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"Idol" Mario's "Gallery" Opening
So apparently quitting American Idol can be right up there with winning. Sometimes.
Mario Vazquez, the Bronx-born fan favorite who abruptly voted himself off of the fourth season of Idol after making it into the top 12, will be releasing his self-titled debut album Sept. 26.
Though rumors arose (and were denied) that Vazquez ditched the competition so he wouldn't have to be tied down to an Idol-specific recording contract, the singer ended up with Idol-friendly Arista Records, home to Taylor Hicks' upcoming debut.
Arista operates under Sony BMG's RCA Records Group, which has also worked with Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Kelly Clarkson.
Even though thousands of young hopefuls would have probably done some pretty bad stuff in order to be in Vazquez's top-12 shoes, the aspiring pop star says he has no regrets about dropping out of the running.
"It wasn't right for me," Vazquez, in Chicago last month to promote his new tunes, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I wanted to go in a grittier, edgier direction, but that's not what they wanted."
Maybe McPhee wasn't the first contestant whom Simon Cowell deemed a perfect match for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
The first single off of Vazquez's album is the R&B-flavored "Gallery," an appeal to a woman to leave her cheating boyfriend. Vazquez showed up on Total Request Live recently to introduce the video and reconnect with his tweenage audience.
"It's challenging," Vazquez told the San Antonio weekly Conexión last month. "You have to promote and sell yourself, and it's a lot of getting accustomed to the traveling because you travel for hours and you only have 20 minutes on stage."
Pre-Idol, Vazquez worked professionally as a backup singer and lent vocals to Michael Jackson's 2001 album Invincible. He just wrapped up a headlining stint on Teen People's Rock 'N Shop Mall Tour and is preparing to tour in support of Mario Vazquez, the album.
"I definitely feel that I've accomplished something great," the 29-year-old told Texas' Brownsville Herald. "As long as I'm happy, I'm good. I think it's a great album."
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