Old AOL Interview with Danny Gokey

1. Were you as calm and cool as you looked next to Tatiana before getting the results?
I maybe looked calm and cool but I wasn't on the inside ... On the inside, I [felt] kind of like a wreck ... I just hope it doesn't come off the wrong way to the American public, you know? Or the voters, I should say. I'm not the President [laughs]. My whole thought process at the time was I was preparing myself to go home, I really was. I just said "Anything can happen. Anything's possible." Tatiana showed up that night when she sang, and I think she had the surprise element. I wanted to go out gracefully.
2. Do you worry that viewers might think you're trying to play the sympathy card by talking about your deceased wife?
People who come from the outside view probably will think it's too much. But it's only been seven months since she's passed. This is who I am. And it's not that I throw it in people's faces, but I get asked about it all the time. Honestly, this is a sob story I don't want. But it is shaping my life, and it's causing hope for a lot of people. And not only that, it's causing hope for my life ... There's a fun side to me that's gonna come out. I apologize to everybody if they feel like it's shoved down their face, but it's so fresh in my mind.
3. Does this new Top 36 process seem easier or harder?
It's never been harder to get into the top 12, but yet it's also it's never been easier because of the fact that you don't have to go from 36 -- or 24, even -- all the way down to 12. You skip all of that. But the thing that makes it so like gut-wrenching is that there's amazing talent that is being sent home, and it's almost like an unfair shot.
4. Many viewers were bummed Jamar didn't make the Top 36. How did you feel about it?
I was mad. I had a pretty upset look on my face because I expected him to go through. I even said "I'll see you in the Top 36" after I made it through; I was just so confident that he showed his ability and what it takes to get there. And so disappointment was completely in my mind and heart. But ... he's received such recognition I know it's not the end of the road for him. He's got a bright future ahead of him, and it doesn't stop here. It only gets better from here.
5. After the show, do you think you'll be a Christian artist?
You know, honestly? I don't know yet. But the answer I'm leaning towards right now, it would be out in the mainstream market. That's where I want to be. There [are] a lot of good Christian singers, but I think I would like to go out and do something outside my box. I believe that I can just be a singer who's a Christian.
6. The judges have showered you with praise from the start. Is there anything you want to improve?
Oh, absolutely. I know I can improve. I want to clean up my vocals. I notice when I'm singing ... I sometimes hit a flat and a sharp here. That really bothers me because I know that I can do a clean performance. But on the other hand, I like taking risks when I'm singing. I don't like to just be in the safe box. So that really is my strategy -- to clean up and become more professional. And also ... I want to loosen up a little bit, and not be so nervous.
7. How do you think your wife would've reacted to this?
My wife would just be telling all of her friends. She would be going to the store trying to buy clothes and trying to get herself all cute ... She was spunky, and she was just so cute, and she just had a little attitude. She'd be so happy; she'd just be so happy.