Last week Kelly Clarkson came home. This week, it was David Cook’s turn.
The season 7 winner returned to the American Idol stage during Thursday’s elimination show to debut the first single off his upcoming album, This Loud Morning.
Ryan Seacrest introduced the rocker as “someone who never felt the sting of rejection on this stage,” before Cook sang “The Last Goodbye.”
“It’s great to be back,” he said after the performance.
The Idol then shared some news with the roaring crowd. “I’m going to be involved for the third year in a row, actually, with Race for Hope in Washington D.C.” Cook, 28, said. “It’s a 5K walk/run and all the proceeds go to an organization called ABC Squared [Accelerated Brain Cancer Cure or ABC2.org] that I’ve been involved with now for a while to help find a cure for brain cancer.”
Cook’s older brother Adam, who was often in the front row cheering him on during his winning season, lost a decade-long battle against brain cancer in 2009.
When Seacrest said he noticed Cook’s mother Beth in the crowd Thursday night, the singer explained: “I told her that we were coming back to play the new single and it will be really interesting,” he said. “[She said], ‘I just want to meet Steven Tyler, that’s it.’ So, I figured while I have the forum we should … Do you want to say hi or something?”
At that point Cook’s mother got out of her seat and went to greet the Idol judge. They embraced and even shared a kiss on the cheek.
“Do you approve?” Seacrest asked.
Cook shook his head and said, jokingly, “We’re going to have a conversation when the cameras go off.”
Three former Idols are returning to the show that made them famous, and only RumorFix has the details for you.
Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson from season three of American Idol is performing this week on the hit FOX show. RumorFix has also learned exclusively that Kelly Clarkson, who is “Thankful” for being the first American Idol, is returning on April 14 to sing “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” with country star Jason Aldean.
We’ve also confirmed that David Cook, the winner of the seventh season, is returning to the Idol stage on April 21 to sing a single off his new album.
The crooner will also come back for the season finale to sing his farewell song, “Don’t You (Forget About Me).”
David Cook was my 4th American Idol I have shot in the last year. He was really pleasant to work with and was great about letting us crash his studio. A funny thing he told me was that photographers can pull off wearing denim shirts, I need to remember to send him one. Check out his interview done by the incredible Joelson’s here.
His gritty rock voice is what helped David Cook, 28, win season seven of American Idol.
But when working on his latest, as yet untitled studio album, he learned to use that voice in a whole new way.
As usual, Cook collaborated with an array of music industry veterans, from Kelly Clarkson songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk to OneRebublic vocalist Ryan Tedder. But in contrast to the “anxiety” he felt making his platinum-selling, self-titled, post-Idol album, the Missouri-bred singer told AOL’s Popeater: “Sitting in the room with these people, I still managed to find my voice … really speaking up for myself and making sure that what was happening was going to come across as me and not, ‘Here’s David Cook singing somebody else’s songs.’ ”
In a behind-the-scenes video shot at Emblem studios in Calabasas, Calif., Cook comes across as self-assured, but not cocky: “I’m very confident in my own ability to write music, but I think anytime you can bounce ideas off of other people – you know, two heads are better than one.”
