Tomorrow night, a pair of America's Got Talent winners will be the special guests at Heart to Heart Shanghai's annual concert to raise money for children's heart surgery. We chatted with 2011 winner Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. about how winning the show changed his life, his Christmas collaboration with The Temptations and stepping into the judge's chair for the afternoon battle of the bands. Our interview with 2010 winner Michael Grimm is available here.
Will this be your first time in China?
Yes, it is and I’m super excited. I actually played in Germany, which was my first time outside of the US, but to be able to come to China – wow, that’s a great dream to come true. I wouldn’t have believed this would have been possible a couple of years ago.
How did you get involved?
I did America’s Got Talent and the guy who actually runs the Mercedes-Benz Arena is from West Virginia. So it was a fellow West Virginian that brought me over and I think that’s beautiful.
As part of the show, you’ll be judging a high school battle of the bands. What kind of judge are you?
It’s going to be hard to be a judge because I’m the type of person that does things from the heart. I feel like people that put themselves out there should be applauded just for that. So I have to watch my heart and not let it get in the way. I’m going to look for the best talent and make my decisions on that instead of someone’s story because I tend to root for the underdog most of the time, so I have to control that and be respectful in the job that I’ve been selected to do.
You won America’s Got Talent. How was the judging process?
It was amazing. I’ve been entertaining my friends and family since I was three years old so it was almost like a home away from home being on America’s Got Talent because I felt that the audience was my home. I’m the type of guy that performs well with bigger audiences. Being a 6’4 black male from West Virginia with dreadlocks and singing Frank Sinatra music on national television – how big is that. So I try to take everything in stride. I thank God for the blessings that he has bestowed on me and I keep trying to pay it forward and always reach back to help someone out get to the point where I am.
The whole process was amazing. I got to experience some of the world’s most interesting people. I got to see how television works behind the scenes. I got so much knowledge and so many stories to tell and I just want to take that with me and love every moment. My eyes are wide open at 39 and I’m so glad that it happened at that time of my life. It could’ve happened to me when I was 17 or 18 and I would probably be lost right now.
What was the night you won like?
That night when I won, I was so happy – I wanted to moonwalk and do the James Brown splits – but I couldn’t do it because those kids were there and I wanted to show that I respected all the other contestants - but on the inside there was a little man tapdancing and really cheesing. When they announced my name, I went completely numb. It was amazing and I’m always going to hold it close to my heart.
They took me straight off the stage and I think I did 26 interviews right off the stage. Patti Labelle, my wife and I went on the red carpet. After that, I was on a plane to Texas. I finished my CD in three days – they had me booked for like a month and a half but I completed all my vocals in three days and I did the videos and the photo shoot for the album cover in the next five days, so it took a total of eight days. My CD was on the shelves and on top of the Billboard Jazz Charts for about four weeks. I was so amazed by that.
What was the experience like being on that show?
The whole experience with America’s Got Talent – I recommend that show for anyone that has a talent they want to show to the world. First of all, That show will help you grow as a person and at the same time, they’re not going to change you. You’ll be who you were unless you grow – so I remained who I am and I didn’t lose that humbleness. I still live in West Virginia. I get to travel all around the world. I earn a living for me and my family and I’m living my dreams. that’s all due to that show. I thank all of them, the whole crew and staff with all of my heart.
TV contests are becoming more popular in China. What do you recommend to contestants to get noticed?
Be like what I did and just be yourself. I think I stood out because I didn’t change when the cameras came on. I think that’s what television is missing and I think that’s what people in general are missing - the real people in the world. Everybody’s wanting to be something and most people are just faking it. I think the world is starting to see through phony people because reality TV has done that to us. We’re so sick of the fake reality TV shows so when they saw me, they actually got to see 100% Landau. Throughout the whole show, it was all spontaneous and that’s what I keep doing in my career. I don’t rehearse for my shows. The only thing I do is a sound check. I make sure that my trumpet players are grooving and the band is swinging, but other than that, everything is so spontaneous from going from one song to the next song with my jokes or just telling my life story.
You’ve recently released a Christmas album. Could you talk about the process?
It was great. Since America’s Got Talent, I’ve been on the road for the past two years. I actually had the idea a year and a half but it’s hard to make a Christmas CD in the Spring time. I carry a 20-piece orchestra with me and the music just wasn’t swinging at the time. So we waited until it started to get cold and the band was swinging better. When you hear my Christmas CD, it really puts you in a Christmas mood. I think everyone’s going to like this. I also have one of The Temptations on there. I wanted to redo “Silent Night” but I couldn’t figure out how to make it better or as good as The Temptations did. So we laid out a version mixed with their high falsetto and my Frank Sinatra style with a choir behind it, and oh it’s so sweet.
You’ll also be performing in Shanghai. What can people expect?
What’s great about my shows is that there are grandparents there with their grandkids so I’m bridging that gap. It’s just been amazing.
// Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. performs at the Save a Life: Battle of the Bands with America's Got Talent Winners, Dec 7, 7.30pm, RMB100-180. Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Shibi Da Dao, by Zhoujia Du Lu 世博大道1200号, 靠近周家渡路 (400 610 3721)
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