Lewes native Jimmie Allen begins Japan 'Idol' tour

Cape Henlopen grad and now Nashville resident Jimmie Allen is Tokyo bound.

This month, the former American Idol contestant will travel around Japan on a 19-stop tour, and he's looking forward to it.

"Things are going really good," he said, a few days before leaving for the tour.

He'll be performing with seven other former American Idol contestants in the American Idol/Armed Forces sponsored concert that will play at festivals and military installations throughout Japan.

He'll be able to sing only a couple of his own songs during the show, but when it's finished, so will his contract with American Idol, and he'll concentrate on his music career.

It's something he's been doing since moving to Nashville, and it's paying the bills.

"All the hard work is finally starting to pay off," he said. "I remember when I left Delaware chasing this, everybody thought I was crazy."

Maybe not so much anymore.

With two of his original songs getting play abroad – "Beautiful Day" in Norway and "Comet" in Sweden – a New York City jewelry company using "Beautiful Day" as its theme song, and the opportunity to work with and write songs for the likes of Chris Daughtry, Rhianna and David Archuleta, it appears Allen is well on his way.

"Rhianna has put one song on hold for now, but hopefully that works out," he said.

Allen still has his pop/rock band Mercury Lane and said he's talking to a few record labels. He hopes to land a contract when he returns from the Japan tour.

So far, everything has fallen into place nicely. He's making money by making music, and as long as he continues to do so, he said he'll be happy.

"I try to tell people success is not measured by how famous you are, it's a personal goal. If I can make a living to support me and my family off of music, I'm fine," he said.