Jake Bugg’s ‘Idol’ Set Didn’t Change His Mind About The Show

Don’t let Jake Bugg’s recent appearance on ‘American Idol’ fool you, he still pretty much hates the whole idea of televised singing competitions.

When tapped by androgynous country western personality and ‘Idol’ judge Keith Urban to actually perform on one of the live ‘results’ shows, Bugg’s original impulse was to turn the offer down, without question. In a recent interview with Yahoo Music, after his recent South By Southwest performance, the outspoken 20 year old UK singer/songwriter had this to say:

“My instinctive opinion was to say no, of course. But then I thought, I’ve talked [badly] about those shows and given my opinion on them, but I haven’t actually gone there and experienced it for myself. Maybe it might give me a different view on it. So I went there. Keith had asked me, as a fan.I thought, some kids, their big sister might watch, and they might only have one TV in their house. And a lot of [young] people think [going on a singing competetion is the only way to get a record deal.

So I wanted to go on there, and just kind of say ‘You don’t have to go on those shows. I didn’t go on those shows. There’s people, that tour in a little van, and you stay in crap hotels. It don’t sound glamorous, but it’s a lot of fun. It make take a little bit longer [to make it], but it’s definitely worth it.”

Jake Bugg further went on to say that while a first prize payoff on a show like American Idol or The Voice might help initially launch somebody’s career, many contestants are giving up any sort of longevity for the sake of that first big push.

From Jake Bugg’s SXSW interview:

“It’s great exposure, of course. But even the people that win make one or two albums, and then they’re not seen again or heard again. So, how much are you doing it because you want all the perks [of stardom], or because you really want to make great albums and great songs, and do music?”

Performing on the show only seemed to confirm Jake Bugg’s reservations about the idea of televised singing competitions. Post performance, Bugg said:

“I met a few of the contestants. It’s really hard. You would look in their face and think ‘You’re not the winner.’

And it’s really dark… It’s horrible, really.

The way American Idol ran their show was great, I’m not knocking that. But it’s the actual concept: ‘Thanks for coming on the show, but you’ll probably never get a record deal, and your dream is smashed.'”

The day after Jake Bugg’s appearance on American Idol, his sophomore album experienced a sales spike of 551%.

Also, a recent announcement was made adding Bugg to this year’s already massive Glastonbury Music Festival. Jake Bugg will be playing alongside more than 80 other acts at Glastonbury 2014 on the weekend of June 27-28-29.