Alejandro Aranda’s memorable stage alias could be seen as a means of drawing attention away from his status as the second place finisher in last year’s American Idol contest, where he sang in front of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan under his own name.
However, the 25-year-old Californian doesn’t have much to be embarrassed about on that score. In his audition video, which is now approaching 20 million YouTube views, Bryan said: “I feel like I’m in the presence of greatness.” Stevie Nicks, no less, watching at home, wrote on Facebook: “I felt, as did the judges, that I was suspended in some sort of magical grace that was just simply overwhelming. My tears did not stop until he stopped.”
They marvelled at his unorthodox finger-picking guitar style, while he also maintained his musical credibility by performing seven original songs during the contest rather than the usual cover versions.
A debut album, Exit Form, appeared last autumn, trading the guitar work mostly for soulful, sophisticated synthpop. He was all set for a London gig at Scala next week, but that has been postponed by coronavirus. It's set to be rescheduled, and when it finally comes around, it'll be another chance for him to prove that, where TV talent shows are concerned (just ask One Direction or Adam Lambert) it’s often the runners-up who end up winning in the long run.
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