Photo Credit: Courtesy Lyric Street Records

Season 2 Alum Josh Gracin Releases Second Album We Weren't Crazy

The singer says it was a "blessing" to wait four years between projects

Introduced to America on season two of Idol, former Marine Josh Gracin enjoyed success on the country charts following his stint on the series. And four years later, he’s back with a second record and a mature sound. Here, the 27-year-old father of three gets candid with Us about his decision to delay his second album, battling writers’ block, and that recent American Idol dis.

Usmagazine.com: You finished fourth on Idol in 2003 and released your self-titled debut with a splash on the country charts. Why wait so long for the follow-up?
Josh Gracin: We didn’t want to release it without the greatest visibility. We put a song out there thinking that it was going to do well and at the time, country music - and music as a whole - was changing and we were right in the middle of it. But, like everything that’s happened in my life, disappointments turn out to be blessings because I got to wipe almost every song we did off the album because I didn’t feel they were right, and a lot of good things have come out of it. I sacrificed momentum, but hopefully word of mouth will be the best way to promote it.

Us: That said, does the so-called “sophomore curse” frighten you?
JG: That’s the cool thing about being at my label, Lyric Street. Pretty much, if I push for something, they let me have it. That way, if it doesn’t do well, it’s my fault. I was so scared about writing [for this album]; it was the first time I got something on the album that I had actually written and I didn’t want people to think that because I was writing, I picked my own songs to be singles, even though they might not be the best ones.

Us: How has the digital music landscape affected the promotion of this project?
JG: When I first got signed by Lyric Street, iPods had first come out and they sent me one for Christmas. I have been involved in [digital music] for 5-6 years. I know that there is a lot of naysay about it in the music business, but it all comes down to is the fact that music fans are becoming more fanatic. People are more picky about what they spend their money on and that is where iTunes comes in. Everybody’s mindset is that when you buy a CD, there are only 2 or 3 songs on it that you like. And everything else is something that you would never listen to. The first thing I told my team during the first album was that I don’t care what you want us to do but the only way I am going to sing [the songs] are if they’re good songs people will want to listen to.

Us: You must be pleased with the fans who have supported your career over the years.
JG: Our shows have only been increasing in attendance for four years and touring on the same album for four years is hard, especially if it’s your first one. It’s usually death to a new artist if they wait four years to release another album, but all I can say to that is I really believing in touring hard, and touring as much as you can, where you can. Any time your fans are still talking about music that was released four years ago, that’s really cool. That’s what has kept me going. I’m impressed with the fact that they keep showing up.

Us: American Idol recently profiled former contestants who have relocated to Nashville but you were left out. You expressed your extreme disapproval on your MySpace blog – why did you decide to vent online?
JG: Everybody does things out of frustration. Whenever you get frustrated and you show a breakdown, it isn’t perceived well. I went back and I read [my blog] over and over again and, unfortunately, I wasn’t clear enough and it could be taken many different ways. It wasn’t a shot at American Idol. Idol created me; they are a huge part of me.

Us: Would you appear if you were asked?
JG: I would love to. It’s five years later and I have grown up, even if I don’t want to admit it. I guess I haven’t matured in my attitude but I have matured with everything else. You know, it was one of those things where I made a decision based on anger. Not being part of it hurt.

BY ALLISON CORNEAU