How Michael Jackson Helped Kris Allen Win ‘American Idol’

The champ remembers growing up in Arkansas with Michael's greatest hits.

By Ramin Setoodeh | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jun 30, 2009

« Return to Article

Discuss

Member Comments

  • Posted By: emily85 @ 07/10/2009 5:59:18 PM

    I was at the Portland show. Kris performed beautifully and melted hearts. I recall that there was this enormous screaming and cheering for a long time and I knew that was for Kris. Kris came up on a lift and stood there with his head down waiting for the huge applause to die down. Then I heard: "In the night..." and more cheering and screaming. ^^

    Adam did very well too and he was flashy and trashy as usual (he stripped LOL). I think some comments from Adam fans are insane. MJ RIP

  • Posted By: KerryKolsch @ 07/06/2009 8:57:11 AM

    Poor Kris, he was lost on stage last night. He had to sing after Adam who is well on his way to being known as one of the greatest showmen of all time. It was obvious who the most popular and talented singer is. Poor Kris was not only not as good as Adam, but Danny, Allison, Matt and Lil were way better as well. Kris' welcome to the real world must be a shock when his fans have boosted him way beyond what is the realistic limits of his talent. Again I say poor Kris!

    • Posted By: H2Ome @ 07/10/2009 5:41:33 PM

      Kris is a winner and POOR Adam will forever be a runner-up of American Idol.

  • Posted By: KerryKolsch @ 07/06/2009 8:58:27 AM

    Poor Kris, he was lost on stage last night. He had to sing after Adam who is well on his way to being known as one of the greatest showmen of all time. It was obvious who the most popular and talented singer is. Poor Kris was not only not as good as Adam, but Danny, Allison, Matt and Lil were way better as well. Kris' welcome to the real world must be a shock when his fans have boosted him way beyond what is the realistic limits of his talent. Again I say poor Kris!

    • Posted By: H2Ome @ 07/10/2009 5:38:11 PM

      To KerryKolsch You are hilarious. Ha ha ha you are simply jealous that Kris won America Idol and POOR Adam lost the competition.

  • Posted By: miked2 @ 07/08/2009 7:58:39 PM

    Kris Allen IS the winner which is written on the stone.

    Sore losers always spoil the fun! Get over with it adam fans. Try.. try... try to read this fine article Ok?

  • Posted By: Iluvkris @ 07/07/2009 11:49:16 AM

    Wow. poor kris is right. People are still trying to cover up adam's loss. AGAIN! They are sooooo desprate they are using a dead guy to cover it up. Adam lost. Big deal. Get over it. We should be focusing on more important stuff like global warming. Instead of making up usless nonsense like this for something that happened almost a month ago!

  • Posted By: miked2 @ 07/01/2009 10:37:46 PM

    Michael Jackson and Kris Allen shared the obvious artistry. Their interpretations of music, and both of them have a simple, honest, and heartfelt style. Their songs win people's hearts and reach a big audience.

  • Posted By: judyclay @ 07/01/2009 6:39:39 PM

    Kudos to H2Ome:

    My wife and I grew up listening to Michaell's songs. Sadly to say Michael Jackson is gone.
    For the first time, we followed American Idol closely. We were happy to "discover" a multi-talented musician---Kris Allen. We enjoyed seeing his growth and development during the 3-month period. The up-growth momentum was amazing plus his pleasant personality.

    No doubt, we are going to follow Kris's music career in the future.

    We are constant Newsweek readers. Thanks for the article.

  • Posted By: H2Ome @ 07/01/2009 5:56:21 PM

    My wife and I grew up listening to Michaell's songs. Sadly to say Michael Jackson is gone.
    For the first time, we followed American Idol closely. We were happy to ???discover??? a multi-talented musician---Kris Allen. We enjoyed seeing his growth and development during the 3-month period. The up-growth momentum was amazing plus his pleasant personality.

    No doubt, we are going to follow Kris???s music career in the future.

    We are constant Newsweek readers. Thanks for the article.

  • Posted By: Darcey @ 06/30/2009 6:42:15 PM

    Why would anyone want to interview Kris? I mistakenly read this article because it came up when you Google Adam Lambert. Everyone knows that Kris did not win because of Michael Jackson unless Michael was down in Arkansas power texting with AT&T.

    • Posted By: ChicagoShari @ 07/01/2009 1:12:13 AM

      Kris did a great job of two of Michael Jackson's songs plus helped others with their song choices during Michael Jackson week because he knew the catalog so well. He is the perfect person to be interviewed regarding Michael Jackson's death. It is too bad when you realized that the interview was with the actual winnere of American Idol Season 8 that you didn't simply click delete or back space rather than finding it necessary to continue to harp on the same old thing. If you think there were not Lambert fans power texting you don't know much about American Idol. This happens every season for every contestant in the top 3 or 4. Don't be so naive. Kris Allen won because more people voted for his talent, style of music and his laid back personality, not because of power texting that American Idol discards to begin with. Trust me when I say your brand of virtiolic post does not help your favorite. It only makes you look like a poor loser.

      • Posted By: Dannyb1 @ 07/01/2009 4:31:10 PM

        This is a great article on a great magazine Newsweek. Refreshing! We all learn from this article!
        Kris and Michael are two great musicians.

    • Posted By: westwingpotus @ 07/01/2009 3:17:22 PM

      Darcey, I really like Adam too, but please, you really do him no favors with witless and childish foot stomping. In every interview I've ever seen Adam presents himself as a class act, and he really, really doesn't need fans (appropirately derived from the word: fanatic) like you embarassing him. Help him, don't hurt him. Kris Allen, who I also like very much, was interviewed in Newsweek because he has stated in numerous interviews -- which you clearly have not read and are therefore ignorant of -- that Michael Jackson's music was a big influence on him. Therefore it was appropriate to talk to him about this topic. Please stop embarassing Adam, he deserves better.

