There must be something in the water in Alberta. Canadian Idol has had three winners from this province, including the 2008 winner, Coaldale’s Theo Tams. While his personal life has been under the spotlight at times, his focus has always been on his music. On May 19th his debut album Give It All Away was released, eight months after his Idol win.
“At the first top 24 show was when we met who was going to be the winner’s manager. His name is Jim and one of the first things he said was that this year we were going to push for a little more time. We were hoping to be able to release the record in January or February, we weren’t expecting as much time as we did get. I think it is because the label really did jump on board right after the finale. I laid it out for them and said I am a writer. I don’t really care what it says in the contract, I am not going to sing songs I am not completely invested in. Whether I wrote them or not I wanted to make sure I would put my stamp on as many as I can, and even the ones I am not a writer of, I want to make sure they feel just as organic and emotionally raw.”
Tams co-wrote seven songs on the album, a first for an Idol winner, and the disc is arguably the strongest release from such a winner. Full of heartfelt melodic pop music, it offers a great deal of substance while managing to be very catchy. It is a promising start that will hopefully see him achieve a level of success that past Idol contestants have struggled to obtain.
“My biggest thing is to learn to trust my gut. Hopefully my instinct will carry me. From day one I went on Canadian Idol well aware of the statistics of what previous winners have done. It all depends on how you measure success. I was a 22-year-old kid trying to pass my final exams in University and now I am living in the big city of Toronto and making music every day. I might not be selling ten million records right now but I feel pretty successful. I am really happy with the album and the fact that it is out now. I can’t wait for the next single to come out. I am just trying to keep my head in the game and keep focused.”
A message from a fellow Albertan really resonated with him.
“A few days ago I did a show with EZRock, the radio station in Toronto. Jann Arden recorded a message for me, and the thing that stood out was in this industry with all its ups and downs, persistence is bigger than talent. That is something that really stuck with me. These days, especially with the way the industry is changing and the economy, the fact that I can go to sleep at night knowing that I am part of the Canadian music industry is just such a blessing and is success in itself. I hope that so many great things come, but you have to take the time to smell the roses too.”
On the show, Tams made some very interesting song choices from artists that are lesser known to the general public, including many female artists.
”It is really hard for me to walk on stage and do a song I am not emotionally invested in. That is really where all of my choices came from. I wanted to push the boundaries of how people think of songs. I was watching the Grammy awards a few years ago, and the intro before Christina Aguillera doing Beautiful is, sometimes it is not about the singer, it’s the song. That is also a lyric in a Jann Arden song as well. That is what I took with me in my back pocket every time I had to select the song. The judges mentioned, dude you keep picking songs done by girls and for some reason that was a big thing with them. That was something I never completely understood but I wanted to go with it. It is such a cool art to be able to take someone’s song and put your own spin on it, never mind being a guy singing a girl’s song.”
Of course we can’t talk about Canadian Idol without the comment that was made after Tam’s performance of Apologize on June 24th, 2008. After the song, host Ben Mulroney asked why he chose the song and Theo replied “I had been through a relationship where I had to tell him, It’s too late to apologize. Done!” Tams himself brought it up in our conversation.
“The very first live Idol show had the infamous comment where I said tell him. I listen to it back and I hear tell’m. I was so shocked at how big it became. There was this cloud over whether I was a good musician or good singer anymore. It became a big heavy weight. Since then I have taken it upon myself to not tell my story but try to open the minds of people that this is something that is very relevant and prevalent in our society. We really need to encourage change and diversity.”
Tams is a very open person but chooses to not discuss that aspect of his life at this point in time. It is the music, he says, that is important.
“I think that is just how we approached it. I still to this day have not confirmed or denied anything, and that is something I am going to continue to carry with me because why does it matter? It is just so frustrating how it becomes something about my music, my songwriting skills, how my sexuality dictates how far I can go in this business. It is nonsense. I was so nervous about that first show and when Ben threw that question at me I was just babbling. Right after that during the commercial break a couple of other contestants came up to me and said, dude what did you just say?! I was like what do you mean? I was just so out of it I had no idea. I have let it be the experience that it was. It made me much more self aware of the things that are important to me and that I want to stand up for. If I can leave the competition not only as the winner but a little more self-understood then that makes the victory even sweeter.”
While a few websites and people did comment, the thought that Tams may or may not be gay didn’t affect his popularity, obviously, since he won.
“Especially as a young artist, that is something I really do need to focus on. First and foremost I am a musician and a writer and I just want to perform and share my music. I think that hopefully if I am doing my job right and performing well, then my story will come out in my songs. It is not that I am ashamed, but I want my music to speak for itself and for me.”
