"American Idol" Singer Jason Castro Signs With Atlantic Records

As American Idol's eighth season hits its home stretch with only seven singers remaining, a former Idol is making some news of his own: While many former Idol contestants have lost their record deals due to slow sales, Season Seven's third runner-up Jason Castro has inked a contract with Atlantic Records. The label will release the dreadlocked crooner's debut album later this year. Castro made AI history last season, becoming the first singer to play an instrument on the show (AI changed its rules to permit instrumentalists to show off their skills). He later topped the iTunes chart with his cover of "Over the Rainbow."

For his new album, Castro is working with writers like current Idol judge Kara DioGuardi — whose credits include Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera and Ashlee Simpson — and producer Jon Fields. Castro has also re-recorded the song that helped put him on the AI map: Jeff Buckley's mournful take on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Castro's new version will appear on the soundtrack of the upcoming film Amar A Morir, a Mexican drama currently screening in Mexico.

Castro will join Season Seven alums David Cook (RCA), David Archuleta (Jive), who both have major-label record deals, as does semifinalist Josiah Leming, who is signed to Warner Bros. Finalist Amanda Overmyer released Solidify in December on indie Chile Records. Idols who have lost their record deals include Blake Lewis, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. Other Idols continue to burn up the charts, like Clarkson, who recently ousted U2 from the top of the charts.

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• Jason Castro: "It's Nice To Be Doing Something Different"
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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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