http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/39563273

 

Katherine McPhee shows her pop side on new CD

01/29/2007 1:03 PM, AP

 

You might not recognize Katharine McPhee, "American Idol" runner-up,

as Katharine McPhee, the recording star.

 

The "Idol" sweetheart has undergone a complete makeover, from the way

she sings to the way she looks.

 

Instead of syrupy ballads, you're more likely to hear McPhee singing

pop-flavored dance tunes. The prom-worthy gowns she wore on the show

have been replaced with a playful, sexy new look. On the cover of her

self-titled debut CD, in stores Tuesday, a curly haired McPhee wears a

slinky minidress with thigh-high boots.

 

It's been a whirlwind year for the 22-year-old Los Angeles native, who

spent the summer on tour and fall in the studio, where she learned the

art of recording during a two-month crash course. The experience

taught her new ways to use her voice, she said, and expanded her

repertoire beyond traditional ballads.

 

Between bites of a grilled-cheese sandwich at Mel's Diner in Los

Angeles - and a pause for an autograph-seeking fan - McPhee talked to

The Associated Press about her new album, newfound fame and why she's

enjoying indulging her "girly" side.

 

AP: You're single just came out, your record is next. How do you feel?

McPhee: I am so excited. I just look back to a year ago, at this time

I was getting ready, preparing for "Idol" and I wasn't able to tell

anybody I was going to be on "Idol." It's a pretty miraculous thing

that I'm now promoting my first single, "Over It," which I'm just

loving. ... It's just a fun pop, uptempo record. It gives you a little

bit more of an insight to who I am, a different side of me. I dance in

my car to it and have a great time. It's kind of a celebration of

young girls coming together and a lot of those kinds of tunes.

 

AP: How has your sound changed since you left "Idol"?

McPhee: I always wanted to just sing the kind of things that were a

little bit more challenging, rhythmically challenging, like different

syncopated kind of beats and stuff like that I didn't get a chance to

do on "Idol."

 

AP: What should fans expect from this record?

McPhee: It's not a record that I'm just trying to be like, "Oh, I want

to be like everybody else." It's something I really relate to and it's

something that is a part of me. I think when you walk away from this

record you're going to feel like you know a part of me better - the

girl who was in college or the girl who was in high school versus the

girl who was on "Idol." You just get to know a little bit more which

is important for a new artist.

 

AP: What was the songwriting process like?

McPhee: My process was that even if I wasn't writing on one of the

songs, I was still really involved. ... But my specific writing was

really fun for me. We came up with a song called "Not Ur Girl," which

is one of my favorites. It's kind of a girls' anthem. I think we built

a really fun pop song for girls and it kind of has some old-school

feel. And then "Neglected" I wrote on as well, which I think is one of

my favorite songs on the record. Every time I listen to it it gives me

these goose bumps. If you can make yourself get goose bumps with

something you've done, that's a pretty good sign.

 

AP: How does working in the studio compare to musical theater?

McPhee: With musical theater, it's so much easier to obviously connect

with what you're singing about because you have a live audience and

you're getting energy from them. When you're in the studio it's so

easy to just kind of be singing the lines, having no emotion behind

it. ... That was something that I had to learn in the recording

studio, that I had to not only just sing it and make it sound pretty

but that the emotion had to carry through.

 

AP: Your image is much sexier now. Was that intentional?

McPhee: We didn't think, with this kind of music, a long gown was

going to mix well together. That's definitely a part of me. What girly

girl doesn't want to get dressed up and go to the prom and look

beautiful? But for this kind of music, it was more the side of me

who's a typical day-to-day jeans and T-shirt kind of girl with some

cute high heels and a ponytail. The cover of the album is pushing the

envelope. It's always about wanting to get people's attention and

making a statement. You won't see me walking down the street with

thigh-high boots and a little short shirt, but you'll definitely see a

little bit more of the more comfortable Katharine.

 

AP: How concerned are you with album sales?

McPhee: You definitely think about it. You want to have a first great

week and all that kind of stuff and ... these next couple weeks is

really to just get the word out. So you worry about it but mostly you

just want to be proud of the record that you made. It is a worry but

for me I try to just focus on what I have to do today and what I can

control.

 

AP: Any downsides to overnight fame?

McPhee: Right now there hasn't been too many downsides. I've really

enjoyed all of it. You do get tired, like everybody else, and

sometimes you wish that the Internet didn't have a right to say all

the things they want to say, but also there's the upside that they

write and they publicize all the things that you want to have people

know. I really don't feel like I have any complaints.

 

AP: What's been the single best thing that's happened since

auditioning for "Idol"?

McPhee: To be honest, I think it was making it into the top two and

having that realization with ("Idol" winner) Taylor (Hicks), that

moment where we were like, "Oh my gosh, we both have record deals.

This is exactly what we wanted!" For me it was a moment of peace where

I was like, "Wow, I can't believe I did this. Out of all these

hundreds of thousands of people who auditioned, I'm one of the last

ones standing. I'm the last female in this entire country standing."

That was a huge moment. For what I've experienced, that was the

biggest thrill.

 

GETTING THIS RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL TOMORROW :D