American Idol Champ Lee DeWyze Sets Album Release

Lee's first single "Live It Up" is set to debut 'On Air with Ryan Seacrest' next Wednesday (October 13th)

"Putting out an album on a major label is truly a dream come true," says 24-year-old DeWyze, a native of Mount Prospect, IL, who had built up a sizeable following on the Chicago club scene when he first auditioned for Idol in June 2009 at the urging of his bandmates. He was the only male contestant never to land in the competition's bottom three contestants. "I'm excited for all the people who supported me throughout Idol to hear what I can do with my own songs. The album shows a whole different side of me and I'm so proud of it."

Working with top-notch collaborators such as Toby Gad, John Shanks, and Espionage, to name a few, DeWyze co-wrote most of the songs on Live It Up, which he recorded while on the road over the summer with the American Idols Live Tour. "To see my name listed in the credits on each song was really important to me because I'm a songwriter" DeWyze says, "I also loved working with such talented writers. They all brought so much to the table and really helped me flesh out my sound."

Live It Up is an engaging blend of rootsy pop, rock and folk, anchored by DeWyze's soulful, rough-edged voice and bright-sounding acoustic guitar. "I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & the Papas, Cat Stevens, and Kris Kristofferson," DeWyze says. "I love hard-edged vocals over pretty melodies � that's what I'm about. I really admire guys like Dave Matthews and Ray LaMontagne, and to now be on the same record label as them � it just blows my mind."


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