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By
Krista

Interview with Curtis Finch, Jr. of "American
Idol" on FOX 3/15/13
Final Transcript
FBC PUBLICITY: American Idol Eliminated Contestant Call
March 15, 2013/2:00 p.m. PDT
SPEAKERS
Jennifer Reed - BWR Public Relations
Curtis Finch Jr.
PRESENTATION
Moderator: Thank you for standing by, and welcome to the
American Idol interview call with Curtis. (Instructions
given.) As a reminder this conference is being recorded.
I’ll now turn the conference over to Jennifer Reed for
opening remarks. Please go ahead.
J. Reed: Hello, everybody. Thanks so much for joining us
today for the American Idol Eliminated conference call with
Curtis. As a reminder, he’s here to talk about his
experience on American Idol and his plans moving forward. As
always, if we feel anyone is harping on any one subject, we
do reserve the right to jump in and move the call along. So
with that being said, Paul, let’s take the first question.
Moderator: The first question is from Jamie Ruby with
SciFiVision.com. Please go ahead.
J. Ruby: Hello, Curtis. Thanks so much for talking to us
today.
C. Finch: Thanks for having me. How are you?
J. Ruby: Good, you?
C. Finch: I’m great, I’m great.
J. Ruby: Great. So what kind of album do you see yourself
making?
C. Finch: I see myself being a very inspirational type singer
just talking about love, just talking about how you can
overcome and how you can make it, and so I don’t really know
what it entails at this moment, but I just know that I
really live to inspire everybody across America.
J. Ruby: Great. I’m curious, if you got to sing with one
singer, who would it be, who would you choose?
C. Finch: It would definitely be Marvin Gaye, because I think
he’s an incredible singer if I had the chance to do that.
J. Ruby: Okay, great. Thank you so much.
C. Finch: Thank you.
Moderator: We have a question is from Nahal Mottaghian with
USA Today. Please go ahead.
N. Mottaghian: Hello, Curtis. How are you?
C. Finch: Hello, great. How are you?
N. Mottaghian: I’m good. I was just wondering did you
actually regret your song choice or are you happy with the
decision you made to sing “I Believe”?
C. Finch: Yes, I don’t regret anything any decision I made on
the show, because American Idol has been so influential in
my life and so every choice I made, I don’t just make these
decisions on a whim. I always say to myself if I can commit
myself totally to the song and the lyrics, then I’m going to
commit to it, so I don’t regret a thing.
N. Mottaghian: And what were your plans for next week?
C. Finch: Really the same as every week, to really give it my
all and do the best that I could, but America didn’t see it
that way, and so here I am.
N. Mottaghian: Thank you.
Moderator: You have a question from Russell Weakland with
HollywoodLife.com.
R. Weakland: Hello, Curtis.
C. Finch: Hello, how are you?
R. Weakland: Great. Nicki Minaj was such a big supporter for
you, but she wasn’t there for your performance. Do you think
that may have affected your votes that she couldn’t critique
you and reach out to her barbs to vote for you?
C. Finch: Absolutely not, because Nicki Minaj is not the only
judge on the panel, and so at the end of the day if I get
done singing and no judges have no responses, it’s still
left up to America to use the phone or use the American Idol
app or go online and vote for me, and so I think things were
really inevitable and so you really can’t change yesterday.
You could really just focus on tomorrow and make sure that
everything is in line for my future as it pertains to my
career.
R. Weakland: Fantastic. Continued success.
C. Finch: Thank you so much.
Moderator: A question from Michael Weinfeld with Associated
Press Broadcast. Please go ahead.
M. Weinfeld: Hello, Curtis.
C. Finch: Hello.
M. Weinfeld: Hey, is there any embarrassment of being the
first one to be sent home?
C. Finch: Absolutely not, I really feel like if I was going
to get eliminated, there’s no embarrassment in getting cut
tenth or fifth; it really just is what it is. I mean I get a
chance to tour with these guys. I get a chance to travel the
world and grow as an artist with these guys and so no
embarrassment, all gratefulness.
M. Weinfeld: And when you were singing for the save, did you
really think there was much chance that you’d get the save
considering they only get one shot and this was the first
week?