Tams knows that many of those who picked up the phone to vote for him, and that are buying his album, are from the LGBT community. He is very appreciative.
“I think that just the support from the community has been overwhelming. The people who have the courage to come up and talk to me, 95% of them say they voted for me not because of any particular reason but because they connected with me and my music. What better thing is there for an artist to hear? Especially coming from a show like Idol where it is very surface, and they only show us looking and sounding our best and hopefully acting our best. It has been completely overwhelming and something I never really expected. I am a small town Alberta boy so my knowledge and experience with the community is not that large at all but it has made it such a pleasure to meet such different people and have them be inspired by me and my music.”
Tams pays tribute to that support with his first single Lazy Lovers. The video features several couples in the back of a cab while it rains, including a same-sex couple. It was something Theo fought to include.
”That was something that was kind of a battle for me. I really didn’t know how it was going to be received, especially coming from a show like Idol which is very family friendly. Then I thought about it, what kind of message would I be giving through my music if I didn’t? I grew up in small town southern Alberta where any type of sexual diversity was frowned upon and I think that needs to change. It is not about my story or about what I have gone through. I want to present a message to kids that are growing up and feeling they are wrong, feeling shame or guilt, we as a society need to tackle that. I wanted to present this couple just like any other couple in any other relationship. Just because two people are gay does not mean they are less smart, brilliant, or capable of sustaining a perfectly healthy relationship. Changing the belief that they are somehow a little bit less is something that the gay community has gotten over the past few years. That is something I really do want to stand behind. I heard Lethbridge had a Pride Parade this year. The gay community is making big, big steps not only in Alberta but across the country and around the world. The gay and lesbian community, sexual diversity in general is becoming more accepted. If anything, that is a call to action to not only gay and lesbian people, but people who are open minded and sexually diverse. You have momentum now, keep it going and change people’s minds about the concept. You need more people that are able to stand up.”
With the album up, Tams is about to embark on a Canadian tour, which will kick off in Lethbridge in August at Whoop-up Days. While he did do a Top 3 Idol tour last winter, he is very excited to get on the road.
“It is going to be such a hot show! We are starting in Alberta in Lethbridge on August 18th, heading up north and then going to Toronto, the East Coast, and BC in August and September. We really wrote and produced this record in a way that I will really be able to shine live. I think that is my best asset and something that people took from the show is this kid can sing. I am so excited for it again. I haven’t been on tour since the Top 3 tour in November and December of last year. I am starting to shake right now I am getting so excited just talking about it - a lot of surprises that people don’t expect from an Idol winner. It is always good to keep people guessing and pushing their boundaries.”
Tams’ Idol experience allowed him to become a master of making cover songs his own. Highlights of the season included covers of Serena Ryder’s Weak In The Knees, Jann Arden’s Good Mother, Bryan Adams’ Heaven and Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry. Expect a few covers on the tour.
“I think that is why I am so excited to get on the road again. It will be so fun to get out there and do some covers. That is an appreciation I really did build in doing Canadian Idol. I never realized how hard it is. Viewers think that the song we perform is our first choice, sometimes it was our fourth or fifth because we have to deal with song clearance and various red tape issues. Sometimes the show was about having to sit down, be creative, and work with the elements of a show like that.”
What appeals to fans of Theo Tams is not only his voice, piano skill, and songwriting talent but also how genuine and humble he came across on TV.
“I think for me it is just a matter of really taking the time and reflecting. I have always been a really inward person, and the challenge has been to step up and be more personable. I definitely like being the life of the party, I am not going to lie! But I do need my time to sit and chill and reflect, and in the past year I have done more of that than ever. It is such a scary industry and to be put into a role I never thought I would be in is a lot of pressure. I still have the best friends I had before Idol who have followed me every step of the way. My family, we have our ups and downs but they are so supportive. That is what it comes down to is just making a conscious decision that this is my career and I am so blessed and lucky to do music for a living. That does not change who I am. Over the years society has made it that you always have to be on and happy, which is great, but I am just as proud of my weaknesses as I am my strengths. I think that my biggest strengths and my biggest weaknesses are the same thing sometimes. It makes it a challenge in this industry but not something that I ever want to lose.”
Without the votes of his fans, and their buying concert tickets and albums, Theo Tams would not be where he is today.
“First and foremost, it is such a cliché but these days we need people who are willing to stand up, strengths and weaknesses and all, and be so proud to be themselves. I do want to say thank you so, so much for all of the support (not just) as an artist and a musician on a reality show but as a person. I feel very blessed. Hopefully I will be down in Cowtown and Edmonton soon and we can all party it up!”
Photos courtesy Sony Music.
