Ask most folks who’ve been to the 2009 American Idols Live tour, and they’ll tell you the big revelation among the season 8 top 10 finalists is fifth-place finisher Matt Giraud. At the tour stops I attended in Newark, NJ, and Albany, NY, Matt’s electrifying performances — vocally and on the keyboards — on “Hard to Handle,” “Georgia on My Mind,” and “You Found Me” left the crowd (even folks like me, who didn’t quite warm up to Matt during his season 8 tenure) on its feet. I caught up with Matt in the latter city to ask him about why he’s playing so loose and funky these days, and to find out about the music he’s been writing for the last couple months at hotel-lobby pianos across the country. Press play below, and enjoy! (And if you missed Mr. Giraud’s hilarious first appearance on Idolatry back in May, don’t miss the link below!)
More Matt Giraud, ‘American Idol’:
Kris Allen dishes his new CD, going country
Megan Joy: Still fighting for independence on the Idol tour
Matt Giraud’s ‘Idolatry’ exit interview
Jason Castro discusses his debut album and his hot new single
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Thanks for another great interview Michael. Hopefully, Matt will be signed soon. He seems like a great guy, and he has a lot of talent.
Michael,
Just a thought: could you please add a tab to your idolatry page to include your post-finale adventures? Could call it Idolatry 2009.5.
I haven’t been to the concert yet (Sept. 8th) but on the CD nobody is better than Matt! I’d buy his CD anyday! His voice is amazing!
Awwww. I LOVE Matt.
This is so endearing to me. So he’s still not close to get signed. Sigh.
It break my heart to watch him say he looks around and all the guys are getting signed and still not him.
Why? Why are record labels so close minded about him? He has tons of potential. IMO he was the next in line to get signed after Kradison. Not Gokey.
The world is a crazy place at times.
Matt keep your head up! Your a good person. Good things will happen to you. Someone should recognize that glorious talent you have sooner or later.
He could do Gavin de Graw type of music so well…
Oh my god.
If Danny gets a record deal before Matt does I will rage across the country.
or be eternally scorned.
Well…get ready.
Yeah…there’s supposed to be an announcement either today or sometime this week about Danny’s record deal.
If it’s any consolation, Matt said on Twitter that he talked to some people, but couldn’t say much. Hopefully something pulls through for him. He reps our home state well and I would love to see him succeed.
matt is amazing. no doubt. but along with him, danny is my favorite. they are both incredible, and they are close friends. im just saying im sure matt doesnt want people ripping gokey for getting signed before matt. but i understand what you’re saying. and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
LOOK AT THAT SMILE!!
haha, but anyway…great interview! that perfect record deal is coming for you, bud!
Matt is so great. I agree that after Kradison he should have been the next signed, he seems the next logical choice to me. I still believe it will happen (there’s no way that NO ONE is interested) I just hope it’s what he wants and he gets to give his fans the type of music we are most anticipating from him.
#signmattgiraud
My fave Idol of all time!! Can’t get enough!
Thanks for this great interview! I LOVE MATT GIRAUD! I always have from day one. Much anticipation for his new music and seeing more of him in his solo tour and TV interviews when he promotes his album. He deserves a GREAT LONG CAREER ahead of him. We need him!
Thanks!It’s always nice to hear a true blue AI fan interview the idols.Slezak and Matt are awesome!I like Matt so the best of luck to him!
It never ceases to amaze me how many people here (including Idolatry personalities) take any opportunity they can to bash Danny. Can we please just save the vitriolic and venomous comments for Kristin Baldwin, who seems to enjoy displaying how personally hateful she can be to someone she doesn’t even know?
How about no vitriol at all? Kristin is a cool lady.
Right, we’ll ask Kristin not to be vitriolic right after we ask fish not to swim.
Danny who?
Matt!! I just love this guy! Signed or not he can NOT disappear after tour.
Matt has the goods. Anyone who doesn’t realize it yet is just tardy for the party…
I just saw Matt in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and he was even more amazing than I thought he would be. If he isn’t signed then the little faith I have left in record labels will be lost. I mean come on they have people like Brittany Spears signed and not someone with Matt’s talent. He seriously is incredible! So talented and so much potential! #signmattgiraud!
I agree–it just amazes me how much more incredible he sounds live. Definitely a highlight of the concert.
On Sept 6th his fans are trending #signmattgiraud again.
So anyone wants to help him please do. He just has to get signed next.
It will really break my heart if he is not.
Yes! #signmattgiraud. Let’s get it to number 1 this time!
I hope Matt gets signed and given a shot. But even if he is not a successful recording artist, anyone can see that music is his life. Matt is going to perform and make music at some level no matter what.
What I don’t like about Matt is the fact that he enjoys mocking Adam’s fans (when he has no where near Adam’s numbers) and behind Adam’s back refers to him as a “Queen”. It is funny because if you put Adam and Matt side by side, Matt is the one that looks on the feminine side. I just think he has some jealous feelings going on and he hides them with what he thinks is a comic act.
DO YOU EVEN GO HERE?
…TRAGICALLY CONFUSED, GLAMBERT.
GO BACK TO ONTD_AI. THIS IS NOT THE MATT GIRAUD FAN GROUP!!!
Matt always comes across as jealous. Scorned!Matt, indeed. He would be lucky to have one tenth of the success as JT, and should be happy for the comparison. “
Oh good Lord…seriously…some of you haters need to get a life….you don’t even have a clue.
I’ve honestly never seen him as jealous at all. As a matter of fact, all of the contestants seem grateful and proud of one another.
He is not putting down JT. He is (correctly) noting that he is not like JT. It would be worst that, because of the comparissons, he starts acting/singing/dancing like JT. It would be a disaster.
Any success starts with knowing who you are and what you do best, and Matt clearly recognizes his strengths. Lets hope these strengths bring him commercial success.
Are you joking? If you knew anything about the contestants, you’d know that they have that kind of joking relationship. Matt is not the only one to call him a “Queen.” They’ve all been there together on bubble tweets with contestants saying that. Adam even says that he doesn’t consider it an insult. A lot of people mock Adam’s fans because of the way some of them act, not because they’re jealous. The competition is over and the hating needs to cease. They’re friends, and I don’t know why people can’t accept that and accept the fact that Adam doesn’t have a stick up his butt like some of the people around here: he actually gets a joke. This may not be a fan group, but you shouldn’t go on an article about someone you don’t like, just to bash them…that goes for anyone, not just Matt. That’s like me hanging around on a Beyonce article just so I can have my disapproval be known. It’s somewhat pathetic.
I agree – I saw the bubbletweet, and it was clearly just a joke from the guys. Adam has stated that Matt is one of his good friends in the group, and I think Adam has enough of a sense of humor and thick skin to be ok with the jokes.
Haters gon Hate…