The Highs and Lows of Matt Rapley
Here’s a nice interview I found with Canadian Idol’s, Matt Rapley. Enjoy Matt fans!
Matt Rapley is not tied to the “whipping post,” as his winsome rendition of the Allman Brothers’ song might have suggested.
“I take it as it comes,” said the Canadian Idol contestant Thursday in a phone call from the “Idol Mansion” in Toronto.
Rapley was referring to the unanimous praise he received from the show’s judges after Monday night’s performance. “You can’t dwell on it for that long,” he said. “Even if it was bad criticism, I would still take it, because the fact is they’ve been in this music industry for a very long time. They know the ins and outs of it.”
The song marked the Regina product’s first departure from his Gospel-singing style. In fact, he had another song picked out — one he is unable to name — which had to be canned at the last minute.
With not much time to learn the new song, Rapley said he concentrated instead on getting “into the song.”
He did, bringing the crowd to their feet and the judges to their microphones, administering accolades.
“It felt amazing because for one, I never thought at the beginning that I’d be able to pull off singing that song,” Rapley said. “I just thought people would really like it.”
That about sums up Rapley’s general disposition — unexpectant and constantly surprised by the strength of his own voice.
“Since the show has started, I’ve been able to go on there, sing my best and give it my all,” he said simply.
Not one to be mollified by praise, Rapley makes it his priority to always find ways to improve his performances.
His time in Toronto at Canadian Idol has helped wisen him up to the importance of establishing stage-presence, something with which he has always found himself struggling.
“I think what makes moving on stage so difficult for me is because for so long I’ve just sat behind the piano and always not really doing anything,” he said.
However, as the weeks have progressed, Rapley has found himself loosening up and becoming more willing to move around.
“I’m more confident on stage, not so nervous,” he said.
Performances aside, Rapley says that one of the best experiences he’s had while on the show is the friendships he’s been forging with fellow contestants.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of Canadian Idol, some of the friendships are more short-lived than others.
“When Mila Miller got cut, she had to go home. And then last week when Khalia Glanville got cut, that was a little frustrating because they’re your friends,” he said. “But you know, I guess that’s the competition. I just really have to focus on just continuing the show.”
The concentration and hard work Rapley has been putting in for the show has helped him cope with homesickness. In recent days, Rapley has found himself getting sentimental and missing his family and friends in Saskatchewan.
Luckily, cell phones are a perk of being on national television — a cellular phone company recently handed phones out to the contestants — allowing him to call home whenever he wants.
“I never realized how much I love Saskatchewan, how much I miss everybody there,” Rapley said. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to come back.’”
The response he’s gotten from home was not the kind he expected.
“You’re not coming back,” he’s been told by a friend. “You have to stay there to win it.”
Tags: matt rapley, matt rapley canadian idol, canadian idol, canadian idol 2007, canadian idol matt, matt rapley interview, canadian idol interview
source: Toronto Sun
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