Exclusive Interview with Yoji “Pop” Asano, contestant on Season 10 of American Idol(3)

Fateful Final Audition





Q. So we’ve got to your final judging stage now. Tell us about that day.



A. The judging took place in September over two days. I was on the second day, September 29th. I think there were about one hundred other people who had made it to that stage.





Q. Tell us about the day’s schedule.



A. Around 7 a.m., the contestants gathered at Liberty House in New Jersey and were let in around 9 a.m. Then they started interviewing us one by one, taking photos and video. They took people with interesting skills or traits to locations and shot them dancing or beat-boxing, stuff like that. This was when they filmed me, doing dance moves and things by the river. As expected from a top-rated TV program, the Idol staff was really professional and skilled.





See the photo of Asano before the audition





Q. Were Ryan Seacrest and the three judges there?



A. I think it was before the interview videos finished, around 11 a.m. that they came to greet everyone.





Q. So then the auditions happened around lunchtime?



A. Yeah, then we all auditioned in turn. I was 4th in line, right at the beginning.





Q. Before the audition, Ryan Seacrest stands at the entrance doors and talks to the applicants. What did he say to you?



A. Before going in I had an on-the-spot interview with him, which is kind of rare. I think the assistant producer from preliminary judging took an interest in me and pushed to have me interviewed. Ryan asked me what artists I got my influences from, and I told him Santana, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson. Then he asked me if my jacket was also inspired by Michael Jackson, to which I replied, “It’s definitely [inspired by] Elvis!”







“I actually sang another song”





Q. So you finally got to the judging. You gave a bit of a self-introduction first, where you said that you had been imitating Michael Jackson since “before you were born.” You got quite a reaction from that!



A. I don’t really remember, but I think it went like that. There’s one part where I started to say “My story…” and purposefully left a long pause. I thought I’d try creating a dramatic atmosphere.





[VIDEO]Yoji Pop Auditioning on American Idol







Q. After that, you said that you didn’t want to sing Michael Jackson.



A. They didn’t air it, but I actually sang “Man in the Mirror” before I sang “Party in the USA.” The producers and the judges weren’t satisfied with me just singing and kept asking me to dance. I knew that no matter how well I danced, I would just be made into a funny segment on the show. So, I decided to perform my original version of “Party in the USA” with dance moves to create an unforgettable audition.





Q. Before singing the Miley song, you said “I have one song that I hate.” Did that have to do with the events leading up to the judging?



A. Yeah. I did say it in the past tense, though. “I have one song that I hated.” I wonder if anyone got that.









Steven Tyler’s unaired comment in Japanese?!





Q. What were the judge’s responses?



A. They didn’t say much after I sang the first song, “Man in the Mirror.” Randy Jackson pretended to play trumpet the whole time, like he was saying I was boring or something. Then he said, “We’re looking for an artist who can sing and dance.” I think he said that to try and make me dance, which was kind of clever.





Q. You got a big reaction from the judges after singing “Party in the USA.” What were their comments after that?



A. Randy said a lot, but I didn’t really get everything he said. Steven Tyler said something in Japanese, for some reason. He said, “Binbo hima nashi ne!” (“There is no leisure for the poor.”) I don’t know if he meant I should be working harder, or if he just wanted to use a Japanese phrase that he knew! (Lol)



After that, he got serious and said that I had talent, but needed to work on my singing. Jennifer said the same thing, that I needed more preparation in terms of my voice. Randy said, “I didn’t get it. Never for me!” As I was leaving, he said, “But you’re a great entertainer!” In the end, I didn’t make it.





Q. In this season of American Idol, there were some new judges. Were you glad that Simon Cowell, known for his harsh critiques, wasn’t there? Or did you want him to be there?



A. I wish that he had been there. I wanted to see him in the flesh. But if he had been there, his comments on my performance would have probably been the worst.









Gratitude towards American Idol





Q. The episode featuring you was broadcast in January. Did you know whether or not your footage would be aired, or what kind of a spin they would put on your audition?



A. I had no idea. When they were shooting, I didn’t want to do everything they were telling me to do so I would tell them “No,” if I felt that way. There’s a scene of me chasing geese, right? That was my idea. I thought I would chase them and make them fly. But they didn’t fly for me. (Lol)





Q. Actually they showed a lot of video footage of you before your audition.



A. I was really happy about that. I’ve been told that the spot they did on me was racist, but I don’t feel that way at all. I respect and admire [the Idol producers]. If they were actually being discriminatory towards me, I think they would have aired the footage of the judges tearing me apart, and my defeated, sad face. That never happened. They showed me in such a good light that some viewers even thought that I had advanced to the next round! Also, even though I registered under my legal name, Yoji Asano, they used Yoji “Pop” in the titles when editing the episode. They also listed my hometown as “Brooklyn/Japan” in the on-screen titles. I felt honored that they acknowledged my country like that. They created that short clip for my benefit, and I really appreciate it.



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