'American Idol' contestant Josiah Leming, who was eliminated during the Hollywood Round and so did not make the Top 24, talked to MTV News about his opinions on the popular reality show.
The 19-year-old, who was living out of his car when he auditioned for the show, recently inked a record deal.
"I signed my deal with Warner Bros. about a month and a half ago, and I'm glad to finally announce it. The songs are written, the arrangements are done, and right now it's time to work with the producers," he told MTV News. "I'm so excited. I'm just beaming inside right now. Since I signed the deal, it's been a lot of wait, wait, wait. Now it's finally come. I'm in this awesome studio, working on songs... It's amazing. This is everything I ever wanted."
But Leming also had a few choice words about 'American Idol.'
"The fact is, it's like glorified karaoke," he said.
"[Producers] pick these good-looking people with voices, and they have them sing these songs that other people have written," he added. "And therefore, it lacks passion, it lacks emotion and it lacks the things that set an artist off from being good to being great. So that's my feeling on it."
But Leming acknowledged that the reality show kick-started his career.
"As everyone clearly saw, I poured my heart and soul into the process and into the competition," he said. "But looking back now, things could not have gone any better. Things happened perfect. I got the exposure... People liked me, which was amazing, and I love my fans more than anything. I'm happy I didn't make it. Looking back, it couldn't have gone any better.
Kristy Lee Cook, one of the finalists from American Idol’s season 7, has signed a new record deal with 19 Recordings/ Arista Nashville.
