Q&A: "Idol" builds confidence for finalist Castro

By Fred Bronson

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Dreadlocked 20-year-old Jason Castro's rendition of everything from Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans" to a popular version of Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" has helped earn him a place in the final four of the seventh season of Fox's "American Idol. In an exclusive Billboard interview, the Texan talks about working with the show's big-name mentors, how he started off as a drummer and how he "can't even wrap his mind around" his growing fanbase.

Q: A lot of people think your interpretation of Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" was your best performance.

Castro: I don't think it was my best vocally, but I felt it was a good delivery. That's one of my favorite songs of all time. Eighties week was tough. There's a lot of good rock, but I'm not a rock guy, at least singing-wise. I used to be the rock guy, and now I'm like this mellow singing guy. I was actually going to do a Dan Fogelberg song originally that we had a hard time clearing. I had to consider other songs, and then I stumbled upon (the fact) that "Hallelujah" was originally written and released in the '80s. I had known the (1995) Jeff Buckley version, and I knew Leonard Cohen had originally written it, but I never knew the date. It's a special song. So many people hadn't heard it, and I'm glad now they have.

Q: What has working with this season's mentors been like?

Castro: It has been awkward. I mean, meeting people in general, usually I'm cool, but the situations are just so weird. You're about to sing their song, and you don't really know it yet. But it's been really cool. It's probably more challenging than stepping onstage. So it's a growing process, making you stronger. Even if you're freaked out and you don't think you can do it, you have no choice. You have to do it anyway and make a TV show out of it. It's all confidence-building.

Q: Have you felt like you've been in a bubble while competing on "American Idol?"

Castro: Oh, sure, but I guess it's necessary. You could not do this any other way than being isolated and focused. I rarely go out, but I sometimes I go to dinner with my family. You hear people whispering and talking and everyone wants to take your picture. And autographs are awkward. Don't ask for autographs, people. I don't understand the whole autograph thing. I don't know why people like my chicken scratch. It's strange.

Q: Is your family musical? When did you realize you could sing?