C. Finch: You never know with American Idol, some things work
in your favor and some things don’t, and so they didn’t
choose to use the save on me, but I’m sure whoever they
choose to use it on, since everybody left is extremely
talented, it’ll be well deserved.
M. Weinfeld: Okay, Curtis. Thanks.
C. Finch: Thank you.
Moderator: A question from Reg Seeton with The DeadBolt.com.
R. Seeton: Hello, Curtis. Thanks for taking the time today.
C. Finch: Oh, no problem. Thanks for having me.
R. Seeton: How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since
first auditioning for the show?
C. Finch: I feel like I’ve grown so much because really you
have to sing for this show, be it for live recordings or
dress rehearsals for the show daily, you know in and out and
so I’ve had to be vocally prepared for that. I had to rest
up at night as much as I can and I had to really prepare.
And so I feel like there’s so many things I know now that I
didn’t know at first, so I feel like I’ve overcome.
R. Seeton: Great. How did you feel about Nicki’s reaction
when she said she’d leave the show if you went home?
C. Finch: It made me feel good, because really I sing from my
heart and I really felt like I’ve touched Nicki’s heart in
such a way that she didn’t want to see me leave.
R. Seeton: Well, that’s great. Good luck in the future.
C. Finch: Thank you, man.
Moderator: A question from Mark Stone with Vista Radio.
M. Stone: Hey, Chris. How’s it going?
C. Finch: I’m great. How are you, man?
M. Stone: I’m doing really well. Sorry to see you go. That
really sucked.
C. Finch: Oh, it’s all good.
M. Stone: So I was wondering what was going through your mind
when you found out that the results would be ranked? Like
did it make it make it more nerve wracking for everyone?
C. Finch: Oh, not at all. I always really expect the worse,
so I won’t be surprised, because you know when the cameras
are on you, you really can’t go back and redo any facial
expressions or anything that you may want to say or do; so I
was prepared either way to make it through or to have to go
home, and so here we are.
M. Stone: Okay, and a follow-up. I’d read there’s a buzz
online from your fans saying that they’re going to stop
watching the show and it’s kind of crazy. What do you say to
them to make sure they keep tuning in?
C. Finch: I really want everybody that has been supporting me
to keep supporting my friends, because I’m talented, I know
that, but at the same time there are nine talents that are
still left that are incredibly talented. I want them to call
and vote for them as well, because these guys deserve to
be—every single one of them—the next American Idol.
M. Stone: Awesome. Thanks so much for your time.
C. Finch: Thank you, man.
M. Stone: Thanks.
Moderator: We have a question from Michele Angermiller with
Hollywood Reporter. Please go ahead.
M. Angermiller: Hello, Curtis. How are you?
C. Finch: I’m blessed. How are you?
M. Angermiller: I’m good. Sorry to see you go, I enjoyed you.
I have a question. I don’t know if this was asked or asked
already. I just came in on the call, but how do you feel
about Nicki missing your performance on Wednesday night? Do
you think that maybe her presence there would have maybe
helped you along?
C. Finch: Absolutely not. I mean if Nicki wasn’t there or if
she was there, I really feel like things happen for a
reason. And so if she was there, if she was supposed to be
here, she would have been there.
M. Angermiller: Were you bummed that she missed your
performance, though, because she was a big supporter of
yours?
C. Finch: When I got offstage, she was the first person, the
first face I saw and so she gave me a high five and told me
I did a good job and so that was very warming for me because
I always look for the great support from all four judges,
and so it was good to see her face.
M. Angermiller: Now do you think next week would you have
done like a more upbeat song or do you know what you had in
store for next week had you still been in the competition?
C. Finch: Absolutely. You know, you never know. It’s always
about what I embody as an artist that I really want to give
to the crowd, and so if it’s an upbeat song, then fine. If
it’s a slow mid-tempo song, then I mean it really just
depends on what the theme would be and what it is that I
really feel like I can deliver the best to the audience.
M. Angermiller: Well, there’s so many possibilities for you
and what you can do with your career now. Do you want to go
in a gospel direction? Do you want to go Christian
direction, an R&B direction? What’s your plan, Curtis?
