Nick Fradiani shot to fame back in 2015 when he was crowned the winner of the fourteenth season of hit talent contest American Idol, making him the first contestant from the Northeast region to win the show. One year later he released hit LP ‘Hurricane‘ via Big Machine Records. Now one year on from the release of his debut album, Nick Fradiani is back with a new EP ‘From Where We Left Off‘.
Here we speak exclusively to Fradiani about his time on American Idol, new music, touring plans, dream collaborations, and much, much more;
How much has changed in your life since your time on American Idol?
A lot has changed. It’s been two and a half years. I have learned so much personally and musically since then. I’ve lived in 3 different places, put out an album and an EP, traveled the country, and am able to play music for a living.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of entering the show?
Always stay true to yourself. Try not to compare yourself to anyone else, and have fun. It is an amazing experience. Try to slow it all down and enjoy yourself.
Are you still in touch with anyone from American Idol?
I just performed with Rayvon Owen at my show in LA, and also performed with Tyanna Jones at my show in NYC. It was awesome to see both of them again. A lot of us stay in touch and cheer each other on in this crazy music world.
Going into American Idol did you ever think you would win?
Going into it I never really thought that I would win the whole thing. I knew I had a chance to go pretty far, but winning was never really a thought until much later.
Are you excited about the ABC reboot of the show?
Yes it’s very exciting to see the show returning. I became friends with so many people working behind the scenes on American Idol since its origin. I was happy to see a lot of them returning for the reboot. I hope the show is a huge hit again.
Will you be returning to the series as a performer?
I have no idea. I came back many times for the finale season, so hopefully they’ll have me back at some point for the reboot.
Your new EP ‘From Where We Left Off’ has a mix of country/pop tracks, has the always been the sound you wanted to create?
I didn’t focus on a specific genre while creating the music for this EP. If it felt right and fit the song, we were gonna go with it. We did whatever felt good. I think “Where We Left Off” is a great starting point for the sound I want to create moving forward.
What can fans expect from the record overall?
I think they can expect to get an honest record from me. On my last record there were so many people involved on so many different songs that I think I got lost in the shuffle at times. For the most part this album was only worked on by 2 people in one place. It’s more me than anything I’ve ever done.
Do you have any touring plans lined up?
We’ve been on the road since September and have shows through November. It has been an amazing experience being able to share this new music with my fans all over the country.
If you could collaborate with anyone who would you choose?
I was lucky enough to have Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional write my coronation song after winning American Idol, ‘Beautiful Life’. I’ve been a big fan of him for so many years going back to high school, and I finally got to thank him in person at one of his shows this past summer. I would love to be able to co write a song with him on my next project.
What do you hope to achieve over course of your career?
I want to continue to create music that I love and believe in. That’s what it all boils down to. I hope each record I make is better than the last. I want to continue to do this for the rest of my life, and I hope my fans will come with me for the ride!
Make sure you follow Nick on Twitter @nickfradiani to keep up to date with all his latest music and tour news!
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