Attention Allison Iraheta fans! The wait is over. Embedded below is our very (very, very) special five-part Idolatry interview with the red-headed rocker. Find out (among other things) which two Idol finalists helped Allison with song choice during Motown and Michael Jackson Weeks, how she grappled with mature lyrical content, and why she worried about comparisons to Carrie Underwood and Katharine McPhee. Allison also dishes her "Hot Stuff" song arrangement, her guitar-playing on "Don’t Speak," and the bullet she dodged during Disco Week. (Note: We totally would’ve done 10 parts with 100 more questions, but Allison had to rush back to rehearse for Wednesday’s American Idol finale.) Press play below, and enjoy!
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Comments (1-30) of 193 Add your comment
Allison…you rock! I miss having you around and can’t wait to see what you do on the finale.
I was rooting for you, Adam, and Kris all along, so I can’t complain about the finale, but I know you would have rocked it!
Now get away from all these interviews and start recording your album.
Also, on a side note, if anyone wants to have Kara redeem herself some what, listen to this interview from the LA Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/05/karas-audio.html
I started off as a big fan and slowly started disliking her for playing into the hands of the producers, but you can definitely tell she knows what she is talking about. If only she could translate that to the show, she’d easily be the best judge.
I really liked Allison. She should have made the finale. Her voice will only get better with time.
http://americanidolexposed.wordpress.com/
YAY, FINALLY!!!!!!!
Great job Slezak! Perfect interview with our superstar Allison. I wish it could have been 10 parts.
BTW, there’s something wrong with the time. I’m on the east coast. It says 5:31 EST – IT’S 6:31. Please fix!!!
FINALLY!! Totally worth it!
Totally worth the wait. The Rocker rocks! Michael, maybe you can have her back for 100 more questions when Idol finale’s done. Great interview! Loved getting the info that Kris & Adam helped her. Really nice guys, huh?
I love Allison so much.
And Mike, thanks for posting that link.
I was waiting for this all week. Are you interviewing Danny?!?
Wonderful Interview! But now I want more. But what I really want to know is – what did Allison think of the Save the Rocker Campaign??? Please tell us Michael.
FINALLY!! That was the most amazing thing ever! Thanks Michael for asking some great questions. Allison is the most adorable thing ever! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. I will be buying any music she put out. No contestant has ever made me so excited. Her talent goes well beyond lame Idol. She will be a superstar! And I think she has LOADS of personaliity! Love you Alli!
She has the coolest personality. I can’t help but like her.
Michael, I love your interviews. You can a real feel for the person. I always loved Alison, but I didn’t realise how savy she was. All the thought she put into her song choices is very impressive, especially from a teenager.
Great job, worth the wait.
p.s. Kris helped her with Michael Jackson week….so sweet.
Thank you, Michael!
Love the Rocker!
Thanks M. Slezak and the Idolatry team, it was well worth the wait.
You can tell Allison is an absolute fan of AI knowing all about McPhee and Carrie covers.
These interviews with Allison were great. I loved her during the show but I like her even more now.She’s a simple person who has been put under unbelieveable pressure but she didn’t let it get to her – she just did her best, which was unbelievable, didn’t let the criticism get to her and she got into the top 4. If she were my daughter, that would be all I could ask of her/advise her to do.Thanks for the honest interview Michael. It must have been nice for her to be able to explain/present herself to someone who is actually listening – and Allison, if you read these – we love you!!
Kris knows every song Michael Jackson has ever done.
OMG I LOVE HER!!! I CANT WAIT FOR HER ALBUM!!!!
Finally, I have been waiting for this interview all week, and have been obsessively checking Idolatry to see if it was added. I love Allison, I think she’s great and her and Kris are the only two contestants I can see buying their CDs. I loved her interview sessions, but what I really want to know is what she thought about Save the Rock, Save the Season campaign. Ok, well I’m going to listen to the iTunes duet of “Slow Ride”!
I need a moment……….Words fail me. Well done EW!
Love Allison!!! I hope she’ll get a record deal and do her own stuff on the studio!
The best. I love all of your interviews, but this was the best, she is so good, I swear she will just do so well wherever, she is much better than many rock chics around today, there is a little janis there, Go Allison.
FINALLY! Been checking every day since she was voted off.
Reliving her performances, I absolutely cannot believe the judges didn’t know what to make of her. SHE ***IS*** THE PERFECT PACKAGE ARTIST. Just not a “pop” artist. An artist to follow the footsteps of Janice, Alanis, Fiona, etc. She was completely true to herself throughout the run and I have “no doubt” she’s gonna make ROCKIN’ albums.
I can EASILY see her having a much bigger career than Adam, Kris or Danny. The producers are going to have a much harder time figuring out what kind of album Adam is going to make and how to promote him, than they’d have had with Allison.
Unbelievable that she was voted off 4th.
…..you’re like a love-sick puppy, a kid with a school boy crush. Gazing at her….worshipping….oh brother…
Awwww. I love that girl! Best interview this season, Michael!
i was hoping Allison would discuss her winning the Telemundo Network’s reality show, ‘Quinceañera” in 2007 and how did she compare this experience to Idol
I LOVE THIS AND WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE IT FINALLY GET ADDED, TO SEE IT WAS 5 SEGMENTS, TO GET TO KNOW HER BETTER, I JUST WISH THERE WAS A DISCUSSION TO SEE IF SHE WAS AWARE OF HOW MANY PEOPLE LOVED HER. Great job Michael. Thank you for doing these. I really wish it took a 1/2 hour special with full replays of you both commenting like the extra on dvds……i can’t wait to buy her CD.
Maybe it wasn’t so wrong that she didn’t win…
Allison is incredibly talented and will be undoubtedly popular but that’s what I’m getting from these interviews. She isn’t a fully developed performer yet. Her savvy song choices weren’t actually her own. She seemed to have a lot of help… Her “moments” on the show were choices by Kris and Adam (Adam picked rollin stone AND slow ride) and the producers. She herself picked things like Alone and Don’t Speak and only knew Someone to Watch Over Me from a previous idol performance. I’m glad someone like Adam or Kris who have already come into their own and are even more impressive through hard work have a chance at the title.(Gonna have to proclaim though that I’m rooting for Adam because of the incredible range of vocals, charisma and since even from the TV every performance it’s like he’s looking through me)
That being said though, Allison is wonderful true to herself spirit and I can’t wait to see more of her and her musical growth!
I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT.
That interview was super cool She’s really fun, answering the questions so energetically. I’m a huge fan of hers whether she’s on or off stage.
Man, Allison is just…wow. It’s just unbelievable to me that she was ever called ‘boring’ or ‘had to be likable’ ever on Idol (Simon, you tool). I loved her; she’s a real, chill, genuine, fun, teenage rocker.
One thing I gotta say. The rocker is awesome.