C. Finch: I want to go in a love direction because I really
feel like God is love and so as long as I’m not singing
anything provocative or anything that can offend anyone
across the world, then I would be doing things that make
people feel better about their day. What I love about music
is that people just want to feel things a certain way, and
you really don’t have to be offensive to do so.
Moderator: (Instructions given.) We’ll go to the line of
Jamie Ruby with SciFiVision.com.
J. Ruby: So what was it about Idol specifically that appealed
to you rather than another competition? Did you audition for
anything else?
C. Finch: No, absolutely not. American Idol is the show of
all shows. It searches around the world for talent all
across the world and so people really get a chance to be
discovered. And so without American Idol, there would not be
The Sing-Off or The Voice or these other shows that people
in my opinion you know, there always has to be an example of
something. There always has to be a soundboard for somebody
to learn something off of and so American Idol is that. It’s
the original. It’s the best, the number one show. I love it.
J. Ruby: Great. What was kind of first running through your
head the first time that you sang in front of the huge
audience?
C. Finch: I really want to make them smile, because I really
feel like I just exude joy; and so I really want everybody
that hears me sing to feel happy, because there are so many
things going on in the world to frown about. To hear a gift,
nothing that I’ve given myself, but something I feel like
God has given me, be used in such a way to put a smile on
people’s face is the best feeling in the world.
Moderator: We have a question from Beth Kwiatkowski from
Reality TV World. Please go ahead.
B. Kwiatkowski: Hello, Curtis. How are you doing?
C. Finch: I’m great; how are you?
B. Kwiatkowski: Good. You’ve obviously gotten a ton of praise
from the judges during the performance show on Wednesday;
and it seemed like the judges were both shocked and
surprised that you finished in last place. I guess were you
also a little bit shocked about your elimination, because it
would certainly seem understandable if you were?
C. Finch: Not at all, I always learned to expect the worst,
so that if the worst does happen, I don’t look surprised,
because people are always watching. People are always
watching how you handle things. And so it’s always my
responsibility whether things work in my favor or not to
remain calm and to know that I have to set the best example
when eyes are on me.
B. Kwiatkowski: Okay. I know you said earlier that you
thought there was a chance they could use the judge’s save,
but obviously you weren’t anticipating it or expecting it or
anything like that, but I guess how much of you was thinking
that you had a shot to get it? And also did you ever find
out which judges voted no on it, because Nicki was the one
who definitely who seemed on board with keeping you around?
C. Finch: I really don’t try to harp on or think about who
said no, because that was something done in the past and I
can’t go back and change it; and anybody that’s upset about
it can’t go back and change it. I just really look towards
the future and really just strive to be the best that I can
be where I am now.
Moderator: A question from Noelle Beauregard. Please go
ahead.
N. Beauregard: Hello. You and Candice are close, right?
C. Finch: Yes, absolutely.
N. Beauregard: Yes, you tried out last season and this season
you made it to the top ten together. What was it like to
have a close friend by your side as you climbed to the top?
C. Finch: It was amazing because I know the struggle of no. I
know the pain of no, and so to feel the joy of yes, it feels
epic.
Moderator: A question from Andrea Dresdale with ABC News
Radio. Please go ahead.
A. Dresdale: Hey, Curtis, I know that you and Mariah have a
special connection and she has tweeted you some very nice
things since you left the show.
C. Finch: Yes, she has.
A. Dresdale: Yes, so I just want to know when you came off
stage after the show, after your elimination, did she talk
to you, did she give you some support, give you some advice,
tell you how sad she was that you left?
C. Finch: Absolutely, she always gives me great feedback and
so she really didn’t say anything different than she had
been saying since I’ve been on the show. You know, to keep
my head up, remain consistent and remain 100% authentic.
A. Dresdale: And a follow-up, who would you like to go on the
tour with, Charlie or Aubrey, who are you rooting for there?
C. Finch: Either one. I really wish they could bring every
contestant that sang for Idol this season back because this
season was filled with extremely amazing talent and so it
doesn’t matter to me. They’re both awesome. I hope they both
can come back, actually.
Moderator: A question from Bill Pinella with San Diego UT.
Please go ahead.
