Regarding his American Idol experience, Beckham said, “It was incredible. It was a blast and a dream come true. I grew up watching American Idol, and honestly, it still hasn’t sunk in that I made it all the way to the finale, and was runner-up. That was pretty incredible and I am just getting started. It is time to get to work and I am ready.”
Beckham will be out on the American Idols Live! tour this summer, which will make stops in 37 cities, including New York’s Beacon Theatre on August 5. “The tour is coming up, and our first date will be on July 7 in Clearwater, Florida, and we go all the way into August, so that’s going to be a blast, and I cannot wait to play for people. It is going to be huge and awesome,” he said. “We are going to be in New York on August 5, and I love New York. I can’t wait. That’s going to be fun,” Beckham added.
Aside from his father, he shared that his greatest musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Al Green.
During this season of American Idol, Beckham revealed that his favorite vocal performance was his acoustic rendition of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning.”
A White House, Tennessee, native, Beckham had nothing but positive words for American Idol winner Nick Fradiani, and he opened up about their genuine friendship. “Nick rocks. He is a great guy. We are friends and we bonded as the ‘athlete contestants’ this season. We both played sports in high school, so we always talked about sports. I am happy that Nick won and I am really excited for him. He did an incredible job this season,” he said.
Each day, Beckham is motivated by his “desire to do music for other people at a high scale.” “Not just for some people, but for all, and not just pretty good, but the best. That’s what I want to do,” he said.
He listed singer-songwriter Tori Kelly as his dream female duet choice. “Tori is just a musical monster. She is very talented and I love the messages that she is spreading in her songs. She is somebody that I look up to quite a bit as an artist,” he said.
For aspiring singers, Beckham recommends that they work hard and don’t rely on their natural ability alone. “Enhance that ability, and execute it. Make sure that music is what you want to do, and then go full force, and make your dreams happen,” he said.
With season 14 being the penultimate season of the reality singing competition, Beckham noted that he will miss American Idol. “I will absolutely miss it. I am going to miss the people, everybody from the producers, to the camera-men to the production assistants. It has become a part of my family,” he said.
Throughout this season, Beckham’s leading man looks have been earning him comparisons on his social networks to such actors as Matt Damon and Chris Pine. “I see those comparisons on Twitter a lot. I love that. They are two good-looking guys, and big studs. Those are great compliments. It’s very flattering to be compared to them,” he said with a sweet laugh.
“Reaching my full potential as a person and as an artist is what success means to me. I want to be the ‘best me’ that I am physically able to be,” he concluded, furnishing his personal definition of the word success.
To check out the American Idols Live! tour dates, visit its official homepage.
For more information on American Idol season 14 runner-up winner Clark Beckham, check him out on Facebook.
