Caption: AMERICAN IDOL – “202 (Auditions)” – “American Idol” heads to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Louisville, Kentucky; and Los Angeles, California, as the search for America’s next superstar continues on The ABC Television Network, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), streaming and on demand. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)KATY PERRY, EDDIE ISLAND
Credit: © 2019 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
By Paige Atwell
If you’ve been keeping up with the newest season of ABC’s American Idol, you may have seen some familiar faces. Since his audition aired on March 6th, people can’t stop talking about the self-proclaimed “Mayor of Nashville.” We recently sat down with local contestant Eddie Island to talk about everything from his days of couch surfing in Fairview and his journey to the American Idol stage, to his musical inspirations and, of course, his favorite Franklin hot-spots.
Tell us about your experience moving to this area.
I lived in Fairview on my friend’s couch for a summer while here for an internship. I graduated college and I just noticed all my friends were compromising- taking jobs they didn’t even want, and it freaked me out-and I was just like, ‘I love Nashville and I need to make it happen.’ The thing about Nashville and the reason why I moved here is because music was a job here. Music wasn’t like a hobby; people actually did it for a job. It made me feel less weird and less alone. I definitely feel very very privileged and very very honored to be able to represent music city in American idol because I just know so many people that are working so hard here and there is so much untapped talent in this city. I think one of my favorite things about having this platform is to be able to showcase some of that talent as well in the future.
What were you doing before the show?
My main focus was marketing and branding. During the day I would work. I definitely did the starving artist thing. I worked at Target, worked at all these crazy places but eventually I started working in corporate America. I worked in social media and worked at all these places and kind of learned the other side of music.
What was the audition process like for Idol? How did this all happen?
Eventually I kind of hit this point last year where I’m seeing all these people around me and I love them but everyone’s kind of coping with relationships, work or partying and all these different things and I felt like I was ninety percent happy and I wanted that ten percent, and I didn’t’ know what that ten percent was. I went on a lunch break one day and was at Cool Springs Mall on my laptop. I went on an entertainment professional page on Facebook and a friend of mine, she tagged me in a post which was about talent scouting for a T.V. show. After that, I went to a hotel in Nashville and waited around for a while and then went in and sang for the producers. It was wild. My whole mindset this entire time has been they’re going to either love me or hate me, and they seem to love it, which is crazy.
Your audition kind of blew up on social media and got a lot of attention. How has life been since it aired?
It’s really cool. Like I love scootering around town and even just scootering around town people are yelling, ‘it’s the mayor,’ in the streets.
Where did the name ‘Island’ and The Mayor title come from?
The housing prices when I moved here were the worst. I was couch surfing in a living room with another intern in the living room with me, and I had a PVC pipe divider with tarps that I built in the Franklin Home Depot parking lot in the living room. I built a privacy screen in this living room and that was my house; that’s where I lived. I was kind of like, isolating myself and my friend was like, ‘you’re becoming Eddie Island,’ and I was like ‘that’s the name.’ I turned it into a positive and realized I’m always going to be an island and like, I’ve really felt my whole life kind of isolated from things in different ways, like being creative, being really sensitive and really emotional and sympathetic as a guy growing up and not really understanding why I cared so much about things. The name has stuck. I needed a name and here we are.
The days with the band were always crazy. One night, I remember my band changing my Instagram to Nashville Mayor. I just decided, ‘hey I’m going to run with this,’ and I left it up not thinking anything of it.’ I remember after that going around town and people being like, ‘oh my gosh it’s the mayor.’
Caption: AMERICAN IDOL – “202 (Auditions)” – “American Idol” heads to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Louisville, Kentucky; and Los Angeles, California, as the search for America’s next superstar continues on The ABC Television Network, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), streaming and on demand. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal) Eddie Island.
Credit: © 2019 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
What or who inspires your music?
I love the killers, 1975, Nirvana, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, The Weekend. Growing up actually the only station we could really agree on was the oldies, so it’s a variety. I’m so happy that I used to sing these songs to my mom in the car and now I’m doing it for America.
What are some of your favorite places in the Franklin area?
Love the Franklin Mercantile Deli, the Frothy Monkey is my favorite one and the old church by it that I’ll go into and re-center for my day. Scout’s, Gray’s, Mellow Mushroom, Pinkerton Park and the crazy train tracks, the Natchez Trace Bridge and The Factory.
What would you like to say to all the locals that are watching and rooting for you this season?
For me, I would just say thank you as well as, like, never change. I think we have a big magic here and a lot of special people and a lot of special places and I think it’s really unique; one of the most unique in the world and it’s why I’m happy to be from here now and why it’s my dream to move my family here. It’s just such a special place. I love everyone so much and I’m excited that we’re here.
To watch Eddie continue his journey on American Idol, tune in to ABC on Sunday and Monday nights at 7pm.