B. Pinella: Hello, Curtis. How are you doing?
C. Finch: I’m fantastic. How are you?
B. Pinella: I’m fine. In your opinion, how were the judges
this year, you think they were critical enough to you and
you wish they might have been a little more so that might
have helped you?
C. Finch: Say that again.
B. Pinella: Do you think the judges were critical enough of
you, and if not, do you wish they would have been more so
and that might have helped you out?
C. Finch: The judges always talk with so much passion and so
however they feel about a contestant, be it in good light or
a bad light, they’re going to say it; and so there’s this
thing that exists called favor, and I really feel like that
I have been favored in this competition. It’s nothing that I
did on my own. I really feel like it’s God and so the fact
that I brought consistency every time I sang and I gave it
my all, I think the judges recognized that.
B. Pinella: And a follow-up question, to put your Idol
journey in some sort of perspective, what were you doing
this time last year around Easter?
C. Finch: Getting ready for a concert at my church.
Moderator: The next question is from Lori Bizzoco with
CupidsPulse.com.
L. Bizzoco: Hello, Curtis. How are you?
C. Finch: I’m great, Love, how are you?
L. Bizzoco: Good, good. We really, really enjoyed you and
you’re definitely going to be missed. My question was I
think pretty much asked, but within reference to Mariah, she
really seemed to have a very strong connection with you. Can
you elaborate on that, I mean, what do you think that was
all about?
C. Finch: What you see on television is basically what you
get. I mean she’s been supportive of me, both privately and
publicly. She said I made her cry and that there was moments
that I sang that she really needed that in her life, and so
she really didn’t say anything in private that she hadn’t
already said publicly.
L. Bizzoco: Excellent. What do you have in store for the
future, like what are your thoughts? I know maybe you’re not
thinking that far ahead, but we’d love to hear what you’re
thinking about in terms of next steps.
C. Finch: Oh, I’m always thinking that far ahead. I’m always
looking to see what my next step will be. Well, first of all
the summer tour is coming up with the other Idols and so I’m
very elated about that because I get to grow as an artist
with them. I get to cry; I get to laugh. I get to act goofy;
I get to hang out with the other nine contestants and so I’m
having a blast and so I’m definitely looking forward to
that. I would love to sit down in a studio and work with the
Alicia Keys, R. Kelly maybe go on Glee one time and do some
acting, maybe Broadway. Really the sky is the limit. There
are no limits when it comes to what I feel like I’ve been
gifted to do and so we shall see. Tune in, guys.
Moderator: We have a question from Jamie Ruby with
SciFiVision.com.
J. Ruby: Besides Candice, who else have you been close to?
C. Finch: Burnell, Devin, Kree, Angie, really you can pick
one, because really I thought when I was leaving St. Louis
that I was leaving my family. I didn’t know that God would
give me another one once I got here; and so we’ve just
become so close and so kind hearted towards each other
because not only do they possess such huge gifts as it
pertains to vocal ability, but they are very charismatic and
very loving and adorable people. I love being around them.
Moderator: We have a question from Beth Kwiatkowski with
Reality TV World. Please go ahead.
B. Kwiatkowski: Hey, Curtis. Everybody has been proclaiming
this season the girls to lose. Do you think that kind of
naturally puts the men at a disadvantage a little bit
voting-wise?
C. Finch: Absolutely not, the talent that has been found and
put in the top ten, it’s very amazing; and so America is
going to have a huge task ahead of them, because everybody
there are vocal beasts.
B. Kwiatkowski: Okay, it definitely sounds like you think
they guys are capable of maybe beating the women, is that
right?
C. Finch: Absolutely … yes.
B. Kwiatkowski: So which ones in particular?
C. Finch: All of them, really you could pick one because
everybody has something that they bring different to the
table and when they do that effectively, it goes through the
TV and the voters pick up the phone. And they vote or they
go on the app and they vote, or they go on AmericanIdol.com
and they vote. And so these contestants are very infectious
because their gifts come straight from their heart and it
reaches the heart of American people all over the world.
Moderator: (Instructions given.) We’ll go back to the line of
Beth Kwiatkowski with Reality World TV. Please go ahead.
B. Kwiatkowski: Hello, Curtis. Just a couple last quick ones.
It obviously definitely sounds like you don’t like to harp
on the negatives, and that’s completely understandable, so I
guess I want to kind of twist something around that I said
earlier. Did you have any idea of who voted yes for you to
get saved? … I guess?
