Kris Allen: The ultimate interview, Part One

"American Idol" winner Kris Allen sat down with writer Fred Bronson for an in-depth interview. In Part 1 of this four-part interview, Allen talks about his first musical influences and early musical ambitions.

Season 8 “American Idol” winner Kris Allen was born June 21, 1985, to Neil and Kimberly Allen in Jacksonville, Ark.

Anyone who watched this season of “American Idol” had good reason to think you grew up in Conway, Ark., but that’s not true, right?

I lived in Jacksonville for most of my life. My high school was in Little Rock, but I lived in Jacksonville forever until college, and then I moved to Conway.

What is your earliest memory of music?

Music was always in the house. My dad was a musician. He played guitar and was in a band. The earliest memory I have is somewhere around 6, 7 or 8 years old, listening to a Michael Jackson record. I think it was “Dangerous.” Just sitting in my room by myself dancing and singing and having hats on and trying to do the moonwalk in front of the mirror but it’s not working. Then my dad would walk in. Everything would stop. He would catch me, and he thought it was hilarious. So thank you, Michael Jackson.

What kind of record collection did your parents have?

My dad had a lot of CDs. I remember having tapes. I didn’t even own the “Dangerous” CD; it was the tape.

Did you listen to your parents’ music?

As a kid, I would listen to a lot of the music my parents owned. They were into country then, so a lot of Garth Brooks. I think my first concert was Reba McEntire. It was in Arkansas. And my parents listened to old rock bands like Journey and Queen and Foreigner. I grew up loving Journey. I’m a big huge fan.

Tell me about the band your dad was in.

It was rock – not metal. It was more like ’70s rock, but it was in the ’80s. The band was called Maxxzoid.

Named after someone named Max?

No, my dad was the lead singer. I don’t know what they were thinking. Who knows?

Was it a hobby for him, or did he go out and play at clubs?

When he was younger. I was born when he was 20, 21, somewhere around there. I came along and then it all kind of stopped. He had to get a job.

So he gave up music as a profession? What kind of work did he do instead?

He worked at a car dealership forever, since I was a baby to when I was 16 or 17 years old.

When did you first play music?

My dad played guitar, and I picked it up when I was 13. I wish I would have picked it up earlier, but I don’t know what happened. My brother and I would be at home by ourselves in the summer and he would go to the pool and I would stay home and learn how to play the guitar. So I was a little chubby kid trying to figure out how to play the guitar, and he would always be at the pool. No one knew what I was doing all day, because I wasn’t showing anyone that I’d learned how to play the guitar. After that summer, people figured out I could play.

So you’re self-taught. Did you ever take lessons?

I just learned how to play different songs. Never took any lessons.

Before you took up the guitar, you were playing another instrument, right?

I started playing the viola when I was in fourth grade. It was a requirement at the school that you had to play an instrument. We had an orchestra, not a band.

How did you choose the viola?

One of my friends picked it, and he was my best friend at the time, and I told him, “I’ll play what you play.” He ended up not being very good and he stopped and I kept on until high school was over. It was one of those things where I liked it a lot, and then at the end of high school, playing a viola is not too cool.

It isn’t like being captain of the football team.

Exactly. Believe me, I tried to be cool, being on the baseball team and all that, but playing viola is not the coolest thing in the world. I stopped playing right before college.

Why do you think you stayed with it as long as you did?

I don’t know why I kept with it. For some reason, I thought I had to, but I didn’t mind. Music has always been one of those things where I wanted to be a part of something and I didn’t know how to play the guitar until I was 13 so viola was filling that musical void until then.

When you were in the school orchestra, was that an actual class or after-school activity?

It was a class, but with it there were different field trips and different concerts, and then there’s all-region and all-state.

So you were in musical competitions even before “American Idol.” How did you do?

I was third in the state, I think. Not too bad.

As a violist, were you only playing classical music?

Yes, it was all classical. I was in a quartet, and we played weddings and we would play Beatles music, which was cool.

When was that and were you singing at weddings?

Around the end of high school, junior or senior year. I was just playing, not singing.

Do you remember what you played at weddings?

There’s always [Pachelbel's] Canon in D. Everyone wants that. I remember one time we ruined a person’s wedding. We were like 15, 16 years old and it was their wedding and we blew it off and didn’t practice and we got there and it was really bad. They paid us, but then she sent us a note that said, “You ruined our wedding.” So sorry about that.

Did you ever try out for any of your high school’s musicals?

No, music is not a huge deal in Arkansas, which is sad because there’s a lot of musical talent there. I didn’t want to do too much because I played sports. I played baseball most of my life, so I tried to stay well rounded, and I think my parents tried to do that as well. I didn’t want to put too much on my plate. I’m not very good at that.

What was your major in college?

