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I grew up always wanting to be a part of 'Idol,' and I never thought I would make it as far as I did. I was really lucky, and it's given me the opportunities that I have now.

'Idol' was more of a competition, and that was more of a platform that I wanted to get a hold of and get on top of. And I finally got that opportunity, and now it's more like, I just gotta show and prove myself to everybody that I'm not just the 'balladeer.'

A lot of what I have always done is do other singers.

Yeah... I was a singer as a kid. I had a lot of stage fright, and what's happened with 'Idol,' it has got me past so much of that.

When I was younger, there was a huge gap between what I wanted to do and what I could do as an idol.

I didn't really have an agenda for my talent. I just wanted to be able to sing.

I am very grateful for the opportunities provided to me through appearing on 'American Idol.' The value that the fans and the show have given to my career is not lost on me. However, I have not felt that I have been free to conduct my career in a way that I am comfortable with.

As much as I love being a singer-songwriter, I love throwing down on stage and letting it all out.

I prefer career artists that have spent time honing their craft, as opposed to, 'I won a karaoke contest on a reality show and now I have a record.' That's such a drag. The music that comes out of it is so poor.