My first album after 'American Idol' I did with Desmond - we paid for it together, and we literally were together working on it every day for a year and half, just writing. We wrote in New York, Nashville, L.A., Sweden - we wrote with some other amazing songwriters like Diane Warren, too.
'American Idol' opened up all the doors to where I am now.
The biggest risk I've ever taken is going on American Idol and trying to be myself. I wasn't going to try too hard to conform, and I knew that it could possibly not work out.
I auditioned for 'American Idol' at 17. They told me, 'No.'
Look at 'American Idol,' which I don't look at. Those winners haven't become household names except for Jennifer Hudson, and she was a reject. You can't aim to be a household name. You just have to be successful.
An American Idol is someone who knows how to change people's lives through music.
Yeah, the first contract I signed, that was the first time I realized, Oh man, never mind, I don’t want to do this anymore, but it was too late. I realized it was a bad thing because I wanted to try out for 'American Idol' and all these different things couldn’t do that because I was in this contract.
What I love about 'American Idol' is that it's broad.
I was always in bands before, but on 'American Idol,' it was about getting my voice out there. It was always my goal, though, to get a band together again.
Most people use Twitter to meet girls, and I use it to meet 'American Idol' contestants!
