Have you been waiting for TV Guide to get around to their interview with Sanjaya Malakar? If so, here it is!
TV Guide: Are you exhausted yet?
Sanjaya: Yeah. I just got back from Chicago at 5 o’clock this morning. It was my birthday yesterday so I went there.
TV Guide: Happy birthday! Did everyone go with you?
Sanjaya: No. I actually went to see a concert but it was raining, so it was canceled. So everyone came to Greensboro and I went to Chicago basically to buy a pair of shoes.
TV Guide: What concert were you supposed to go to?
Sanjaya: Stevie Wonder.
TV Guide: Did the Idols do anything for your birthday?
Sanjaya: I haven’t really been able to celebrate with them yet. But hopefully we’ll be able to have some kind of party. The guys are going to kick my butt because it’s my initiation into manhood because I’m 18, so that’s cool.
TV Guide: They’re going to beat you up?
Sanjaya: Well, Phil Stacey described it as a “good old-fashioned country butt-whooping.” So I’m fine with that. I figure I probably need it. I’ll probably have big welts on my face at the next show.
TV Guide: Aside from that, are you excited about turning 18?
Sanjaya: I guess for voting, but I’ll be 19 when I vote for president. I don’t smoke so that doesn’t really excite me.
TV Guide: Any stories from the tour?
Sanjaya: I’ve been trying to sleep as much as possible. Right now I’m exhausted because I barely slept last night and I had a two-hour flight at 4 o’clock in the morning, so I just got here. I’ve just been trying to catch up on sleep as much as possible. I’m definitely an insomniac.
TV Guide: You have very enthusiastic fans. Have you met anybody memorable on the road?
Sanjaya: Actually, I’m really happy with my fan base. At first I was kind of freaked out because they were a bunch of screaming 12-year-olds. But it’s actually a lot more diverse than I thought it was. There’s all kinds of people. It’s cool. I actually got a little stuffed monkey from a fan. I named it Dog and I wore it on stage. That was pretty cool. That was my little guest star for the show.
TV Guide: Are you nervous about moving [to L.A.]?
Sanjaya: Yeah. I’m a little apprehensive; I’ve never really wanted to live in L.A. because I’m very much a Seattle boy. If it made sense for me to do it, I’d much rather stay in Seattle, but it doesn’t make sense, because I want to be in the entertainment business. So why not go to Hollywood?
TV Guide: Are you moving alone?
Sanjaya: Actually, my family is moving out with me. My mom and my sister are moving out. My sister and I are getting an apartment together, hopefully near the water.
TV Guide: Are you just going to stick to singing, or are you interested in acting, too?
Sanjaya: I’m definitely going to focus on music because that’s my passion. So I’m going to do that and definitely focus on that. But I’m interested in other things, like acting and modeling. So basically I’m just going to see where the road takes me and ride the wave. I’m excited about it.
TV Guide: Have you been approached with any offers yet?
Sanjaya: Yeah, I’ve gotten a couple of things, but it’s basically all just ideas and stuff. I’ve been talking to people, but once the tour is over, I’ll really be able to focus on it.
TV Guide: Any projects you’re excited about?
Sanjaya: I’m really excited about my album. I’m going to start working on it as soon as I move out to L.A. I’m going to start meeting with writers.
TV Guide: What kind of album do you want to make?
Sanjaya: That’s a hard question. See, I don’t necessarily know how to describe it; when I do, it sounds like I don’t know what I’m talking about. But I have a really, really, really good idea. Basically, it’s just going to be me. It’s going to be my personality in the form of music.
TV Guide: Have you spoken with any labels about a record deal yet?
Sanjaya: Yeah, we’ve been talking. But nothing is really concrete yet. I’ve been focusing a lot on the tour. We’re free from contracts, so we can start negotiating. As soon as the tour is over, I’ll be able to really focus on that.
That boy has got good taste, for Stevie I would do the same thing.