“I’m a Song Guy” – The NGH Report’s Exclusive Interview with Jon Peter Lewis

We were very fortunate to land an exclusive interview with Season 3 American Idol alum Jon Peter Lewis, who was fondly referred to as the “pen salesman” as well as being the “dark horse” of the entire season.

Currently, JPL has released his debut album entitled Stories From Hollywood and is promoting the release of his sophomore record called Break the Silence. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to any of Jon’s post-Idol work, I suggest you do so immediately. It’s catchy, it’s honest, and it feels more alive than any other Idol album to hit the streets to date. If the new single, Break The Silence (Single), is any indication of the quality of his new album, well, be ready for another great collection of work.

As I began this interview, I could tell that JPL was stunned by my amount of knowledge and simply speechless to be in my presence – after all, who wouldn’t be? This is all understandable considering I write the most accurate and prescient article on American Idol of all time. And Jon? When you read your “thank you” speech at the Grammy’s, I expect to be thanked right after God and your parents.

Or at least, as a parting gift, I would love to be mentioned in your next Idol article. Let’s sing the gospel of “The NGH Report” from the peak of the highest mountain, clutching arms like brothers reunited after a terrible war, who have finally realized they are on their way home. We are the two greatest Idol pundits of all time. Let’s sing that to the world in a beautiful song entitled “This Is My Now.”

On to the interview!

NGH: Jon, over the course of the season, we have seen Idol alumni return to promote their new albums. Any chance of being pimped and promoted on American Idol at some point this season?

JPL: It’s a possibility. It depends on a lot of things, but it’s a possibility.

NGH: Would you like the opportunity to do so?

JPL: Well, it’s never bad to be in front of 30 million people, you know, I don’t care where it is. It could be, you know, it could be Sally Struthers’ marathon and, you know, and it’s going to be worthwhile if it has 30 million viewers.

NGH: Sure, Sally Struthers Marathon, but I must say, I’m not sure the last time they had 30 million viewers. I don’t know how many fans of All in the Family are still living.

JPL: Haha, yeah.

NGH: So tell me a little about the direction of your new sound on this album.

JPL: It’s just kind of like – it’s more oriented towards a singer than the previous record. The last one was kind of like rock n’ roll and more of a rock band, and this one is more oriented towards melody, and it’s a bit moodier. It’s not depressing at all, but it’s definitely moodier. That kind of sound.

NGH: I’ve always said that unlike a lot of the Idols who have come from the show, you seem to do a lot of the writing yourself, and a lot of your stuff seems to come straight from you. What’s your involvement in this new album?

JPL: Well, you know, I’m very hands on and I didn’t write all the songs on this record, but I did write some. I spent every waking moment in the creation process of the songs, of my version of the songs that I didn’t write. You know, my philosophy is that if there is somebody out there who is writing a better song for me than I am, then I’m not going to decline it. Especially if they’re asking me to sing their song and I think it’s a really cool song; I’m just going to take it.

But, at the same time, it’s important to me, you know, I love song writing and I love expressing myself in that way and I like being involved that way. I like creating music and I think some of it is pretty strong, so, you know, it’s like a collection of songs that were meant to define what my sound would be coming through the speakers. What it is that my sound is, we’ve tried to hone in on a self-definition of me, sonically.

NGH: What do you think that contestants who have come after you have learned from your journey on the show?

JPL: Gee, I don’t know. I never try to think that somebody is watching my performances, but then again I always forget that they probably have. I guess it’s hard to say. I’ve seen some of my stuff in the past on the show. My kind of shtick. Taylor Hicks came out with my kind of shtick. I don’t think it was because he watched me. I think it was because there was a similar thing he was identifying with. I mean, I’m guessing. I don’t want to flatter myself as far as to think that he was copying me. I think people have maybe learned from me that it is possible to do well with performance-driven songs on American Idol and they don’t have to have a big ballad with a key change in it, or a big note at the end.