I didn’t have a major for a couple years. I thought, “Let’s get through this and figure it out,” so I did all the general education stuff.

At that point, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do for a living?

I always wanted to play music. When I was a freshman in college, I knew if I really wanted to do this thing, I had to write music and play, so that’s when that started. I was trying harder to be a musician at the time. That’s all I really wanted to be. I was just in college to get a degree. Loved college though. It was an amazing experience.

Did your parents ever say, “Music’s great but you need a back-up plan”?

That was the cool thing about my parents. They were always pushing for me to do music, because they felt like that’s what I should do no matter how much money I was making, because there were times when I wasn’t making much. So they were always behind me in that regard. That was really great.

Were you playing local gigs while you were in college?

I played my first concert during my sophomore year. We were opening a small bar in the middle of downtown Conway, and a lot of people came out and filled the place, but that was the only night the place was open. We opened and closed it the same night.

I’m thinking that wasn’t your fault …?

I don’t know if it was our fault. It was actually a really good night and everyone said so. That’s when I got the encouragement to keep going and started playing at other places. I made an EP with a couple songs on it in this guy’s house and the sound of the CD was horrible. The production was not very good, and my songs seriously were not the best. It was a learning experience. You write songs and you figure out what’s good and bad. But I started playing at places and it got better and better and better and I started playing at bigger places and I ended up making a better CD with 10 songs on it.

If you can believe your Wikipedia entry,  there were only 600 copies printed.

I have no idea. That’s probably not right. I wish. We did like 10 or 11 shows for that CD. It didn’t sell a major amount. I’m throwing them at people now, but more than anything, I  go back and listen to the songs, and I ask myself, “What was I thinking?”

Did you write all of the songs on that album?

They were all written by me.

Were you ever part of a band or always a solo artist?

We never went by a band name. It was always me. I had a band that played with me, and they were great.

Did you write songs when you were in high school?

No. It never dawned on me to write songs in high school. I don’t know why. I wish I had started earlier but no regrets. I didn’t start writing until my freshman year in college.

Aside from the viola in school, did you ever take any formal music lessons?

No, I just sang. I never had any choir lessons or voice lessons or anything like that. I probably needed them, and I had one today and it was very helpful.

What was your goal when you left college?

I dropped out in the middle of the third year, and that’s when I released the full-length CD. I was hoping things would happen from that. You know, hopefully I can do this thing. People were behind me, which was really nice. I also had a full-time job.

Where were you employed?

I was selling stuff at a sporting goods store, Hibbett Sports, and it was a great place for the time that I was there. I worked almost 40 hours a week and did the music thing at night.

Playing clubs and bars?

Yes, and a lot of practice and writing and going out to bars and playing on different nights.

Are there a lot of clubs to play in Conway?

There’s one place, but it was for younger punk bands. It wasn’t the venue for me so I would go to Little Rock, which is like 30 minutes down the road. I would go to Fayetteville, which is a little farther away. Every once in a while, I would do weddings by myself because people asked me. I’m not very good at saying no.

When did you meet your wife, Katy?

We’ve known each other since elementary school. She’s my brother’s age, a year younger than me. She was in the orchestra as well and played the violin. We were on an all-region orchestra trip together. She was good enough to make all-region, but she will tell you she was not very good.

Actually she’s not very good, but it’s OK. She admits it. So we were riding on the bus and talking. It was just one of those things. It just happened.

So you were together for a few years before you got married?

There were a couple times where we broke up. There was a year when I went to college for the first time and she was still in high school and then we got back together, but we say that we were together seven years before we got married last year.

Did it affect your songwriting when you fell in love and got married?

Yes, I think every experience you go through makes you better, and as a songwriter, I think it makes your songs better.

-- Fred Bronson

Photo: Noel Vasquez / Getty Images

Related:

Adam Lambert: The early years

Adam Lambert: Showbiz beginnings

Adam Lambert: Finding his groove

Adam Lambert: The "Idol" chapter

Comments

[Aimee]

Wow, this is a great interview. I can't wait for the other parts!

[Mary]

Good stuff! Can't wait for the next part! Thanks for the interesting questions!

[TJP]

Nice interview... at last new questions and great answers.
Kris Allen really doesn't have any filter, it's refreshing to hear someone so honest.

[Tay]

Thanks so much for this!!! I jumped up and down when I saw this and I can practically hear his voice in these answers. Fred Bronson - you're AH-MAZING

[Brent]

Wow. This is one of the most boring interviews I've ever read in a major newspaper. Ugh.

[RudysMom]

Clearly Kris is not Adam when it comes to being introspective and articulate. The interviewer tried to bring out thoughtful answers, however, it appears that Kris is just not that deep. Great questions - marginal answers.

[Gayl]

Kris says so much with so little words. I also love his dry wit, but I fear that it may be too dry for some people reading it in print.

