As we previously reported, American Idol isn’t the first reality singing competition for Top 12’s Thunderstorm Artis. Five years ago, he was a contestant on The Voice, finishing in second place, and has since built his music career to the point where he’s earning his living full-time making music. Even so, he decided try his hand at Idol.
“Originally, man, I was terrified about doing a second show,” Thunderstorm admits to Parade. But then after giving the matter a great deal of consideration – and the time element was against him as at 29 he would age out – he took the gamble.
“I felt like I was in a very different season,” he continues. “I have two kids now, I have a wonderful wife, and I am in a different season of life, so I wanted to come on here and really showcase my artistry in a way that I didn’t get to do on the last show with some original music. I really wanted to see if I had what it took. Life is all about taking chances and so I wanted to take a chance on myself with this show.”
The opportunity to perform original music was a big part of the appeal for the Nashville-based musician to try his hand at American Idol. He is looking at the show as the opportunity to present the best he has, and hopefully, get the world to notice him and what he’s been trying to deliver as an artist these past several years.
“It’s no shade on The Voice,” he said at the Hulu Get Real event in Beverly Hills. “It was an amazing experience. [And he’s still friends with coach John Legend.] It really helped shape me in my younger years. Now five years later, I just feel like I’m a different man and a different artist, and I’m looking forward to saying, ‘Hey, America, do you remember me?’ and just showing them who I am.”
In real life, Thunderstorm began music as a form of therapy. His father, Ron Artis, was a session musician who played keyboards on Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller.” When his father died suddenly from a heart attack, Thunderstorm used singing as a way to cope with his grief.
“I started music as a form of therapy, so my main mission is bringing therapy to others and trying to just put good music out in the world with a good message that people can listen to,” he says. “Whether you’re a 5-year-old kid or an 80-year-old grandmother, I want to make sure that everyone can really listen to it and find something really special from my story.”
Thunderstorm Artis
Disney/Eric McCandless
Heading into the competition, Thunderstorm is very aware that the music industry has changed since the early days of American Idol, which launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. So win or lose, record deal or not, he sees Idol as an opportunity to cultivate an audience to listen to his music.
“It’s really up to me to really drive it home,” he says. “I was raised to give it your best whether there’s one person listening or millions. It doesn’t matter, if someone special needs to hear what you have to offer, then you’ve got to get up there and give your best.”
He also wouldn’t mind following in the footsteps of Benson Boone, who dropped out of Idol – Thunderstorm has no plans to leave – to forge his own way, and now has contestants singing his songs.
“I was like, ‘Man, that would be a dream to be able to come back here at some point and hear someone singing my song on the show.’ It’s definitely a goal to aspire to and that’s the beautiful thing about this. He did just a couple rounds here on American Idol, he got an offer, and he decided to run with it and take a chance and look how it paid off for him.”
American Idol airs Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Streams next day on Hulu.
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