Sometimes, a guy can catch a break.

It’s a rare thing for a musician to go from part-time burrito maker to hopeful international superstar in the span of a week, but Josh Krajcik’s planets aligned this fall on reality TV singing competition The X Factor. Driven by his enthusiastic mother to Chicago for the show’s auditions, the 30-year-old Columbus songwriter turned Simon Cowell’s smug mug upside-down with a breathtaking rendition of Etta James’ “At Last.” Recalling Joe Cocker and Bob Seger in their glory days, Krajcik’s rich, soulful growl kept him in favor with the judges, and his Midwestern everydude charm captivated people around the world. Not the standard picture of a reality show star, his differences from the other contestants, and contestants on these programs in general, were thrown into sharp relief from day one. It was refreshing and inspiring to root for a shaggy-mopped Krajcik belting out classics like “Wild Horses” and “With A Little Help From My Friends” in true worthy underdog fashion.

(614) caught up with him before his near victory to chat about The X Factor experience and what motivates him as a musician.      

What’s on your agenda today?

It’s a long day, we’re doing rehearsals, we got practice in this morning so we meet with press people later and do press photos. Meetings, all kinds of stuff. So it’s big, long days out here.

Has it been like that right from the start?

Yeah, it was surprising at first but it’s become just the way it is. Some days are 18 hours. It’s at least eight-hour days.

How do you find time to catch your breath, let alone sing?

We’re not sequestered or anything, so I’ve gone out and had a couple drinks with friends, a couple gin and tonics. We have a few moments and when you have them, you use them.

How did you get the gusto to just go and try out?

My friend Gran Bel Fisher (I had played guitar with him) called me and said, ‘Hey, let’s go do this X Factor thing.’ I said, ‘Get outta here.’ You know, I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ He said, ‘No, I’m serious,’ and we talked about it, so I was like, ‘Alright, the hell with it, let’s do it.’ About a week before, he couldn’t do it, he had some health issues. So I said, ‘You know what, I’m still gonna do it.’ I knew I couldn’t afford it so I called my mom, who’s retired and I knew she had the extra time, and she got me up there.

Did you feel like you had something more to offer viewers than the average contestant?

Yeah, one of the things that makes me different is when you look at me, you say, ‘What’s this guy doing on the show?’ I’m not your typical reality competition show guy, you know, but I think I have a lot to offer. I’m just trying to keep who I am in check and be myself and hopefully good things will come.

You seem pretty humble. If you hadn’t made it, would you have turned around and said, ‘Oh well,’ or would you have been a little crushed?

I’m a pretty easygoing guy. I think no matter what happens, I roll with the punches. I think if I were to go home now, we’d throw a big party back in Columbus. We’d have a good old time. I think with the unique amount of exposure I have, if I work hard, I’ll be just fine.

Your voice seems deeply rooted in soul, and your previous project was blues based. What inspires you at your core?

I think I’m more of a soul guy than anything else. I know how to rock, but what I really want to do is soul music. R&B. The stuff I listen to is in line with that. 

What projects were you involved with before the show?

My first gig – I was 15 years old – I went to this little place in Lodi called The Shady Glen. I told them I was 22 because it was a 21-and-over bar, and I made 100 bucks for four hours. And that was the moment that I said, ‘This is it for me, that’s just what I’m doing.’ And I’ve played around bars in Ohio and I’ve played in bars in Columbus, but for whatever reason, I never quite got where I needed to be. I don’t know if it’s because I have a weird name, or people can’t remember it (laughs). I think turning 30, not like that’s some ancient number, but I think it was an eye opener, and I said, ‘OK, I gotta do something.’

What do you miss about Columbus right now?

I miss the whole fall thing. I miss the leaves changing, I miss the cold, I miss playing with my band and playing out in the bars. I love playing Rumba, Ruby’s, Victory’s … I really miss Little Brother’s, but that’s not because of the competition (laughs).

What does the exposure feel like?

It’s pretty wild, man – in one minute of airtime, I can reach more people than I ever have. It’s insane. The way I think of it is that I’m still playing that small bar. I give it my all whether I’m playing Oldfield’s to 35 people or I’m playing on The X Factor stage to 12,000. There’s no better platform out there right now than this competition to show at least a little bit of what I’m capable of. It’s hard to be fully yourself as an artist on this show because there are so many factors. 

You seem to have a solid family support system; is it helping you get peace of mind out there?

I’ve got incredible family support. My girlfriend, Megan, she’s my rock. She keeps me grounded … and I’ve got my beautiful daughter, too. I need someone to be fully honest with me, and that’s what family does best. There’s no pulling punches; it’s not, ‘This is what we think because we want what’s best for you,’ it’s, ‘This is what we think because we love you.’ 

What do you like best about L.A.?

L.A.’s great. Believe it or not, L.A. is fairly down to Earth. I think it’s because a lot of people from Ohio have moved here (laughs).