C. Finch: I think it’s pretty obvious that Nicki said yes,
and so you know I really don’t know. I was focusing on
singing my heart out at that moment and so whoever was
saying yes and no really didn’t matter because I really feel
like the fans said yes. And as long they said yes, then my
heart is happy.
B. Kwiatkowski: Sure. Last night Jimmy Iovine had said that
he assumed you wouldn’t make it past eighth place or so if
you continued on the same song choice path, so I guess had
you survived another week, would you have taken his advice
into account and maybe changed things up a little bit or you
know love and the inspiration songs and stuff.
C. Finch: I guess we would never know.
Moderator: We have a question from Kendra Smith with
Entertainment World.
K. Smith: Hello, Curtis, this is Kendra. How are you?
C. Finch: I’m blessed. How are you?
K. Smith: Good, I just had one question. The judges were
really kept saying how your performance wasn’t as strong as
it was in the previous weeks. Do you agree with that or do
you feel like you definitely did give your 100% last night?
C. Finch: I always give 100%. Now how that’s perceived by the
judges, that’s left up to their interpretation. I wouldn’t
be on American Idol if I wasn’t going to give it my all
anyway.
K. Smith: Okay. Who were your biggest influences growing up
as a child?
C. Finch: Oh, definitely my parents, and I’m a huge family
guy and so they really trained me up really to be an awesome
young man and I still look up to them to this day.
Moderator: A question from Jamie Ruby with SciFiVision.com.
J. Ruby: Out of the whole time on American Idol, what was
your one favorite moment if you can pick one?
C. Finch: Oh my goodness, probably the time I got a chance to
sing “I Believe I Can Fly” because I just remember the
energy from the audience was amazing and to open my eyes and
to see the judges standing on their feet, it was felt like I
was standing in the room full of believers, knowing that
they can do anything once they set their minds to it.
J. Ruby: Okay, great. Thanks and good luck.
C. Finch: Thank you.
Moderator: We have a question from Andrea Dresdale with ABC
New Radio. Please go ahead.
A. Dresdale: Hello, Curtis. During the competition what do
you think the best piece of advice you got from any of the
judges or Jimmy was that you really took to heart and you
used it to advance in the competition?
C. Finch: After “Superstar,” Randy asked me how old I was and
I said 25 and he was like that’s good. He was like I think
you can sing anything and so I want to make sure that you
understand that you should keep it young. And so that’s why
I tried to kind of change up my dressing style, you know
what you would see, you know a nice jacket, but some jeans
just to be relevant to America.
A. Dresdale: And also I remember in your package you said you
came to American Idol because you wanted to do well. Did you
have the crown in your sights or did you think, well you
know if I can do well enough to get into the top ten, or did
you really feel like you were going for the win while you
were on the show?
C. Finch: I’ve always felt like that I had to sing looking
towards the end. Even during my Chicago audition I was
thinking about the finale, because that’s how hard you have
to work in order to be successful. I can’t ever just go
through the motions really if I want to do my best and so my
mindset was definitely thinking about the confetti coming
down and the crown being on my head.
J. Reed: So with that, I think we’re going to end the call
and I just want to thank everybody for joining today. As a
reminder, American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays on
FOX, and all our photos can be found on FoxFlash.com.
At this time I’m going to turn back the call over to Curtis
for some final remarks, and then Paul will provide replay
instructions. Curtis.
C. Finch: I really want to thank everybody, one for your time
and for your support, and thank you for believing in me so
much so that you all put me in the top ten. And remember you
guys can always follow me on Twitter, @CurtisAI12, and
remember to pick up my last performance, “I Believe” on
iTunes. It turned out very great and so I will love all your
support. Thank you and God bless you all.
J. Reed: Thanks, everybody. Paul, you can give replay
instructions and then everyone can disconnect. Have a good
afternoon.
Moderator: Ladies and gentlemen, this conference will be
available for replay after 2:30 p.m. PT today through
midnight PT on March 20th. That does conclude our conference
for today. Thank you for your participation and for using
AT&T Executive TeleConference. You may now disconnect.
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