn't punk out and pass him through just because they felt sorry for him. He is not that great of a singer. And this:

just pisses me off... did he not listen to these performers this season?? If Cook, Archuleta, Johns, Smithson, etc. lacked passion, as he says, then I don't think he knows what passion is.

he wasn;t even that good. Chris Richardson from last season was AWESOME. He still doesn't have deal and freakin' Josiah does....GRR!

thats good for josiah but i didnt think he was that great. even if he did make it to the top 24 he would have gotten creamed buy the guys. but thats good that he got a deal

Eh. I wasn't a fan of this guy. I thought he was a bit full of himself

I agree with this statement, but only to a certain extent. Yes, its a great outlet for people to get their names out there. It would be an even better outlet if they didn't discard a lot of talent in the process, to make room for people just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame by being horrible or in other cases with obvious social disorders, who end up just being exploited. If AI wanted to truly help out all the struggling artists and give them a platform, they would take nothing but talent, but unfortunately, in our cruel society making the bad auditions is what a lot of people look forward to.

As far as Josiah goes, I liked the kid during the audition stages, I wanted him to get into the Top 24. But at the same time, I must agree with him, that's he's probably better off without it. He would've never survived on this season because there were far more people with "commercial" type talent and he probably would've been gone after that first week anyway. The glorified karaoke comment, c'mon that's what the show is. It doesn't mean that true talent hasn't been on it, but its still just a someone doing a cover (or some cases a cover of a cover). Its all in what you make of the songs you're given to choose from. True artists, like Cook and Blake and Daughtry, have proven that you can make a song that everyone distinctly knows one way and one way only, and make it a hit.

But I hope Josiah has lots of success. I'll probably give it a listen. If his music that was on myspace is any indication of what he's going to put out, he'll probably go far, the kid's got talent. But then again, when David comes out with an album and starts kicking his butt in sales he'll probably blame something else on AI. I just don't think Josiah should have any bitterness towards a show that got him the exposure he has now.


End rant.

Pre-reading the article; just clicked and read the topic title:

PFFT, that is a huge lot coming from him!

He auditioned and bawled his eyes out on that 'Glorified Kareoke' show.

Bottomline: he's bitter.

Ugh, he needs to get his head out of his ass and see reality for a second.

(This post is susceptible to ETA's. LOL! I'll read the actual article first. XD)

ETA Hmm... after reading the post, and the other replies. I have calmed down. LOL!

I guess I just got mad at him for calling the show a search for people with "pretty faces" and not so great in talent. From what I've seen, although I've only been watching this season, there are a lot of talent to be found in American Idol.

And as for the lacking passion, well, he better not be talking about David Cook.

Oh well, maybe he's bitter that he also got kicked out of the AI wrap party? XD



I KNOW!

Maybe passion, in his definition, means crying a river.

Haii, oh well, I do think he will be successful with his new record deal though. =D

Yeah well I can guarantee you he knew what Idol was going in and had he made the Top 10 I HIGHLY doubt he would have walked off the show out of general "artistic" principal. Sour grapes ala Kool Aide if you ask me. And I liked him. But a F'ing HATE elitist music snobs. He pimped his sad story out for plenty of face time on the Glorified Karaokee show.

What a loser. He calls it glorified karaoke but he auditioned for AI.

I'm just glad the kid got a deal and a chance to prove himself. He was interesting. I'd be interested in hearing what he has to offer.

I actually really liked him.

Who?

I always had a feeling Josiah was cut partly because he was so emotionally unstable. Between Cookie, Brooke, and this kid they would have had to hose down the stage every night because of the weeping.

I just wonder if his manager knows what he might be in for.

You may be right about the emotionally unstable part. I actually thought the kid was good...only when he did his own stuff, though. I became a friend on his MySpace page for awhile to try to keep up with what he was doing. But, I got bombarded with so many bulletins from him and some of them were downright weird. I ended up deleting him as a friend because he was cluttering up my messages with so many of his own, I was missing stuff from other people.

I wish him well. He is an emotional soul. I think the business will be too much for him, in the long run, though.

Jeannine

YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't wait for his debut!!!!!!!!! love him!:)<3

Don't hate me for this. I like Josiah since his audition & i wished that he made to Top 24. I'm glad he signed a contract so now he could make his own album (and soon i'm gonna hear more for him). And i must confess, i really luv his single "To Run"...the one he sang on the audition. Now, i have that on my playlist...I luv his music but not in person (idk him & don't want to know..)

