Community Corner

Chris Medina 'Humbled,' Not Miffed by No Invite to 'Idol' Finale

Medina had hoped for a shot at performing—or watching from the audience—for the Season 10 finale, but found out this week there's just no room.

Early on in Season 10 of American Idol, producers painted Chris Medina as a star. His story—a love story between he and disabled fiancée Juliana Ramos tainted with tragedy—was said to rival that of Season 8 contestant Danny Gokey, who lost his wife after complications in a routine surgery.

Medina made his first appearance on the show in , where he auditioned with The Script's Breakeven. As he tearfully told producers hearts worldwide reached out to the then 26-year-old, curly-haired crooner. When Jennifer Lopez sent Medina home just short of the Top 24, his friends and family back home weren't worried. He had only just begun.

Since then, his single What Are Words, penned by Rodney Jerkins and released just a day after his elimination, has sold over 70,000 copies; he's booked , and even as far away as Norway. But there was one place he hoped to be the night of the Idol finale at the end of May.

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"I wanted to believe that I made a big enough impact on the show, even to have just one seat in the audience," Medina told Patch. "But I couldn't get my hands on a ticket."

He's disappointed and bummed to miss out on the big night, but harbors no bad feelings toward Idol. If anything, he said, it was a lesson in humility.

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"I felt like it was a reality check," Medina said. "'You did get eliminated from the show, you only made it so far.'"

Early reports of Medina's exclusion from the finale painted him as ungrateful, he said.

"They ('Idol') don't owe me anything." he said. "They've given me so much already."

Since his appearance on the show, hundreds of thousands of dollars have poured in for Ramos' care, and his fans worldwide offer up prayers and support for her recovery.

"No hard feelings," Medina said. "They created an opportunity for me to do what I love, for the person I love.

"It was my ego that was a little hurt. It's things like that, that keep me grounded. Make me work harder."

All Eyes Turned to Norway

While Medina's single has remained popular in the U.S., in Norway, it has skyrocketed. As recently as last week, Medina landed in the #1 spot on the country's iTunes charts.

Medina and his band The Able Body are lined up for the Schools Out Festival in Notodden, Norway June 10. The band has turned all of its focus toward planning the setlist and overall performance for the show. The members have upped their practice schedule to five days per week, often logging three to four hours a night playing and tweaking songs. And the work continues on individual levels when they're apart.

"We spend every waking minute of each day planning our show, preparing, getting our merchandise together so we can have things to sign," Medina said.

With his popularity hitting such great heights in Norway, Medina is feeling the pressure to deliver.

"When I perform here in Oak Forest, I'm just a local guy. My friends and family come out to support me," he said. "But when I go to Norway, I'm a number 1 artist.

"I don't want to let them down."

Really, Medina said, missing out on the Idol finale could prove the best bet for the band, pre-Norway.

"Not going to American Idol is like a blessing in disguise," he said. "This way, we can practice and keep our eyes set on Norway."

The opportunity to perform as a number one artist could boost his career, Medina said.

"I get my opportunity to prove, to at least one country, that I'm worth it. Im an artist," he said. "I'm not just one song or story."

More than that, he said, he's eager to share the spotlight with his friends and fellow band-mates Dave Alyinovich, Glenn Curran, Zach Duran and Matt Sebby.

"It's really important for me to get my guys some exposure," Medina said. "They've been so supportive through this whole thing.

Alyinovich has coordinated publicity and social media efforts; Curran, a law student, managed the contractual side of things, while Duran has carefully ensured that their material and performances are clean and superior, technically.

"I'm no better than them," Medina said. "I just have had more exposure."


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