I love how he seems to carefully choose the words to his responses and I can almost see his preparation of thought. I strongly disagree with the previous comment that Kris lacks depth. I have always found Kris to be very introspective and thoughtful with what he says and does in life. Sometimes it takes more effort to say less instead of just rattling on and on.

I hope that Kris stays true to being Kris because I like his approach to interviews.

[Lisa]

I don't think it's that Kris isn't deep. Kris and Adam just process differently. Also, Adam is an extremely articulate person. Great questions again. I enjoy Kris - there is something very honest and open about him, which is a trait he DOES share with Adam.

[Coral]

Great interview, I can't wait for the other parts. Based on all the attention that Kris gets across the web from those who claim not to like him, I think he should be flattered. He must be doing something right for them to be upset enough to scour the internet and comment on every article that is written about him. The man is very popular.

[Kim]

This is a great in depth article! As someone who was in the orchestra (or as we called it, dorkestra) in HS I love reading about what he had to say about playing the viola and what not. Cant wait for the next part.

[Mark]

Very to-the-point on the answers, sure, but I can't blame him for answering the questions largely straight. He's never seemed to be one for pontificating, anyway.

Waiting eagerly for part two!

[Lii]

Nice interview, I just wish Kris could have expanded on his answers and not just give us a few sentence answer. There wasn't a lot of in-depth going on here in some parts.

[EM]

Thanks for the interview. We got interesting new information and more of Kris' dry wit. I'm looking foward to reading the next three parts.

[Nanc]

Love hearing about Kris Allen ~ he's so talented (and sweet too)! His music is very radio-friendly and will be ipod-friendly too! Love it, and can't wait for that CD!

[Tracey]

I am enjoying this interview every bit as much as the interview with Adam. Kris is clearly not one to talk about himself, but I think Mr. Bronson is doing a great job of getting some new information from him. It's wonderful to read responses to questions that haven't been asked a million times before. I really can't wait to read the rest of the interview.

And for the record, the 'better CD with 10 songs on it' that Kris mentions is called "Brand New Shoes", and I'm kinda in love with it. It's been on repeat in my car for the past month. I think he's being a little too self-critical in his assessment of it. There are some really beautiful songs on it, and I find them even more impressive now, knowing that they were some of his first efforts at song writing.

[Jo]

Loved the interview, don't think it was boring at all, dry wit is just not got by some people obviously. Some good information that was new to me, can't wait for the next part.

[Cinn]

Wow...so excited that this was done with Kris as well. Waiting eagerly for the rest of it. Kris has been an inspiration to me and it is nice to read more about his life.

[Oats]

My family and I loved Kris's songs during the American Idol shows and we downloaded ALL his performance from iTunes. We still watch and listen to them repeatedly.

Enjoyed reading Kris’s MUSIC story. Look forward to reading Part 2. Thanks

[Spring]

I’m a huge Kris fan and I learned a lot from this interview. Kris is a talented and solid musician. His words are sincere and trustworthy. The more I know him; the more I respect and love him. Thank God, American Idol discovered him. I am waiting for the part 2. Thank you very much.

[Spring]

The photo of Kris is great. Kris held a microphone with a guitar at his back, and one arm up>>>full of energy!

[T]

Fred, thanks for the awesome interview. Love that you asked new questions and asked them about Kris' music. It is the ultimate interview and I can't wait for the other parts.

[giselle]

wow...I'm just guessing here.......Adam probably kissed more girls..........nothing wrong with that tough,I love Kradam,I have a real love and respect for Kris,and his positive personality!!!!!!

[Mimi]

As, usual..very boring!!! The answers were all shallow, not exciting, like asking an elementary kid.

[Diane]

I love hearing how positive Kris' parents are. I think he is a product of his raising...modest, honest to a fault, sweet and genuinely humble. I think there is a story behind this Idol and we have only scratched the surface here. His dad had to get a "real job" and quit his band. His parents were so supportive of him following his dreams knowing all along that did not work for his father. Someone needs to talk to these people....I'm thinking they have words of wisdom for us all.

[Deez]

Someone commented, "Clearly Kris is not Adam when it comes to being introspective and articulate. The interviewer tried to bring out thoughtful answers, however, it appears that Kris is just not that deep. Great questions - marginal answers."

SERIOUSLY???? How much thought and introspection does one need to apply to the question "Where were you employed?", or "What was your major in college?". There is nothing there that requires a great deal of soul-searching.It's not like he asked him about Myanmar or Somalia or something.

OH, BUT WAIT....
Wasn't it "shallow" Kris who spent months helping people in third world countries? Actions speak louder than words!! Some of you are too busy searching the web for the next nice article about Mr Allen in which to post something stupid, to care about what really matters.