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Like many “American Idol” contestants before him, Bucky Covington didn't let the fact that he didn't finish first keep him from achieving his dreams of musical stardom.

Covington, who placed eighth on the fifth season of “American Idol,” released his self-titled debut in April. The CD hit the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at No. 4 and No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. That first-week performance marked the best debut for a male on the country charts since 1992, with Billy Ray Cyrus' Some Gave All.

The album is approaching gold status, something Covington hopes to cement with his current tour, which includes a date at Cowboys Dancehall on Friday Oct. 26.  Covington talked with 210SA about his “Idol” experience, having an identical twin and having one of his songs featured on a video game.
 

Why do you think the fifth season of “Idol” produced so many hit-makers (including Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee)?

Season Five on “Idol” was a great season, and I was flattered to be a part of that season. I don't know what you owe that to. I have to chalk it up to a bunch of luck. A room full of people decided who was on the TV show, and they happened to pick the crowd they picked ..... I think it's just the luck of the draw.

Have you tried to distance yourself from “Idol” since you started your recording career?

I'm not going to try and distance myself from the show. If you know me, you know me. God bless that show because it did a lot of great things for me. I don't want to be known as some talent-show guy because I want to be taken seriously as an artist, but the only way you can do that is by putting out good music, and that's it. You can't just up and leave it. That's crazy. That show gave me my start, and I'll be thankful for that all my life. The best move I ever made was trying out for that show.

You have an identical twin, Rocky. What's the best part of having a twin?

The best part about having an identical twin is having a brother who you're very close to. I've shared everything with my brother Rocky since I was born. I just released a new single, “It's Good To Be Us,” and when we shot the video, the video has a lot of motocross ..... They wouldn't let me get on the bike because insurance reasons and having too much money wrapped up in me, but they can let my brother ride. In the video, when you see the dirt bike and think it's me, it's Rocky.

What's the worst part of having an identical twin?

We had to share everything coming up ..... We shared hand-me-down (clothes). That's bad when you have to share hand-me-downs. We shared everything, and there's a good side and a bad side of that. The good side is that you don't mind sharing.

You have a song, “Empty Handed,” that appears on the “NASCAR '08” video game. However, they cut some of the song out for content reasons. What is the song about, and what did you think when it was edited?
 
First of all, the song is very awesome. We've all kind of heard the saying before, but you might as well spend it because you can't take it with you. That's what the song is about ..... All of us want to do great, but the bottom line is you leave this world empty-handed. You leave with what you've done, not with what you've got. That's a strong message ..... If you'd have said 10 years ago that I would have a song on (the video game), I would have never believed you. It's a huge honor. As far as taking some lines out, I personally think what the song says is kind of true life. I don't mind it on the album because it is something that people deal with. But on that game, for kids to be hearing that, I don't mind them fixing the song up. That's their choice. We don't have to ram (the song's message) down their throat while they're trying to pass little Earnhardt Jr. on turn three. Mom and Dad can talk to them about that.

CLINT HALE | 210SA