James Durbin on Being an ‘Idol’ To His Fans Through His Music

Being voted off ‘American Idol’ has never looked so good, especially when it comes to singer and rock fanatic James Durbin, who recently released his debut album, ‘Memories of a Beautiful Disaster.’

In an interview with Billboard, Durbin expressed that "the underlying theme of the album is bullying and being an outsider, because growing up, I wasn't the popular kid at school."

He continued to explain that, "I've heard from fans about how inspiring I am to their kids through singing covers on 'Idol,' and now I get to put out my record and give these people real emotion, stuff that I've gone through and someone to look up to."

Durbin’s manager Josh Klemme commented on appealing to Durbin’s fanbase by saying, "I'll be the first to admit it's not easy, but . . . it's understanding who the rock audience is and who the audience for James Durbin's brand is.”

‘Memories of a Beautiful Disaster’ has been heating up music charts since it was released on Nov. 21 via Wind-Up Records, which is home to bands such as Evanescence, Creed, Seether and others.

Durbin’s monster single ‘Stand Up’ is featured on 'Official Gameday Music, Vol. 2,' which is an EP that has similar hard rock songs heard at football games. The singer also recorded 32 custom clips of 'Stand Up' for each team, which are shown in NFL stadiums all over the U.S.

"We ultimately decided to work with Wind-up Records because they're a big home for rock," Klemme said. "We solicited an NFL partnership for him because the NFL audience is a rock audience. It's about finding the right partners and the right believers that are going to push with you throughout the process."