Chris Daughtry on Playing Judas, ‘American Idol’ and Greatest Hits
In case you somehow forgot, Chris Daughtry got his start back in 2006 on a little show called American Idol. He stood out from the beginning, when he confidently walked into the audition room to face the judges for the first time and spoke of needing to support his family. Fast-forward a few weeks, and he had proven himself to be the Season 5 frontrunner with performances of Fuel’s “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” and a cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” by Live. But just four weeks out from the grand finale that would crown the winner, he was eliminated (Taylor Hicks was the eventual victor).
As the shocking news was announced, the audience gasped before falling into stunned silence. Daughtry was equally stunned. It was a memorable moment in Idol history, especially because it happened during the height of the show’s popularity (around 30 million viewers tuned in every week that season, which is unheard of these days) — and it had everyone talking about what went wrong for the singer.
But unlike so many reality show castoffs before (and after), it wasn’t the end of Daughtry — it was just the beginning. After turning down an offer to front Fuel, he formed his own band, simply named Daughtry. And it was like a monster had been let out of a cage. The group’s self-titled debut album soared to Number One, selling five million copies and producing seven hit singles, including the Top Five “It’s Not Over” and “Home.” Their second album, Leave This Town, sold 1.5 million and garnered three hits, then Break the Spell and Baptized followed. Daughtry proved unstoppable.
Now, 10 years out from that fateful night on the Idol stage, Chris Daughtry and his namesake band have released a greatest hits album, It’s Not Over…The Hits so Far, and the singer is dabbling in some new mediums (last month he starred in the Fox TV musical The Passion and drew a special variant cover for the Batman #50 comic book).
With American Idol coming to an end this Thursday, Rolling Stone talked to Chris Daughtry about his time on the show, who he thinks is going to win the final season (hint: it’s the rocker) and how the Hulk and Hugh Jackman helped him prepare for the role of Judas.
After you were eliminated on American Idol, did you see a greatest hits album in your future?
Hell no! I was too narrow-minded. I just wanted to be able to play a few regional gigs and pay my bills. I wasn’t thinking national, much less international.