American Idol Winner Caleb Johnson Completely Lashes Out At The Show
Caleb Johnson rose to fame as the Season 13 winner of "American Idol" in 2014. Johnson — who auditioned for the show three times — wowed then-judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. with an original song titled, "Into the Void." The North Carolina native would later be crowned the season's victor, beating out runner-up Jena Irene Asciutto.
Johnson released his debut album, "Testify," immediately following his time on "American Idol," but left his record label a year later. He told Billboard in 2015 that he parted ways with Interscope Records — the label that signed him after his stint on "American Idol" — in hopes of finding a more supportive team. "I want to find the right home and the right team of people that are going to get behind my music and really do something," he said. "What's the point of doing it if the [label] isn't going to do anything?"
Now, Johnson has taken another jab at the reality show and is not holding back his true feelings about his introduction to the music business.
Caleb Johnson says his first post-American Idol single was crap
Caleb Johnson is lashing out at "American Idol," and is slamming "As Long as You Love Me," his 2014 victory song. "I knew that, by de facto, if you won you had to sing the song, and the song was just utter crap," Johnson told Insider. "Like it was just the worst song ever." Johnson goes on to reveal that the single — written by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins — was also given to an "Idols South Africa" contestant in 2012. And while Johnson was set to perform the track on the post-season tour, it would later prove to be a "nightmare to perform."
Johnson isn't the only contestant from Season 13 to speak ill of their time on "American Idol"; runner-up Jena Irene Asciutto also struggled to kick start her music career after her time on the series. "All anyone cares about is this 'American Idol' title, which is dope, but it's a reality-TV show," Asciutto told Insider in June. "And it's also not the music industry, which is a complete fact."
These days, Johnson performs with his band, Caleb Johnson & the Ramblin' Saints. Meanwhile, Sciutto is still working as a musician, and keeping fans updated with her activities on Instagram.