Jacob Lusk at the Montreal Pop Festival (9/22)

[Miguel]

He'll be doing an R. Kelly tribute and two original songs never heard before.

http://popmontreal.com/events-tickets/ja...s-invites/

A recent interview:

I’m trying to learn my songs. I’m trying to get my moves in order. It’s amazing that I’m doing a list of R. Kelly songs, but I’m also going to be doing some original music that no one has ever heard live yet, which is extremely exciting. The truth is, I haven’t done a show like this since Idol. I’ve done 20-minute sets and I’ve done opening sets, but I’m doing a whole hour here and some change, so it’s pretty nerve-racking. It’s crazy to think that people are coming to see me, and there’s that pressure of not knowing if people are going to come, because I’m not opening for Gladys Knight tonight, I’ll tell you that much. It’s taking me to a place musically that’s really testing me because I’ve always done the big ballads, the up-tempo singing, and this is forcing me to try some things I never have done before.

I am an R. Kelly fan. To be honest, his music is a little raunchy for me sometimes, and I’m known more as the good kid next door, so I did find myself blushing a couple of times. I was thinking this wasn’t going to work, and I don’t know if this is going to fly. It’s been a struggle because even though I’m a big fan of R. Kelly, I never thought I’d be singing a full concert of his songs, so that’s what I’ve been looking for, to find the balance between who R. Kelly is as an artist and making sure that when people come to see the show, they’ll get to see who Jacob Lusk is.

This is where the chicken flies the coop. On American Idol, you sing for two minutes, then you go home ,and that’s it. In two minutes, you sing, you smile, you say vote for me, this is my phone number; here you have to put on a show, and this is where the real artist, I believe, shows up. You have to please the whole crowd for an hour — you gotta talk, you gotta dance, you gotta get the crowd involved and you gotta make sure they’re having a good time. That’s what separates the corn from the husk [laughs, avoids obvious pun].

He also says, "I have an album coming. I want to revive real good R&B pop music, like Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross."

More: http://cultmontreal.com/2012/09/american...e-r-kelly/

[Miguel]

David Cowan ッ ‏@yocowan

@Jacob_Lusk Thanks for putting on an absolutely amazing show, you got the luv!!

POP Montreal Diary

I had a tough choice to make – it was either Big K.R.I.T. and Slim Thug over at Club Soda or Jacob Lusk (from American Idol fame) & a tribute band called the “R. Kelly All-Stars” over at Sala Rossa, that were singing the R&B phenom’s tracks all night. But I’m kind of a humongous R. Kelly fan who has his discography. I sort of had no choice but to go see what this shit was all about.

Lusk took the stage in front of a young crowd that kept on shouting for “Ignition” which forced the artist to play it early (I felt bad for him because that song certainly isn’t the R.’s best). He has a really amazing voice and is a talented showman. His original songs were a little on the snoozer side but they weren’t terrible tunes. I guess I was just pumped after he played “Fiesta”. The R. Kelly All-Stars featured Jeff Barbara and Mozart’s Sister and I’m pretty sure the band itself were former members of Islands. The show was good but if you just like two or three R. Kelly songs, maybe not worth it.

http://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/3208#...BI.twitter