How to Perform like American Idol's David Cook

American Idol’s 7th Season featured many memorable performers like David Archuleta, Michael Johns and the rocker David Cook. Cook started out slow but has now created many memorable performances with “Hello,” “Billie Jean,” and “Always Be My Baby.” If you want to rock like David Cook, it may take a small makeover and some music lessons, but with a lot of hard work, it can be done.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Looks. David Cook started out with half-red, half-black hair and a faux-hawk in the back, but after a couple of weeks he finally chopped his hair down and got the bangs out of his face. His new look featured a short hair style and a small goatee. He usually wears some type of rocker clothing and can be seen in anything from a T-shirt to a white leather jacket.
2. Instruments. David Cook takes advantage of the new instrument rule with his electric guitar. He performs very well with the guitar so for you to perform like him, you will need to learn how to use the guitar and sing at the same time. He has not been seen using any other instruments, but the guitar skills are a must to duplicate him.
3. Song Choice. David Cook is the rock singer on his season of American Idol and almost every song he performs has turned into a successful rock version. Some of his best performances from him have been “Hello,” “Billie Jean,” and “Always Be My Baby.” He took three pop songs and performed them in a rock style that has impressed the judges and gained him a ton of fans.
4. For your song choices, look for popular pop songs that could make potentially great rock soundtracks.
5. Stage Presence. David Cook usually starts his songs behind a microphone on the stand, but by the time the chorus rolls around, the microphone is in his hand and he moving around the stage. He has a really presence on the stage and is comfortable with his surroundings.
6. You should be able to move around easily and perform with some movements with the microphone stand. Cook has also traveled through the audience on occasion while singing, so multi-tasking is a plus.