When Trent Harmon won American Idol two years ago, he says, “A lot of people thought that they were going to get an album within weeks of Idol being over. And here we are, a new Idol has come out. I mean there’s going to be a new winner about the same time that my record comes out.”
Fortunately, Trent’s fans stuck with him and waited patiently, and this Friday, their patience will be rewarded with Trent’s debut album, named after his current single, “You Got ‘Em All.” One thing Trent is incredibly grateful for and proud of is that the album will feature a lot of songs that were written by him. Trent says, “Being able to write my own material, whether it’s good or not whether you think it’s good or bad or indifferent, I got to write it. And no matter what, five years, twenty years, thirty years, removed, I would rather have a finished work of original material rather than a bunch of cover songs which would essentially have been what I would’ve done. I would’ve had to put songs on hold that were by other artists because I hadn’t had time to write.”
Interestingly, Trent spent the last year intensively writing songs, not knowing if he was writing for his own album or if he was working toward becoming a full time songwriter, so he actually gave away a lot of the songs that are on his debut album, but by the grace of God, he was able to get most of them back. Trent says, “It had to be a God thing because I didn’t ask for the songs back. I was just told, ‘Hey, those songs, we got them back.’ I don’t even know how it happened. I don’t know if somebody went to it on my behalf once they saw that all the contractual stuff was beginning to clear up, if they said, ‘Hey, we’d really like ‘em back. Our boy could use some good songs in his catalog.’ I was just told that they were back if I wanted them, and of course I said, yeah! Those are some of the best ones we’ve written.”
So now, when fans listen to Trent’s debut album, You Got ‘Em All, he says, “I think they’re gonna be able to see different chapters of me through this record in the last two years. Sometimes I was mad sometimes I was sad. The single is pretty sad. You know it’s pretty overwhelmingly sad. I think that was right about the time that I was thinking I don’t know what’s going to happen. Overwhelmingly I do not know what’s going to happen, I’m sad right now.”
Trent is known for his soulfulness and R&B influences on his sound and he assures fans that they will hear some of that on this album. “Scott (Borchetta), he described the album as like if JT, if Timberlake made a country album. And there are a lot of influences on that, a lot of soul. People say you know I wish you were putting out an R&B album, a soul album. It’s on there. I can finally say go buy the record. You can tell what days I wanted to make a soul album.”
You Got ‘Em All features eleven songs, eight of which were co-written by Trent, including the title track.
Trent Harmon – glad debut album took time :45
“Absolutely. That’s such a good question and people ask me all the time, ‘Well why couldn’t you just have put songs out that you sang on the show?’ And I think it was really important, you want to pay tribute to all of that, and that did happen and that was wonderful and we’re here talking because of it, but you almost want to create this disconnect. And by the time being in between then and now and being able to write my own material, whether it’s good or not whether you think it’s good or bad or indifferent, I got to write it. And no matter what, five years, twenty years, thirty years, removed, I would rather have a finished work of original material rather than a bunch of cover songs which would essentially have been what I would’ve done. I would’ve had to put songs on hold that were by other artists because I hadn’t had time to write.”
Trent Harmon – getting songs back :26
“It had to be a God thing because I didn’t ask for the songs back. I was just told, ‘Hey, those songs, we got them back.’ I don’t even know how it happened. I don’t know if somebody went to it on my behalf once they saw that all the contractual stuff was beginning to clear up, if they said, ‘Hey, we’d really like ‘em back. Our boy could use some good songs in his catalog.’ I was just told that they were back if I wanted them, and of course I said, yeah! Those are some of the best ones we’ve written.”
Trent Harmon – introduce new album :43
“I think they’re gonna be able to see different chapters of me through this record in the last two years. Sometimes I was mad sometimes I was sad. The single is pretty sad. You know it’s pretty overwhelmingly sad. I think that was right about the time that I was thinking I don’t know what’s going to happen. Overwhelmingly I do not know what’s going to happen, I’m sad right now. At some point, Borchetta, Scott, he described the album as like if JT, if Timberlake made a country album. And there are a lot of influences on that, a lot of soul. People say you know I wish you were putting out an R&B album, a soul album. It’s on there. I can finally say go buy the record. You can tell what days I wanted to make a soul album.”
Trent Harmon – patience of fans :21
“They have stayed in touch with me for the last two years. I’ve tried not to go ghost on them. If they’d say, where is your album? We’re supposed to get an album – you know a lot of people thought that they were going to get an album within weeks of Idol being over. And here we are, a new Idol has come out. I mean there’s going to be a new winner about the same time that my record comes out.”