Bucky Covington photo courtesy of americanidol.com
February 9, 2007 — While some "American Idol" contestants might fear Simon Cowell's biting criticism, Bucky Covington says he's grateful for it, the AP reports.
"Because of him being mean, millions of people watch that show," Bucky said. "So I say 'thank you' for being mean. You turned on a lot of people to this show, and because of that a lot of great things happened to me."
Bucky doesn't think the judges are any meaner this year than in previous seasons. "I didn't see them being really nice to me — no pushovers, you know," he said. "I never knew Simon to be nice. If you said, 'Hey, Simon is being nice this year,' you would have caught my attention. But being mean is just what I expect. It's his job."
Bucky said he got everything he wanted from his "Idol" experience. "I didn't really think I was gong to win it. I wanted to be heard and get noticed," he said. "The most stressful thing for me was, after this show is over, what's next? Is it back to painting cars? Is it playing clubs? Or is it a career starter?"
The show was definitely a good career move for Bucky, whose self-titled debut album on Lyric Street Records will be released April 17. The first single, "A Different World," is rising on the country charts.
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