While some skeptics might claim that Carly Smithson was just keeping a stiff upper lip after her elimination the other night, Carly begs to differ with that theory. In a phone interview with her after her departure, she explains that she reacted so well to her departure because she truly wasn’t sad. As she put it, “I know I feel like American Idol has given me such a gift, such a platform to be able to launch myself off of and no more theme songs. I’m actually, I’m not that sad to be leaving. I enjoyed every minute thoroughly, but you know we’re back in two weeks to start preparing for the tour and the finale. So it’s like a small break and I’m going to be back.” She’s thrilled to have gained a loyal fan base, and to have the opportunity to make a “cool record.”
There have been quite a few theories on why Carly was voted off, and she tends to agree with some of them. For example, there was some bad press about her being too experienced at the beginning of the show due to having a previous contract, and that’s when Carly says a lot of the really strong fan bases were formed. That doesn’t mean, however, that she let it get to her. Instead, she says she had the most fun she could have possibly had with each performance.
Although Carly doesn’t deny that she has a strong background in singing, she revealed in the interview that she took a break from singing all together at one point because of how difficult her pursuit of a music career had been. She became a waitress in Atlanta in about 2003, and picked up with that when she moved to San Diego as well. What’s funny is she never even mentioned that she could sing when she worked at Fado in Atlanta, and, ironically, the singer there right around time was Michael Johns! It wasn’t until she began performing at the bar in San Diego in 2005 that she realized she really wanted to get back into music again. Carly doesn’t like to think of her time on “Idol” as a second chance, however. She released her first CD when she was only 15, and she said it wasn’t promoted at all, so it “imploded.” “I like to not dwell on things that had happened before, and I just like to see this as the first real experience that I’ve really had. You know I learned so much more with this and had such more of a positive experience than I had ever had in the past.”
As many viewers probably noticed, Simon Cowell was particularly hard on Carly from the start of the season. Carly thinks it might have been because he didn’t see her as the pop rock singer that she envisions. But she doesn’t think his criticism was all bad. She even said that he told her directly that he has very high hopes for her career, and she thinks a lot of his comments were given because he wanted her to do the best she could.
Of course, there were some viewers who had a hard time getting past Carly’s extensive tattoos. But Carly wants everyone to know that the one on her arm is not an Amy Winehouse tattoo, but rather an image of a Geisha that she hasn’t had time to get filled in!
One aspect Carly will definitely miss is the friends she made while on the show, and she even noted the interesting roles they all seemed to play. As she said, she became a sort of “camp counselor,” wiping everyone’s eyes and making sure they kept it together. She tends to see the positives in everyone, and says that each of the remaining Idols has a certain strength. They’re also very distinct, unlike some other seasons, so it’s hard to really compare them. She did admit, however, that her favorite left a while back, and that was Amanda Overmyer, who Carly thought was “fantastic.”
The only real regret Carly has about her experience is learning too late the importance of having more fun with the song choices instead of just going for the song that showcases her vocals. As she explained, “I had fun, and I think maybe it was too late, but I realized not to take everything so seriously. You know early on in the show they had set the standard so high for me, and they were a lot harder on me than other contestants and I think it kind of got to me for a maybe a few weeks, and I think by the time I met Mariah Carey I had kind of changed my mind. She was just so cool and so normal and so nice.” Oh, and she does have one other small regret…not being able to take advantage of Neil Diamond’s extensive song library! In fact, she was planning on doing a “balladish” version of “Sweet Caroline” with a piano and the cello.
Watch Carly’s in-person exit interview now!
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You will be the latest American Idol- Karaoke Star DVDs 
Carrie Underwood
Sure, you’ve formed your opinions on which Idols sing their way into your hearts, but do you really know what makes them tick? americanidol.com had the opportunity to sit down with the Top 5 Idols and chat. Brooke White opens about her emotional journey, David Archuleta explains what his experience is like as the youngest Idol of the season, David Cook talks about his theory on the key to success, Jason Castro explains how he just tries to be himself, and Syesha Mercado gives us the scoop on what she really thinks of Simon!
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