Chris Medina gets booted, lands major-label deal

Chris Medina may not have made the “American Idol” Top 24, but the Illinois barista who touched many of the show's fans and brought judge Jennifer Lopez to tears with his poignant life story may land a hit song anyway.

Medina, who has become the primary caregiver for his fiancee Juliana Ramos who was severely injured in a car accident, is now set to release his debut single “What Are Words” tonight and its video, shot last weekend, will debut tomorrow afternoon. Medina will also perform the song, written and produced by Rodney Jerkins, on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” tomorrow night.

"To go from a mass audition in Milwaukee to the 'American Idol' stage in Hollywood and then to record an original song by and for Rodney Jerkins has been an amazing journey not just for me but for Juliana," Medina said.  "To be able to work in the studio with someone of his stature was a dream come true.”

The song will be released on 19 Recordings/Interscope.

"When I heard the story of Chris and Juliana, the words and music just flowed,” Jerkins said. “Sometimes a song is more than a song and that's really true with 'What Are Words.' "