NEW YORK (Billboard) - Chris Daughtry sounded a bit bleary the day after the recent American Music Awards, and for good reason. "Oh, yeah, we all celebrated," he promised, still basking in the glow of three AMA wins for his namesake band.
They had plenty to rejoice about. After the singers fourth-place finish on the fifth season of "American Idol," Daughtrys self-titled RCA debut became the fastest-selling rock debut album in Nielsen SoundScan history -- and its 2.287 million copies made it the top-selling album by an artist in 2007. "Daughtry" topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks and the Top Rock Albums chart for 14. It has spawned six singles so far and is up for four Grammy Awards, including rock album and best rock song for "Its Not Over."
All of this has made the 13 months since the albums release the proverbial whirlwind, and the title of the hit "Its Not Over" certainly rings true as Daughtry prepares to hit the road in 2008 with Bon Jovi. Suffice to say that hes had no second thoughts about turning down that offer to join the rock band Fuel as lead singer.
Q: Whats your take on the success Daughtry had in 2007?
Daughtry: Its a little bit of a shock. Were still a very new band to the industry, so every time we go to these events we kind of feel like the freshmen in high school, not really affiliated with the big, successful artists. And now we feel like weve graduated a little bit. We were certainly new to the industry, but getting recognized for your hard work is a pretty big deal. Its cool that people recognize us for what we do, and it makes us feel good.
Q: Any thoughts about why everything took off for you?
Daughtry: Im really not sure, to be honest with you. The only thing I can really attribute it to is the fan base. Theyre certainly very diehard and loyal to us, and theyve continued to buy our record. Theyve continued to come to our shows. It doesnt matter how good you are as a band or how good your music may be; if the fans arent supporting it and buying your music, its hard to make it. So theyre the ones that are making it for us.
Q: What is it about you they like so much?
Daughtry: I guess they see us as regular dudes. Were just normal guys who are doing what weve always wanted to do and what we love to do. These are five guys who worked hard to get where they are. And theyre not letting it to go their heads.
Q: Does the world know Daughtry is a band as opposed to Chris Daughtrys band?
Daughtry: I think the majority of the people get it. Obviously our fans totally get it and know its not a one-man show, and I think everybody else is catching on. Weve tried to make sure that its known that its not just me. Ive never been a solo artist. When the band doesnt get the credit that they deserve, it kind of bums me out a little bit. Theyre working just as hard as I am, if not more, up there. I think people get it.
Q: Do you feel at this point that everything -- you, the band, the album -- has graduated from the "American Idol" world and taken on a life of its own?
Daughtry: Absolutely, 100 percent. On ("American Idol"), I wasnt able to do fully what Im capable of; that was just, to me, a way of showing my voice off. This is a totally different thing. This is who we are -- were musicians, we write our music, and its a totally different ballgame.
Q: Whats your perspective on "American Idol" at this point?
Daughtry: It changes from year to year. I dont have a solid opinion on it. I think its a great tool for people to use. I mean, its all about taking the opportunities that are in front of you and making the best of them and using them to your advantage.
I dont think its cheesy one bit. I think its cheesy if youre going to go on there and use gimmicks and not be yourself. But if youre going to go on there and youre going to be yourself and you think you have what it takes, I think its a great opportunity to show that to the world. So I think the people that go on there have to take it seriously.
People see right through that stuff; the public arent idiots. Theyre going to recognize something real when they see it. I think thats part of what happened with us.
Q: Would Daughtry have gotten a deal if you hadnt done "Idol?"
Daughtry: Well, I definitely think it accelerated it. I wasnt getting any of that exposure in North Carolina. Being that I had a family, financially we couldnt go out and tour and get our names out there. So we had to basically play the same old clubs over and over, and for mostly the same people. When you do that, you just dont get the exposure and the buzz that you need to make a name for yourself and get the attention. So I felt that was my only option at the time, to take a TV show like that and just get myself out there.
Q: At the time the album came out, were you apprehensive about whether the fans youd won on "Idol" would stick with this rock n roll band?
Daughtry: Well, I wasnt really as worried about that as I was about everybody taking it seriously. Normally when you get fans from a show like that, theyre pretty loyal to you -- but you still have to put the work in to make sure you put out the best thing you can. It was everything else we were worried about. "Is rock radio going to take us seriously? Are we going to be taken seriously as a band in general, for our songwriting and who we are?" We have been, and thats a really cool thing for us.
Q: What have been some of the major touchstones of the year for you?
Daughtry: Well, (the AMAs) were definitely a big one for us. And getting the Bon Jovi tour is definitely another staple; you have a very well-respected band thats been around for as long as I can remember, and they respect us as a band and take us seriously. When you have people like that and Nickelback and all these other bands that are in the same class, so to speak, taking you seriously for what you do, it kind of validates what were doing.
Q: Whats the plan for the next Daughtry album?
Daughtry: I cant really say at this point. Its a little early to tell. Were doing some writing when we have the opportunity, and were going to be working on getting it out some time hopefully next year -- when we get it right.
Reuters/Billboard
