Season 13 Winner Caleb Johnson says he Had No Record Label Support after Winning - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 07-06-2022, 06:11 PM

"American Idol" Winner Caleb Johnson Calls First Single "Utter Crap", Alleges he Received no Record Label Support
by Justine Browning
July 5, 2022

"American Idol" has been a star-making vehicle for the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, and even attempted political figure Clay Aiken.

Others have not been so lucky. For every Chris Daltry, there are five Trent Harmon during the show's 20 season run.

Now, one of those forgotten performers from the competition is speaking out about his struggle to get his music career off the ground after concluding his run on the long-running series.

Season 13 winner Caleb Johnson has revealed that the song the show's producers gave him to sing upon claiming his victory was "a cheesy piece of crap" and he felt unsupported by his label Interscope Records.

The track, "As Long as You Love Me," written by Justin Hawkins, frontman of the British rock band, The Darkness, still haunts Johnson.

"I knew that, by de facto, if you won you had to sing the song, and the song was just utter crap," Johnson told Insider. "Like, it was just the worst song ever."

Johnson even complained to the team behind the show and record company at the time of his win in 2014, but claims his lack of love for the uptempo pop/rock tune was ignored.

"I pitched a fit about it to the management company and all this stuff," he added. "And they were like, look at this as kind of a graduation present or something."

The tune also proved to be a "nightmare" to perform live on his subsequent tour with his fellow contestants, so much so that it was scrapped from the lineup.

"We did at the beginning, but they switched it. They switched it about halfway because it just wasn't working," he said. "It was not working, and it was a nightmare."

The 31-year-old also has harsh words for the team tasked with marketing his album putting "absolutely no support behind the record."

"The label wouldn't release the single, there was no single that came out after the record was done. There was no music video. There was nothing," he added.

Looking back on it now, he says he's "really bummed" he even won the show. Unsurprisingly, he is no longer an artist at Interscope and has formed the group Caleb Johnson and the Ramblin' Saints.

Their debut album, Born from Southern Ground, was released in 2019.

https://ew.com/music/american-idol-w...le-utter-crap/

07-06-2022, 06:11 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,136	Season 13 Winner Caleb Johnson says he Had No Record Label Support after Winning *"American Idol" Winner Caleb Johnson Calls First Single "Utter Crap", Alleges he Received no Record Label Support* by Justine Browning July 5, 2022 "American Idol" has been a star-making vehicle for the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, and even attempted political figure Clay Aiken. Others have not been so lucky. For every Chris Daltry, there are five Trent Harmon during the show's 20 season run. Now, one of those forgotten performers from the competition is speaking out about his struggle to get his music career off the ground after concluding his run on the long-running series. Season 13 winner Caleb Johnson has revealed that the song the show's producers gave him to sing upon claiming his victory was "a cheesy piece of crap" and he felt unsupported by his label Interscope Records. The track, "As Long as You Love Me," written by Justin Hawkins, frontman of the British rock band, The Darkness, still haunts Johnson. "I knew that, by de facto, if you won you had to sing the song, and the song was just utter crap," Johnson told Insider. "Like, it was just the worst song ever." Johnson even complained to the team behind the show and record company at the time of his win in 2014, but claims his lack of love for the uptempo pop/rock tune was ignored. "I pitched a fit about it to the management company and all this stuff," he added. "And they were like, look at this as kind of a graduation present or something." The tune also proved to be a "nightmare" to perform live on his subsequent tour with his fellow contestants, so much so that it was scrapped from the lineup. "We did at the beginning, but they switched it. They switched it about halfway because it just wasn't working," he said. "It was not working, and it was a nightmare." The 31-year-old also has harsh words for the team tasked with marketing his album putting "absolutely no support behind the record." "The label wouldn't release the single, there was no single that came out after the record was done. There was no music video. There was nothing," he added. Looking back on it now, he says he's "really bummed" he even won the show. Unsurprisingly, he is no longer an artist at Interscope and has formed the group Caleb Johnson and the Ramblin' Saints. Their debut album, Born from Southern Ground, was released in 2019. https://ew.com/music/american-idol-w...le-utter-crap/ Attached Images