Aww, haha, you guys are right with him being emotionally unstable thing.

miss.gee, I must say, I like "To Run" too! =D
It's a great song, and I think he's a good songwriter. He just strikes me as a little... egotistic sometimes.

i love Josiah's songs. i watched them all on youtube. he's a great singer/songwriter. no doubt about that.

but he didn't make the cut because he couldn't handle the pressure. simple as that. he has to think that AI had something to do with what success he had. i mean he got A LOT of airtime during the auditions. i would rather the show spent that much time on castro so i would have been invested on someone who actually made it far. seriously. i think Josiah got more face time than anyone else in the show during the audition/hollywood shows.

Yeah, I think they milked out the "homeless kid" a little too much too!

Even though he seems to have come a long ways from his audition, I think Josiah is still a tad on the immature side. I didn't see his attitude as egotistical as much as it was immature. At his age, a lot of kids think that they know everything and are upset when they realize that they more than likely don't. Not having his parents around doesn't help that either.

He does need to be careful what he says about AI. After all, without the so-called "glorified karaoke," in which he was obviously completely crushed to have not gotten farther than he did, he might not have attracted the attention of Warner Brothers, and he still might not have a deal. The way he delivered his comments about AI only underscores just how much growing up he still has to do.

Now, I have nothing against the kid. He just seems like a sweet enough boy who is in for a majorly crazy ride. Buckle in and hold on tight, Josiah... and good luck.

Boy...talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

I really liked Josiah but would he have a record deal if it weren't for AI? doubtful!

During AI, I really thought he could make it in the Top 24.. Cuz, DAMN! I Love him! Idk why.. But, there is something to this "emotional" kid as you say. But, I felt bad with his bad actions against AI.

Just a "Good Luck" message for him.

Karaoke singers ???? I don't think so ! , and Mr Boo Hoo when he got cut sure seemed like he still wanted to be there , and no originality ?? , yeah , I guess Analog Heart was a work of fiction ? , this kid changes his tune as the situation changes , I don't find him to be a sincere , honest individual at all , if he thinks the attitude and BS he's flinging is rockstar original ....well anyway , this kids a joke regardless of talent , a castle gets really lonely when your the only subject living in your kingdom , I'm sorry but to rip AI , when he obviously wanted to be on the Karaoke Showcase ! is just dumb ...........anyway I apolgize for ranting but stupidity like this just gets me riled up , I'm going to go listen to Analog Heart now and go for a walk along the river , whew ok , again I apologize , for acting just like this kid.

I'm glad he got a record deal. His songs are really good. At first he seemed like a really humble, nice guy. When he sang Stand By Me he got a little arrogant. I hope he doesn't keep that up. He's likely to get a lot of backlash. On his myspace a few months ago, there was a bit of drama. People questioned him about some certain things he said and he got really pissed off and wrote these long dramatic posts about.."..this is who I am...you saw me on American Idol but my talent is what made you come back and listen etc..."

He's nineteen, maybe he just "has the world to learn"

American Idol is NOT karaoke...you can't have karaoke without massive amounts of ALCOHOL.

Well, that's what Paula is for!

But Josiah did try out and he did voluntarily go to Hollywood, so he has no right to complain.

im glad that hes able to get a contract but he shouldnt let it all go to his head and he when he sings he shouldnt switch to that british accent cuz thats just weird.

If he lets it all go to his head, he'll be in for a rude awakening if his album should tank.

I don't have a problem with Josiah singing in a British-style voice. That's probably just the style of singing he's adopted. When I sing sometimes, I'll do the Brit thing myself.

he has alot of growing up to.. i liked him initially, but i knew it wouldn't be good news, if he made it on the show, he would get the sympathy vote. and that is not a way to judge a talent contest.
i wish him well in his career, i hope that he can handle everything it brings to him..

I gotta be honest, I never liked this guy. I remember watching his audition; my sisters were like, "Aw...I like him!" My first thought was, there's something not right about this guy. And seriously, the whole living-in-his-car thing? That was HIS fault! He moved out on his own accord.

And during Hollywood week, I was watching one of those behind-the-scenes videos they have on americanidol.com, and they asked the question, "What song would you teach the world to sing?" Josiah, David Cook, and a few other people gave answers. David's was hilarious; he wanted to teach the song that he first cried to when a girl broke up with him, and he was joking about it. But then Josiah says, "I would never do that. I would never ask the world to sing one song. I would ask the world to sing a song of their own. I would ask them to make their own words, make their own melody. Whether it's good or bad, if they feel it. Just put your heart and soul into it." I mean seriously? How...ugh, I can't even find the words to describe how stupid that is! I don't know, that just *really* ticked me off.

He really just strikes me as one of those immature idealists who gets so caught up in their music (or whatever it is that they do) that they don't take time to look at reality. I mean, there's nothing wrong with loving music, but when it gets to the point where Josiah was, it makes me want to smack them to wake up. You have be able to transition between your own world and the world we all live in. Josiah's in for a rude awakening for these next few months when the stress becomes too much to handle.

[/rant]