Rocker Chris Daughty is up for four Grammy Awards and is arguably one of the most successful American Idol non-winners. Recently he told TV Guide that he thought Idol contestants should be allowed to play instruments and, "[They] should be forced to write a song on the show and perform it," he said. "That'd bring some new life to the show."
"Audiences would take [Idol] more seriously if it's not about finding people who suck and making fun of that."
He admits that Idol was crucial to his success, especially his album Daughtry hitting No. 1 on the charts last year. "I can definitely say it had a lot to do with being blasted all over TV every week [on American Idol]. I think there's a huge group of people hoping to see us do well. Some artists explode no matter what, and some artists would probably do very well if people paid attention."
When asked what he thought about the lack of success experience by Taylor Hicks who was recently dropped by his label, Daughtry says "I think major labels are not for everybody. For some, their vision of how they are creatively doesn't quite fit the commercial aspect of the music. Hopefully Taylor will get an independent deal where he's able to be who he is."
He says he still keeps in touch with some of his Idol pals. "I talk to Ace Young every now and then. I talk to Elliott Yamin and Bucky Covington. We try to keep up, but everybody has their own schedules."
As for his four Grammy nominations, Daughtry agrees that the honor legitimizes his Idol experience. "In our case, it definitely legitimizes what Idol is capable of doing. However, a TV show isn't going to do anything for you if you don't do something for yourself. I used Idol as an avenue to say to people, 'This is who I am.'"
You can read the full interview in the February 4th issue of TV Guide magazine.
