(hennemusic) For the time being, he'll be referred to as the "American Idol rocker," but James Durbin was rocking long before he hit the Idol stage."I just remember being a kid, driving around with my mom, and then Dio's 'Holy Diver' came on the radio and it changed everything," Durbin tells Noisecreep. "It was the first time I had ever heard a metal song. I loved it right away. From there, I just wanted to learn as much about music as I could. Eventually, I found the artists that I liked more and stuck with those. I'm talking about Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Motley Crue — you know, the classics."
At some point, James morphed from being a fan to starting a band.
"I've always showed an interest for music of all kinds, so they might have thought that the metal thing was just a phase," he laughs. "When I was a teenager, I even started a metal band called Leviathan. I've always wanted to be a professional musician. Look, metal isn't the kind of music my mom would listen to, but she's always been supportive nonetheless. more on this story
