American Idol’s Bo Bice On Kara DioGuardi & The New Idol

Jen Smith
Fancast.com

After becoming the runner-up to Carrie Underwood on Season 4 of American Idol, Bo Bice set off to be the next Southern Rock star. And sometime between releasing a number one single and touring the country, the crooner decided to get married and eventually had two sons.

Now living in Nashville, this proud papa splits his time between his family and his music. With American Idol Rewind gearing up to re-air his season and the upcoming premiere of Season 8, Bo gave Fancast the exclusive scoop on what his post-Idol life is like.

Catch Bo Bice on Access Hollywood.

How did it feel to watch American Idol Rewind and see your performances all over again?

It was awesome to be a part of that. Just to reminisce and go back in time. I haven’t had a chance to really watch the show. I’ve been touring and working so it was nice to get the chance to sit back and see what we did.

Were there any performances that made you cringe?

The only week I didn’t feel comfortable with was the theater week because that wasn’t my gig. I haven’t been trained in drama or anything like that. Other than that I think we’re our hardest critics. I saw a little something in everyone where I thought “oh goodness.” I think there were some memorable performances, but the most memorable for me was the A Cappella song “dream” that I did. That was a sound check song that I did for years so it had a different meaning than it does for a lot of folks. There was no strategy. At no point did I think I’m going to do this song and this is going to be great. I was just flying by the seat of my pants and blessed to have the best songwriters and artists who wrote great music so I could go out and go on. It was truly a sounding board for all of my favorite music.

What do you think of all the changes Idol made for the upcoming season?

I think they have to change things each year. That’s part of what made my season so great. Without the addition of Ricky Minor and the band, I would have never made it as far on Idol as I did. Coming from playing with bands was my comfort zone and if you put me up there playing to track and karaoke, it’s a different show. They have to change it up each year and make it fresh. If they hadn’t made changes my season I never would have even been on. If they hadn’t upped the age limit, I wouldn’t have been on there, Constantine wouldn’t have been on there. Sometimes change is good. I think Kara DioGuardi is going to be an awesome change. She’s very confident and knows her stuff. She’s a great song writer and really knows about music. I know that with Kara coming in that the spot is filled well.

Do you think you would have won the show if they let your season play instruments?

There were several of us that asked to play instruments my season, and they told us no because it was a singing competition. That was cool because it was the rules, then a couple seasons later they let them start playing instruments. When I was watching it I was thinking “Daggummit, I wish they had let us play instruments!” But after watching the entire season, I saw a couple of them almost hide behind those instruments. It was a comfort zone and therefore it didn’t make you feel like they were on top of their game. Others took it the right way. People like David Cook who knew how to play the guitar went out there and rocked it out. That’s the way you’re supposed to do it. If you asked me whether I would want to have played instruments on my season, I would have to say no. I wouldn’t have been able to decide whether I was a guitar player or a vocalist. Not having that option made that decision pretty easy.

What are your thoughts on David Cook being the first rocker to win the show?

I think that David’s going to change the face of Idol, so I’m proud of him. I think he’s a really nice guy. I wish him the most success in the world. His new album is great. I can’t wait for David to spread his wings and do the kind of music he wants to do. As long as he keeps his feet on the ground and stays level-headed and enjoys the gig.

It’s been about a year since your second album. Are you in the studio for your third?

For me [the last album] was a labor of love because I was able to get back to the music I love doing: Southern Rock music. We only sold 158,000 units, which was a far cry from the almost platinum Real Thing album. It also was something that I believed in and loved. The fans see that it’s the real me shining through and it’s the kind of music I dig. We’ve been out touring on it all year and we’ve been from Afghanistan to all around the US and then to Iraq. We recorded all these and it kind of turned into a live album, so it’s got some video on it. Hopefully we’ll have the next one out in March of next year.

AMERICAN IDOL REWIND is nationally syndicated. Viewers can check their
local listings to find out where to watch in their area. New episodes
premiere every Saturday, with encore episodes airing on the TV Guide
Network. All new Season 4 REWIND episodes debut January 31st.