Theo Tams may very well be the last Canadian Idol, but it’s a subject he’d rather not talk about on the week of his debut CD release.
“If I am (the last Canadian Idol), and that means my reign lasts a little longer, that’s fine with me,” Tams says about CTV’s decision to pull the plug on the summer talent contest after six seasons. “I think that everyone who did that show just really wanted to use it as a platform. I just wanted to make music and to make it my career. If that means that I am the last Canadian Idol, then I will wear that badge proudly for sure.”
Giving It All, the first full-length album from the 23-year-old native of Coaldale, Alta., hits stores yesterday and Tams wants to talk about how it differs from previous Idol debut discs.
Rather than rushing the project out for the Christmas rush, Tam’s label (Sony Music) allowed Tams five extra months to complete the project. The extra time gave Tams, who was studying music at the University of Lethbridge before entering the Idol competition, time to become more involved in the album.
Tams has eight co-writes on the album’s 13 tracks, including the lead single, Lazy Lovers, a piano-driven pop song about the work involved in making relationships last. The track was written with the help of veteran Canadian songsmith Hawksley Workman.
“We were sitting on a couch together,” Tams says about writing with Workman. “He’d throw a line out and then I’d throw a line out. It really was just batting back and forth. He would say one line and then my next line would rhyme with his. It was really strange, especially since I had never co-written before. I would love to take credit for 100 per cent but I definitely can’t with that tune.”
Giving It All’s release coincides with this week’s finale of American Idol between Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. But Tams — currently involved in putting a band together for an upcoming tour — admits he’s been unable to watch the show so far. “I’ve tried to watch it a few times and I just can’t do it,” Tams says. “I just get so anxious because I know the amount of pressure they’re under and they’re so nervous.”
