American Idol finalist Jon Peter Lewis remembers a time when he could wake up in the morning, go outside to get the paper and wave to his friends across the street, without worrying about a thing.
It's funny how drastically life can change in a year.
Instead of just having to handle school, a part-time job and the occasional theater performance, Lewis barely has time to relax.
Within the past year this BYU-Idaho student flew to Hawaii, tried out for season three of "American Idol," passed the initial cut and made it to Hollywood. He performed on national television — all the way through to the top 32 contestants. Then he was voted by the show's fans as the show's wild card and placed among the Top 12 finalists. Until viewers voted him off the show on April 14, six weeks before America chose the winner.
Whew.
"Life does change very quickly," Lewis said during a telephone interview from California. "I miss being able to play the X-Box without having to worry about anything else."
And he's had a lot to worry about. After his last week on "American Idol," Lewis went on a publicity tour in New York City, which included "Entertainment Tonight" and "Regis and Kelly." He is also touring with the other top 10 American Idol finalists to 49 U.S. cities, starting Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
The concert will be a combination of solo and group songs, Lewis said, ranging from classics to modern hits. Lewis even gets the chance to play the guitar during the show, adding yet another talent to his resume, which already includes singing, music, art (he drew a portrait of American Idol judge Simon Cowell after making the Top 12), theater, sports, speaking fluent Spanish (he went on an LDS Church mission to Spain) and crazy dancing (remember the episode when he sang Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation"?).
And don't forget songwriting. Lewis said he has spent the majority of his time since the show ended at his aunt and uncle's home in Malibu, Calif., where he has been writing and recording demo music for an album he hopes will come out later this year.
"When it's time to go ahead and get in the studio, after the tour, I'll have plenty of material to select from," Lewis said.
During his time on the show, Lewis sang classic songs by Elvis Presley, Elton John and Dobie Gray, serenading America with his unique voice while dressed in his signature retro-velvet jackets and blue jeans. Thinking back on the show, Lewis said that if he were to regret anything, it would probably be some song choices. He does wish he could have performed a few songs by the Beatles, his favorite band.
"I really don't think about it all the time. Every now and again I'll think about it and maybe wonder, you know, what if I had done this, and what if I done that. I guess I try not to regret anything."
Fans know him as "JPL." Cowell called him "the dark horse" of the competition. America remembers him being dubbed the "pen salesman" from his first audition in which he wore a white shirt and tie.
But before he left for Hawaii, Lewis, now 24, was just another face in the crowd, attending BYU-I where he was majoring in pre-med and working part-time in the bookstore. He lived in a house with his best friends and performed in the university's theater productions whenever he had the chance. During the summer, he was part of the cast at the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone, Wyo.
After being gone for almost a year, Lewis said he missed his friends the most. "We would just hang out every day and have the best times," Lewis said. "It was really one of the coolest times of my life."
On a recent trip to Rexburg, Idaho, Lewis had a chance to spend some time with his friends before heading back to California to start rehearsals for the tour. He said that while he was on campus at BYU-I, people gave him his space. No autographs were signed. No pictures were taken.
"People know who you are, everywhere you go," Lewis said. "The people that were up there, they really didn't want to make a big deal out of me being on the show."
Which was quite different from his life in Hollywood. Between the busy schedule of daily rehearsals and recording in preparation for the Tuesday and Wednesday shows, Lewis said he rarely had time to play, much less deal with the public.
"Everywhere I go, people are wanting pictures and autographs. It's a terrible life, really," Lewis said, partly serious, partly joking.
Of all the perks this glamorous lifestyle has offered him, Lewis said he likes the free stuff the best. Not the American Idol mansion he lived in during the show, nor the fame of being an American Idol, but the free stuff.
"Everyone wants to give you something free, just because you've been on TV," Lewis said of the clothes and other merchandise he's received.
Lewis says he would still like to return to Rexburg and finish his education — but being in Hollywood has taught him something that Rexburg couldn't. "Hollywood's a lot different than Rexburg. In Rexburg, there's so many people who are kind of the same. Tolerance is something that's not as necessary. Yes, it's necessary, but not as much, because there's so many people who believe the same thing and do the same thing.
"Whereas, when you go somewhere else, you learn just to view" life differently, Lewis said. "You have to learn tolerance and appreciation for other things."
If you go. . .
What: "American Idols Live"
Where: Delta Center
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
How much: $45 and $35
Phone: 325-7328
E-mail: ltaylor@desnews.com