Interview with American Idol 8 Finalist Michael SarverMichael Finally Gets His Shot
Patricia Morris Buckley - Associate Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
Michael Sarver has been watching American Idol since it first began airing, and even though he has been singing and leading worship at his church for years, this was the first year he felt inspired to audition. All it took was a little friendly family competition.
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[photo: AmericanIdol.com]
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Michael Sarver has been watching American Idol since it first began airing, and even though he has been singing and leading worship at his church for years, this was the first year he felt inspired to audition. All it took was a little friendly family competition.
ReplyDelete“I never felt the option to go for Idol [before],” he said during a press conference the day after the first results show. “I believe it had to do a lot with knowing somewhere inside of me that I still had a lot of growing up to do. This year, my sister-in-law voiced her desire to try out and she said something to me and it really just hit me all of a sudden — let’s do that. I moved on it knowing it was the right time for me and obviously, it’s working out. So, great.”
Last week, America chose Sarver as one of the first three contestants to move into the Top 12. He admits that Simon Cowell’s plea to America to keep Sarver in the competition probably made a huge difference, even though Cowell didn’t like his song choice (“I Don’t Want to Be”).
“Simon making a plea for me on my behalf; I don’t take that lightly that at all,” he said. “I have no doubt it had an impact and I appreciate it.”
He also appreciates all the on air time he’s already gotten, which has allowed voters to get to know him better and to connect with his story. He’s been viewed as a blue collar worker (AKA Oil Rig Guy) and a family man.
“I can acknowledge that the hard working American is part of the appeal,” he said. “I believe that real life people can relate to me, especially in the economy and the day that we live. It’s very difficult for a lot of people and I see it as a chance to see someone rise from the ashes. It’s not that my life is bad, but things are tough and to see some excel and succeed, I think people relate to that and it’s special to their hearts.”
He’s also followed the back stories of other contestants and been especially touched by the story of Danny Gokey, who lost his wife a month before auditioning.
“My wife is my absolute best friend and I tell you; if she did pass away, I don’t understand how I could wake up the next day,” he said. “To not only view [Danny] on the show, but to be around him and see the incredible person that he is; I have mad, mad respect for Danny Gokey.”
In fact, he has already created bonds with the other contestants, something he admits he thought was fake when watching the show on TV. But he’s become especially close to other Christians on the show, such as Gokey, and prayed with them.
The church is where Sarver first was able to express himself musically. He discovered music at age 11, when his family was going through a difficult time, and discovered that it gave him peace.
“I found joy in music,” he said. “Music just kind of made everything make sense to me and that’s when I really attached myself to what music means. And then, I started singing and really realizing, ‘Well, wow. There’s actually something there’ and then I’d hear compliments from my mom hearing me sing around the house. Just over the years, being in and out of church; it may not have been exactly where it started as much as it had definitely been a huge part of where I’ve developed as an artist.”
While he hasn’t honed his musical skills in bars and clubs like other contestants, he has sung at Christian youth conferences and concerts. But nothing, he says, compares to his time on American Idol.
“To have my family see me sing live like that, and they’re used to it,” he said. “They’ve seen me at church and stuff, but to see me on that scale of performance was really enjoyable. You can imagine the text and the phone calls that I had afterwards - just loaded. My phone, I think, is going to hate me after the next week or so.
“I tell you; I couldn’t be more proud of myself and the way I sold out on that stage, and I wasn’t perfect and I acknowledge that, but I gave it everything I had. The things that came to me constructive criticism wise, I guarantee you they won’t have to ask me to fix those things more than once probably. We take them in stride and we appreciate them.”