Beat-boxing Blake Lewis believes he stayed true to himself throughout his American Idol sixth-season journey, and his originality was rewarded by fans as he finished as the runner-up. Now the 25-year-old Bothell, WA-native is apparently ready to pay his fans back with his debut album.
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Similar to Idol sixth-season champ Jordin Sparks, Lewis finds himself with a busy summer ahead as he's working on his debut album while at the same time preparing for American Idol's 2007 concert tour, which kicks-off Friday, July 6 in Sunrise, FL and spans 56 dates and 35 states over the course of two-and-a-half months.
Lewis said he hit the studio on Monday, June 18 in Los Angeles to begin laying the groundwork for his debut album, with electronic musician BT already signed on as a producer, according to TV Guide.
"I just recorded my first track last night," Lewis told TV Guide. "I've already written seven songs."
In addition, Lewis said fellow beat-boxer Doug E. Fresh -- with whom he performed a memorable duet of the rapper's 1986 hit "The Show" during Idol 6's finale -- is currently "in talks" to beatbox on one of the album's tracks. However Lewis' eagerness to perform with others from the industry doesn't stop with Fresh.
"There's a couple of emcees I'd like to work with," he told TV Guide. "I'm going to have four or five people beatbox between tracks."
Lewis also doesn't want to just collaborate with some of his musical inspirations, as he's planning to pay them homage through the album's sound.
"I'd classify it as electro-funk-soul-pop if you need to label it," he told TV Guide. "I really love the sounds of the '80s so I hope to ring some of that back. I'm really inspired by electronic music."
Lewis told TV Guide his debut album can be expected to drop before the end of the year "because they want it out by Thanksgiving or Christmas."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
