One can tell on first sight that 25-year-old Daniel Farmer isn’t from around these parts, or at least took a trip away from these parts fairly recently. He’s wearing Timberlands and a floppy hat, not completely unlike Pharrell Williams’ now famous Vivienne Westwood headwear.
Farmer is amicable and charismatic in conversation, as if he’s been trained, deliberating over answers, responding in a measured enthusiastic tone. This all makes sense for Farmer. He’s gotten the golden ticket to “American Idol’s” Hollywood auditions.
Farmer was five minutes late to the interview.
“Just when I was about to head over, I was basically mobbed,” he said. “People congratulating me, all that.”
Moments later, that was corroborated as a young woman approached him.
“Congratulations Daniel,” she said.
“What’s up girl? Thank you.”
“It’s been crazy,” he said, while sniffing out an empty classroom at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he is a student. “The community here is amazing. It’s like family.”
Farmer is originally from Memphis and received a scholarship to the university to study theater and music. In August he took a trip to Little Rock to audition for “American Idol’s” open call.
The process is convoluted to say the least. Auditions were filmed in August with Farmer receiving an invite to Hollywood. In November, Farmer traveled to Hollywood for further auditions, the results of which are classified.
“I can’t tell you about the results of it. I can only talk about my experience in Los Angeles,” he said through a wide grin.
Draw conclusions as you will.
Farmer’s Little Rock audition aired on Jan. 7 and showed the gregarious Memphian getting a disproportionate amount of screen time — the highlight of the Little Rock auditions.
“I love Jen. She’s sexy. I’m just going to look into her eyes and sing to her,” he said into the camera.
It cuts away to show him slow-motion dancing, surrounded by other contestants of the show. Does every contestant get to dance surrounded by others? Do they take turns?
During his performance to Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr., Farmer drops out of the song.
“Come on baby,” he yelps before finishing D’Angelo’s “How Does it Feel.”
Subtitled text reveals J. Lo’s whisper to Harry Connick Jr.
“You know to me, funny and sexy go together,” she said. “There’s a confidence to both.”
“Keep it together, Daniel,” he said, recalling the scene. “That’s all I was thinking.”
Farmer is an entertainer. One can see the influence the theater has had on his body language and composure, so at the end of the day, what is it but acting?
“It was strategized,” he said. “There were so many contestants, so many kids and they all want to make it to Hollywood. I had to stand out.”
Farmer said that contestants are only granted access to the celebrity judges after three days of auditioning with non-celebrity producers and talent agents.
“They saw on a bio I had to give them that I was an actor,” he said. “They asked me to do a few shoots with them, a commercial in Little Rock, some other on-camera work.”
From that point on, his strategizing paid off.
“Hollywood was amazing,” he said. “I want to move there after school is over. I met Ryan Seacrest, told him he’s got some nice hair. The producers were asking us to do a lot of stuff — put our hands in the Chinese Theater’s handprints.”
Whether or not Farmer advances to the live audience round, we don’t yet know, but Farmer is a musician and views his stint on “American Idol” only as a step in his growth as an artist.
“I love R&B, but I love pop,” he said. “I don’t want to be a one-dimensional type of artist.”
He cites Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Brandy and, of course, D’Angelo as some of his influences — an artist indeed treading the line between pop and a deeper rhythm-and-blues sensibility.
Farmer’s mother, Judith, speaks as only a proud mother could.
“Daniel’s been singing since he was about 3,” she said. “I saw the talent early. He has a twin brother and I used to practice voice with them, since they were too young to take lessons.”
She, like Daniel, voiced her gratitude toward UAPB, highlighting its faculty and familial atmosphere.
“Dr. Michael Bates, the professor and music director at UAPB, has been tremendously helpful with his education and scholarship,” she said.
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