Josh Gracin Sets his Standards High

“There’s been a lot of talk about how I had it easy,” Josh Gracin said in a recent telephone interview.
Gracin was referring to his fourth-place finish on American Idol during the TV show’s second season in 2003. Today, he is an established country singer and composer who will be appearing at Wildwood’s inaugural Country Music Weekend, Oct. 22-23. He’ll perform Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Wildwoods Convention Center’s Oceanfront Arena with Sawyer Brown and the duo, Bomshel.
“There’s a lot of negativity (in the industry) that comes from being on a talent show,” he explained. “We’re criticized for taking the ‘easy way.’ That’s ridiculous. If I didn’t work hard, I wouldn’t have gotten here.”
A Marine on active service when he performed on Idol, Gracin began his career in earnest after his honorable discharge in 2004. His debut album, ‘Josh Gracin,’ was certified gold that year, with three of its singles — I Want to Live, Nothin’ to Lose, and Stay with Me — breaking into Billboard’s top five Country list. Nothin’ to Lose made it all the way to number one.
But he still feels that he’s the same as he was when he first started writing music as a teen.
“From age 13 I tried to write music, but it wasn’t any good” he laughed. “It took some time, but I had to find my spot. I’ve written everything on my album. I am who I am. I never changed. I’m an intense sort of guy, and my music is conversational; it’s about everyday life, because I write about personal experiences.”
Real country music aficionados will honestly describe that same personal quality about the lyrics of the legendary Hank Williams — long considered the granddaddy of the genre. In fact, Gracin’s Web site (www.joshgracin.com) notes that “All songs on (his current album —‘We Weren’t Crazy’) are identifiable slices of life that listeners can readily embrace, including family life, lost love, and romance”
Gracin’s burgeoning popularity will no doubt be the result of his talent — both as composer and performer — rather than his success on American Idol.
“It doesn’t matter that I came from a talent show,” he emphasized. “On American Idol, we couldn’t fake it; we were out there. I was on during the second season, and no one knew at that time just how big the show was going to be. They were still figuring it out.”
But the bias against that path to stardom exists nonetheless, according to Gracin.
“We (talent show winners) are hardly used in awards shows and such,” he said. “I do get frustrated over this. And I didn’t sing on American Idol the way I can now. I can be 100 times better than I was then.”
Gracin’s next project is an ambitious one. He’ll be holding a national competition for a female singer who will join him in a duet of a song that is another Gracin original. Five finalists from each top radio market will be chosen, then Gracin will ultimately pick his singing partner from among those.
“We’re looking for the next female singing star,” he said.
A husband, father of four, U.S. Marine, and now singing star, the Michigan native takes life seriously. So seriously, that, were it not for his emergence as a performer, he would be following political aspirations.
“I keep myself well-informed,” he said. “I don’t like a lot of what I see happening today. Politicians seem insincere. A real leader is open-minded, takes a direction and then stays with it. That means, if you make a mistake, admit it; don’t blame others. If you keep your direction, people will respect you.”
With a reputation for showing his sincerity in words and showmanship on stage, Gracin seems to have no difficulty living up to his own high standards.