    • Posted By: jacksoniam @ 07/01/2009 12:46:50 AM

      You're a sad little person? Maybe some day you will grow up.

  • Posted By: Habibs @ 07/01/2009 3:49:26 PM

    Wow what an article. I wonder if Allen was actually prepared for this interview:
    Does your wife listen to MJ!
    I guess so, in the car!
    Wow i think we found ourselves a story....
    Stop promoting american idol upcoming tour. There is no fascinating story here. Back to the drawing board. Stop prostituting this magazine without shame. At least the kriss allen/lambert story was scandalous.

  • Posted By: 1mikec @ 07/01/2009 3:07:49 PM

    get over it he is dead-- get a life

    • Posted By: westwingpotus @ 07/01/2009 3:41:33 PM

      Oh My Gawd that's SO BRILLIANT a put-down! How did you come up with that? Really, just sparkling and luminous in its originality and freshness! Gosh, I think maybe we should all write that down so that we can use it again and again because it's just so devastating! Noel Coward and Oscar Wilde have nothing on you boy!

  • Posted By: Darcey @ 06/30/2009 6:41:14 PM

    Why would anyone want to interview Kris? I mistakenly read this article because it came up when you Google Adam Lambert. Everyone knows that Kris did not win because of Michael Jackson unless Michael was down in Arkansas power texting with AT&T.

    • Posted By: westwingpotus @ 07/01/2009 3:17:00 PM

      Darcey, I really like Adam too, but please, you really do him no favors with witless and childish foot stomping. In every interview I've ever seen Adam presents himself as a class act, and he really, really doesn't need fans (appropirately derived from the word: fanatic) like you embarassing him. Help him, don't hurt him. Kris Allen, who I also like very much, was interviewed in Newsweek because he has stated in numerous interviews -- which you clearly have not read and are therefore ignorant of -- that Michael Jackson's music was a big influence on him. Therefore it was appropriate to talk to him about this topic. Please stop embarassing Adam, he deserves better.

    • Posted By: Deez @ 06/30/2009 11:53:49 PM

      "I mistakenly read this article because it came up when you Google Adam Lambert."

      Wow. You "mistakenly" read it b/c it came up when you googled Adam? When you saw the name "Kris Allen" about 50 times, did that not tip you off that it wasn't about Adam??? Nice try. You were looking for an opportunity to post some crap, and you found one. The only people who are still "outraged" over the texting thing are people who need a new set of priorities. Adam is doing just fine without his (unwanted and unnecessary) band of hate-spam trolls.

  • Posted By: Ambangət @ 07/01/2009 10:14:54 AM

    During AI, he kept saying that he hopes it's all about the music. I am glad to see that he is living by that statement and not just paying lip service to it. With most of the MJ coverage concentrating on the kids' parentage, the money grab by those around him, etc., I am glad that this one is about his music.

  • Posted By: ChicagoShari @ 07/01/2009 1:02:38 AM

    Very nice interview. There is no one more knowledgable about Michael Jackson on the American Idol scene than Kris Allen. It was interesting reading his thoughts. As always he is genuine, knowledgable, and interesting. His version of Man in the Mirror was one of my favorite downloads of the entire season 8.. Thank you for sharing his thoughts with us.

  • Posted By: Ausjude @ 07/01/2009 12:30:43 AM

    Thanks Ramin for an insightful interview about Kris's perceptions of Michael Jackson 's music & how it has affected him!! Kris is such a talented artist like MJ & I feel he will go on to be very successful.

  • Posted By: mairseydotes24 @ 07/01/2009 12:14:29 AM

    Great interview with Kris and his thoughts on MJ. Kris is so talented and is a worthy holder of the AI crown. And kudos to author Ramin Setoodeh for not (with one brief exception) evoking Adam Lambert???s name in this interview with Kris. How refreshing! I wish I could say the same about the comments that followed the interview. Isn???t it sad that over a month later, bitter Lambert fans still can???t accept the fact that Kris Allen won American Idol? It isn???t enough that their guy has signed his own record deal, garnered much more media coverage and attention than Kris, and from all appearances will go on to have a fabulous career. Posters like Darcey seem to think that Kris shouldn???t receive any media coverage, and, heaven forbid, if an article about Kris does appear, they are compelled to leave disparaging comments. Please grow up, BitterBerts, get on with your lives and stop whining about the show???s outcome. As Adam himself would say, sore losers are losers.

  • Posted By: Dannyb1 @ 06/30/2009 11:46:14 PM

    Michael will be remembered for music lovers. RIP, Michael.

    Kris is a rising super star and I look forward to MORE Kris???s music in the future.
    Thank you very much for a well written article.

  • Posted By: j9bt @ 06/30/2009 10:08:07 PM

    I can honestly say that MJ was one of my favorite artists growing up, and Kris is now one of my favorite artists! I love the fact that Kris is so mature that he can celebrate the artistry without worrying about the personal issues of the artist! It's clear from reading this article that Kris has a passion and love for music, just like MJ, which shows when he performs. Thanks so much for a wonderful interview with Kris Allen, THE AMERICAN IDOL.

  • Posted By: summer85 @ 06/30/2009 8:52:08 PM

    Kris sang 5 Michael Jackson???'s songs on American Idol. Kris's renditions of Michael Jackson's songs are haunting too. Michael Jackson and Kris Allen are two great musicians.

Reply

Report Abuse

Enter comments if any for reporting abuse