Before the women of Idol's Sweet 16 take the stage Tuesday night, hoping to make the top 12, the four contestants to get the boot last week -- Michelle Delamor, Jermaine Sellers, John Park and Haeley Vaughn -- chatted with reporters about nerves, regrets and what's next.
MICHELLE DELAMORAfter doing Alicia Keys proud with a version of "Fallin,'" the 22-year-old from Miami came back in week two and sang Creed's "With Arms Wide Open," hoping to make the song her own. Does she question her surprising song choice? "As a matter of fact, I think part of what messed me up a little bit is that I questioned it before I got on that stage," she admits. "When you’re not sure of the song you’re performing, it's going to be noticed and can feel that." But Michelle isn't going back to Miami with regrets. In fact, she's not going back at all! "I'm actually staying in L.A. I'm going to do everything that I can to make something big come out of this," she says. "I've come this far and I know that I was made to do something big with music so I’m not going give up, and you guys will see me one day doing something big, I promise."
JERMAINE SELLERSThe 27-year-old from Joliet, Ill., explained his song choice, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," to reporters after his elimination. "We're not paying attention to what's going on as far as Haiti, you know, as far as Chile," he says. "We’re spending time focusing on other stuff when we should be focusing on what's actually going on in the world right now." The singer, who has a very spiritual side, believes he can find a place for himself in the music industry. "I see myself being a contemporary artist. My style is very much what BeBe and CeCe Winans were. They sang songs like “Heaven” and “I’m Lost Without You” and it still was marketable," he said. "It’s that crossover market."
JOHN PARKAfter getting eliminated, he told Ryan Seacrest that his favorite Idol memory was meeting Shania Twain during the auditions. Also memorable: "Meeting the other contestants and really becoming good friends and also working with Ricky Minor and the band," he says, adding, "Tyler Grady, who was eliminated the first week is someone that I continue to keep in touch with. Also Casey James, who is currently in the show, and Lee DeWyze, who is also from Chicago." Is Simon Cowell, who told him he would go home, a different story. "That's just how he is on TV," John, 21, says of the judge's tough talk. "After the elimination happened and I sang my last song, he came up to me and he shook my hand and he said, you know, good job for coming this far."
HAELEY VAUGHNAt just 16-years-old, Haeley was one of the show's youngest contestants. Her infectious smile and country-pop appeal (not to mention her trendy headbands!) were not enough to keep her in the competition. Many, including the judges, pointed out that she looked nervous on stage and Haeley admits that nerves did play a factor. "The first week was really tough," she says. "We were all super nervous and scared and worried about our song choice. ... The nerves kind of settled down week two, but they were definitely still there for me." The Fort Collins, Colo., resident might go back to high school but has her sights set on something bigger. "I'm a really big fan of Disney and Disney channel," she says. "I would love to be on a show. My favorite show was Hannah Montana."
F Micelotta/American Idol 2010/Getty
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