American Idol winner and runnerup, Maddie Poppe and Caleb Lee Hutchinson sat down for a fun and informative interview with Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo music, and it could not have been more adorable.
The Top 2 who are also a romantic couple discussed the upcoming American Idol Live tour with the Top 7 and season 8 winner Kris Allen (unfortunately, no spoilers yet!).
Maddie also talked about her upcoming album. She has already begun recording, but hasn’t had time to write. She namechecked a few folks who have pitched her songs.
Both Maddie and Caleb were no chair turns that aired on The Voice. Caleb appeared on season 9, Maddie on season 10. As far as how things turned out, Maddie is glad The Voice didn’t work out. She is very candid in the interview about how Idol gave her artistic freedom that The Voice did not.
Check out a few highlights below and watch the full interview.
- As far as the American Idol Live setlist is concerned Caleb spilled nothing, “We’re going to have some surprise stuff. There’s still a lot that’s still in the works. You might see some cool duets.”
- Maddie says she’d love to sing “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros as a duet with Caleb, but it’s not his style of music. “He wants to do some old country song,” she said.
- The Top 7 haven’t met Kris Allen yet, but he did DM all of them after the tour was announced. “I feel like we’re already best pals!” said Caleb.
- Maddie has been in the studio recording for her next album. She already has an acoustic version of her coronation single “Going Going Gone” in the can. She added mysteriously, “There’s a new song that I think I’m going to be dropping during the tour.” She’s not sure if the song will be part of the Idol Live set list. She describes it: “It’s wild and different and I love it.”
- Maddie can’t wait to write her own stuff but admits that she’s being pitched songs that are “so well written” she’s a little insecure about her own writing. Maddie would like to co-write with Caleb, but she’s never co-written with anybody before. “I feel like it’s going to be so weird…I don’t know how that works!”
- Songwriters who have pitched her songs: Nate Ruess (fun), Christina Perri, Julia Michaels, and more.
- Maddie would have liked to sing for Simon Cowell because she wanted constructive criticism from the judges. She noted that she didn’t really get it. “…when they would say we were ‘amazing’ to all 12 of us I was like ‘what was really amazing? Was I really that good or are you just saying that?'” Caleb felt the judges actually criticized him, but he was OK with that.
- Maddie is happy that she didn’t get a chair turn on The Voice. “I wasn’t who I wanted to be.” As far as which show is better for artists? Maddie couldn’t believe how much freedom Idol gave the contestants. The Voice “didn’t give me much freedom at all,” she said. She kept waiting for Idol to start picking her songs, decide on her hair and makeup, or give her lines to read. (like The Voice did). “It was so real,” she said of her experience on Idol. “It’s the reason [American Idol] has created so many stars.”
- While Bobby Bones’ advice during his mentoring sessions with American Idol contestants during the show came off as weak sauce self-help cliches, Caleb insists that Bobby gives “real advice” and that he “doesn’t care if it sounds nice…he’s real with you.”
- Caleb has excellent taste in country music. His dream collaborators are Americana greats such as Jason Isobel, Jamie Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, John Prine.
- Maddie plans to move away from her home state Iowa, but isn’t sure where she will settle after the tour. Nashville maybe.
- Maddie’s favorite American Idol alums: Brooke White, Taylor Hicks and Haley Reinhart. Caleb was really inspired by Bo Bice. He met him at 13 and couldn’t have been nicer.
Watch the full interview below (there are some technical issues–but it’s still worth watching).
