Not much new information on Ryan P.A. Johnson, but then again, it's still pretty early. Been thinking about this fellow, and been wondering about a few things. Again, it looks from the information on him that Ryan is part of a band which focuses on Christian, Rock and Alternative music. And I was trying to imagine how this might play out on American Idol depending on how Ryan decides to craft his image on the show.
Does he avoid even a hint of religious music or talk or imagery relating to religion? He could, after all. But then, he seems like a fairly sincere kind of guy so I'm thinking that his religious beliefs aren't something that he can just simply turn off or push to the background, even if he's on as high profile a stage as the American Idol show. So I don't get the sense that we'll see a Ryan P.A. Johnson completely devoid of any of his religious background.
But if he does decide to stay true to himself, how far does he take it? For example, will we see a Ryan P.A. Johnson who sings gospel music on American Idol? Don't think I've ever seen or heard of that happening. Not that it's impossible, of course. There's a lot of gospel music out there now which sounds a lot like secular music. More of a soft sell as opposed to hitting you over the head with a mallet in order to show you the message. And a lot of it sounds pretty good. I think I can remember a song from the movie, Saved, which was religious in message but not at all overbearing in tone. So will Ryan Johnson sing something religious?
Or better yet, will he mention God during his videotaped interview segments, or maybe while he's talking with Ryan (Seacrest)? I'd like to see how that goes. I get the sense that people won't necessarily react negatively to a young person who seems to possess sincere religious belief, and maybe some people might even respond positively to precisely a young person who doesn't come across as overly materialistic, or pessimistic, or selfish, or self-centered.
That said, Ryan will have to be careful because there's a fine line here, and I do know some young people who're sincere in their faith, but who I just can't stand to be around or speak with, because I feel like I'm being looked down on. If that's the Ryan P.A. Johnson who shows up at American Idol, then he might have himself a short stay indeed. But I hope that won't happen.
