Kara told you to stick to your core demographic: young girls and women. Were you at all offended by that? Do you think you're a more well-rounded as an artist?
Casey James: I would like to hope so, but I definitely am not offended by someone, that's her opinion. I know nothing of demographics, and my marketing skills are obviously poor or I wouldn't have been doing the same bar gigs for 11 years. I definitely don't take offense to it, but I definitely would also like to think that I have a few more people out there that like what I'm doing.

Is it true that you haven't had a TV for the past 20 years?
CJ: Yes, it is true. When I was I guess seven or eight, lightning struck my mother's house and blew out the antenna on the TV, and we just never got another one. I guess it wasn't that important to us. Growing up without it, I didn't see all the things that everyone else saw on the TV and thought was cool to do this or to do that and fashion things and hip things that were going on, so I guess it kind of led me to be my own person a little bit more and to do my own thing. I'm really glad that it worked out that way. It gives you more time to do other things. I should put it that way.

When they were showing the montage of your time on Idol, they of course included the scene where Kara asked you to take your shirt off. What would your advice be to any future contestants who are asked to take their shirt off by a judge?
CJ: Well, who's to say that I would be here had I not done that, so I think if you feel like you can back yourself up and not be the guy that took his shirt off because hopefully that's not what I am now. I would say do what you need to do to get the ball rolling. There's a possibility had I not done that that I might not have made it past that first round. It definitely wasn't something that I thought of or even realized was going to happen, but I'm so thankful that it did because coming back and I really had that drive to knock it out the first chance that I could. I think I did surprise the judges at that point. It obviously worked out.

How do you avoid letting it all go to your head?
CJ: You keep in mind that if it wasn't you it would be somebody else. It's very situational. I'm very honored and happy and proud of everything that I've accomplished, but keeping in mind that this will die down and very soon there'll be the next person in my situation. I'm just looking forward to trying to keep the audience that I have. If I do that, then maybe you'll have to deflate my ego later on down the line, but right now it's really easy just to keep grounded because it is what it is.

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