Alejandro Aranda opens up about anxieties he felt on 'American Idol,' passion for music
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- "American Idol" finalist Alejandro Aranda is opening about anxieties he felt on the show and sharing what really matters to him -- his passion for making music and helping others through his music.
Pomona's own hometown hero visited the Eyewitness News studio on Wednesday and shared about his experience on "Idol." He admits the show's early live shows came with some major anxiety.
"I was very much a mess and I was just like, 'I can't do this, like, I'm not going to go up there and do any of it.' And then there were a lot of great people on that show that were very encouraging and they helped me out tremendously," he said.
MORE: 'American Idol' runner-up Alejandro Aranda announces summer tour
Aranda said he decided not to travel to New York to do press after the "Idol" finale - but only because the idea of going across the country on a private jet was more than his fear of flying could handle.
He said he cares much more about making music than making money.
"If I have money and I can help somebody then I'd rather do that than buy some car or go do something. Like, I'd rather help people," he said.
Aranda recently announced that he's going to hit the road for a seven-city tour.
"It's like now is the time to really, you know take everything in that I've learned and just put it out in the world, trying my hardest still," he said.
His tour will include a stop in L.A. and one in his hometown of Pomona. The rest of the July tour includes performances in Washington D.C., Brooklyn, Boston and San Francisco. Tickets went on sale Thursday.
"Just to get my feet wet, you know? Just to go out and just go play music and, you know, meet some people. I think that's going to be, it's going to be an awesome time," he said.
Aranda is working on six or seven new original songs for his tour.
He said he was stunned during his "American Idol" hometown visit when fans were singing along to his song.
"When I played 'Out Loud,' that song that I first auditioned with, and people were singing back to me, like, dude, I was like, I was tripping out. That was crazy. I could never, never in a million years thought anybody would ever sing back my lyrics. It means the world to me," he said.
