Matt Mlive Interview

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/09/matt_giraud_is_hoping_to_strik.html

Quote :

Giraud finished fifth in the eighth season of Fox's hit TV show and is one of 10 finalists on the "American Idol Live" tour, which stops at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids Sunday. During a phone interview from Chicago, Giraud said the top item on his agenda once the tour wraps Sept. 15 is to get into the studio and start making a demo.

This final stretch is a golden opportunity for Giraud to capitalize on the spotlight before the bright lights of the Fox and "American Idol" machines dim. After all, there is a long list of finalists -- some of whom finished higher than Giraud -- whose career never materialized after the show.

"The next couple of weeks are more important than the rest of the tour has been," Giraud said. "I keep in mind some people do this and you never hear from them again. My goal is to keep going.

"It's really important to be confident and show what kind of artist I'd be and kind of convert people."

If there's a platform to do it, it's this tour. As of last week, it's the 14th-highest-grossing tour of groups touring now, pulling in $650,519 per show, according to Pollstar, topping Taylor Swift, Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd and Green Day, among others.

Reviews have been mostly favorable, including a few kind words about Giraud, such as this comment from the New York Times' Jon Caramanica from late August:

"Scott MacIntyre performed a roaring duet of Billy Joel's 'Tell Her About It' with Matt Giraud, whose lovely, facile voice, especially during his solo rendition of "Georgia on My Mind," was far more impressive live than on TV. (With crowd bias heavily in favor of Lambert, the bold individualist who wore a 'Matt Giraud Is Bangin' T-shirt deserves special commendation.)"

Giraud agreed with the reviewer's main point.

"I'm a lot more confident now," he said. "I think I was made for this (touring) instead of the TV thing. People are finally seeing me for me."

Giraud said although each show is structured -- they play the same songs -- he's enjoyed hanging out with the other finalists, as evidenced on his Twitter page, where he has more than 52,000 followers.

"You can get super stressed out on this gig because it's all repetition," Giraud said, but humor helps ease the stress. "We have a great time. We're all pretty close friends. There's no jealousy or anything like that."

A number of reviews have mentioned the audience's penchant for throwing undergarments at various Idols, especially runner-up Adam Lambert. When asked if he's been inadvertently struck by such a flying object, perhaps intended for Lambert, Giraud replied quickly: "I've actually got a few myself." And if fans are interested, the finalists store these items under the stage and they've dubbed it the "Wall of Fame."

Financially, Giraud said he's in a good place and has a suitable "nest egg" courtesy of the tour.

"They take care of us," he said. "We're all doing well financially. That's not the biggest issue anymore. It's making an album and getting it out there."

As for the immediate future, Giraud said he'll perform the national anthem at a Detroit Tigers game this fall and will be hosting a "Idol"-like contest called "Make the Cut" on Yobi TV, an online-only reality contest network. It is slated to start later this month (www.yobi.tv) and Giraud is the judge.

"I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, coming down as the mentor," he said. "I never thought I'd be seen as an experienced musician. It's cool to play that part."

Speaking of judges, Giraud also voiced support for Paula Abdul, who said recently she's leaving "Idol."

"I've talked to her," he said. "We're all behind her 100 percent. I was honored to be on her last season ... I'm sure she'll be fine."

For the Grand Rapids show, Giraud said to expect some surprises. Finalists naturally receive louder than normal support from crowds near their stomping grounds. Based on his reception at the Palace of Auburn Hills Aug. 26, he's excited about the prospects Sunday.

"Detroit was insane, so I can't imagine Grand Rapids," he said. "We all have a blast playing hometowns."

Giraud said the tour allowed him to see the country and is exploring the idea of moving from Kalamazoo some day, but "I'll be home for a little while before I do anything like that."

Well at least we can be positive that he will make ONE HELL OF A DEMO! And the National Athem is Huge! YAY!! I guess he'll be in Mich. for a while, but that's not necessarily bad considering all of these things he's got lined up (plus he has a nice "nest egg" LOL)

Oh, Grand Rapids, please make the chant happen!!

mattyfan wrote:

Oh, Grand Rapids, please make the chant happen!!

I was just thinking about the Chant. I REALLY want this to happen for him! It's up to the lovely ladies who are going to the sunday concert. Fingers crossed that it spreads...

mattyfan wrote:

Oh, Grand Rapids, please make the chant happen!!

DITTO!

SIGN MATT GIRAUD! SIGN MATT GIRAUD!

Gosh.. I guess we can be happy he mentioned he's earned some money on tour but really, it's about time already he gets signed!
I noticed he did not mention any talks with record labels in this interview... Sigh.
When is he going to finally get a break? I don't want this to take so long because we all know that after Jan a new crop of idols go on TV and casual fans might forget about Matt!
Please let him get signed right after tour! I was very positive about Matt's chances last night but today I am back to worry mode again. He still mentions the Yobi thing and the NA in Detroit is cool and all but that's it?

The chant has to happen this Sunday people ,and also "#SignMattG" has to trend! It's our last effort to help him get a deal!
I can't understand what happened. He should've been signed long time ago. IT really is mind boggling to me.

I'm glad to hear that Matt has some money saved up from the tour. However, I am disappointed that he didn't mention any offers from record companies. Oh, well... at least we know that he's starting on the demo very soon. I think Matt doesn't want to move out to LA unless he has a definite record deal-- signed, sealed and delivered! Although, I find it interesting that Anoop said he's moving to LA about 2 weeks after the tour is over, in hopes of finding a record deal. Matt fans will have to wait a while longer...

And I agree that Sunday should be THE BEST night of the tour for Matt. I think the chant will work, but I'm not sure about getting the Twitter trend in the Top 10. He mentioned that he already had lingerie thrown at him during his set... Is anyone who is going to GR planning to throw anything at Matt? LOL

For the Grand Rapids show, Giraud said to expect some surprises

What suprises?! I hope he doesn't mean the chant

mattyfan wrote:

Oh, Grand Rapids, please make the chant happen!!

Tonight is the night!

..SignMattG SignMattG SignMattG ...