Career at stake, Blake Lewis jumps into driver’s seat – American Idol Season 6

“American Idol” season six runner-up Blake Lewis is seeming more like an “Idol” winner every day. Or at least he’s got a lot in common with winners-turned-losers Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard.

After his debut album, “Audio Day Dream,” started at No. 10 only to fall fast from the charts, Lewis became the latest “Idol” alum cut loose from Arista. And now “Idol”-associated 19 Management is also putting Lewis out to pasture – but not before a quick tour that brings him to Great Scott tomorrow.

But don’t cry for the dude who beatboxed his way into our hearts. Lewis, 27, isn’t giving up. The silver medalist (who lost out to Jordin Sparks) called from his Washington state home to talk about his past and – fingers crossed – future.

Herald: Without a label, was this tour a scramble to put together?

Lewis: It’s been a little bit of scramble. This tour should have happened in January, February or March. I did a radio promotion tour by myself then and I could have been playing every night. There’s a lot of stuff that’s happened that has not happened with the label I was with.

Why didn’t Arista get behind the record?

They were at first. But a lot of the people who were got fired because of the industry’s troubles. The people that stepped in didn’t call me or e-mail me for like two months. So I waited and waited and waited, while I could have stepped up and toured. (Laughs) It’s kinda nice to have a label’s support when you’re on a label.

So what have you been doing while you’ve been waiting around?

A lot. I’m producing a record, “Orchestral Drive-By.” It (sounds like) Massive Attack and Zero 7 meets (crunk hip-hop group) the Glitch Mob.

Wow, that sounds nothing like typical “American Idol” pop.

Yeah, electronica’s my first love so my next record will be more glitchy and more moody. But it will still have the pop qualities I love.

If you had to do “Audio Day Dream” over again, would you have made it edgier?

I’m the first person off that show to do a record that he really wanted to do and had a big part in it. But not all my ideas came to fruition on it. I didn’t know what having (record-industry honcho) Clive Davis behind something would be like. I didn’t know if he was behind the project or just blowing smoke up my (rear). I didn’t want him to be my executive producer; I wanted a musician, not a business man. So that was frustrating. It was all “hurry up, hurry up, and get this out to the ‘American Idol’ fan train,” but I would have rather spent more time on it.

Did they push you to do a lot of those big “Idol” ballads?

Yeah, and I’m not a balladeer. I’m more of a dance artist and electronic artist. I also would have liked to produce more of it because I’m as much of a producer as a performer.

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Career at stake, Blake Lewis jumps into driver’s seat – BostonHerald.com