The Surprise Superstar

At first a false Idol, the winner of the hit TV show makes good on his stardom

American Idol winner David Cook didn’t even plan on trying out for the show, let alone winning it.

By Alan Sculley 

When David Cook found out he had passed his initial audition for American Idol and would have a chance to compete on the hit TV series, he felt something besides happiness and anticipation.

He felt uncomfortable.

That’s because he didn’t plan to audition in the first place. Cook had gone to the tryouts in Omaha to provide moral support for his brother, Andrew, who was auditioning for the show. Cook only auditioned after his brother and his mother (who also went to the audition) prodded him into it.

“We were in the same audition group in the first round, and I was the only one out of the group that made it,” Cook said in a recent phone interview. “So yeah, it was a little awkward. I made it a point, as soon as I got out of the arena, I said to him, ‘If you don’t want me to do this, I won’t.’ And his response, this kind of speaks to his character, he said, ‘If you don’t do it, I’ll kick your ass.’”

With such an incentive, Cook, 25, had little choice but to stay in the running. And what a run it became, as he eventually made it onto the show and, on May 21, beat out fellow finalist David Archuleta to win the American Idol competition.

However, Cook maintains that he never saw himself as Idol material. He had recently moved from his longtime home base of Blue Springs, Mo. (near Kansas City), to Tulsa to play guitar with the Midwest Kings, a band that had a regional touring base.

He had already released a debut album, Analog Heart, and was working on his second when he tried out for Idol.

Cook wasn’t sold on the idea that his rock-pop sound would be a good fit for the show.

“I didn’t really know I was what the show was looking for,” Cook said. “I had watched in the past and never seen a rocker win the show. And to me, it was kind of like, ‘If somebody like Bo (Bice) or somebody like Chris (Daughtry) can’t come on here and win it, what shot do I have?’”

He wasn’t alone: Quite a few people didn’t think Cook would come out on top. He was initially seen as a dark horse in a field of 24, and when the competition finally boiled down to Cook and 17-year-old David Archuleta, he was still considered by many — including Idol’s famously outspoken judge, Simon Cowell — to be the underdog.

Even Cook began to buy into that line of thinking. After arriving Wednesday morning to prepare for the evening finale, Cook was told the vote was 56 percent to 44 percent. He figured that only meant one thing.

“I was like, ‘OK, Archie’s got it,’” Cook said. “I didn’t really think much about it the rest of the day. I kind of went through the motions of getting ready for Wednesday night’s finale. I was just stoked to be playing with ZZ Top.”

Since then, Cook has been busy preparing for the next steps in the life of an Idol champion.

First up is this summer’s American Idols Live tour, which features the top 10 finishers from this season’s show.

Cook will perform five songs, and is pleased with the material the performers and show organizers selected.

“Everybody seems really happy with their set and we’re all able not only to do songs from the show, but also to throw in some stuff that we weren’t able to get on the show … but stuff that we enjoy performing,” Cook said. “Like, I’m doing My Hero by the Foo Fighters, and that’s one of my favorite songs, just high energy. So it’s cool. I think we’re all getting to show a little bit more of ourselves to everybody.”

Cook also has his sights set on recording his first post-Idol album, which is set to be released in mid-November under his new record contract with 19 Recordings/RCA. 

“I’m a rock singer, so it will be a rock record,” Cook said. “But the good thing about rock music is there are some subgenres there. So there’s room to meander. My goal is to put out a record that’s both eclectic and cohesive. If I can do that and find that balance, I think the sky’s the limit.”

Chances are, when Cook’s debut album arrives, it will storm the Billboard magazine charts. Since his victory on the show, he has already smashed all previous records in the digital music age by simultaneously landing 17 songs on various Billboard charts.

Even Cook seemed to have a hard time grasping his success.

“I think every so often everything kind of lines up for you, and hopefully that’s what’s happening now,” he said. “I’ve said it a few times before: I think if this all ends tomorrow, I’ve already had a hell of a ride. I’m content. And I think, moving forward, the goal is to keep that vibe.”