Lacey Brown: Glad she had a second chance
Lacey Brown sang "Ruby Tuesday” this week on “American Idol.” Then everyone said “Goodbye, Lacey” Wednesday. But the slightly purple-haired wonder who finished 12th in season 9 was feeling optimistic about her “Idol” experience when she had her exit news conference call Thursday. Here’s some of what she shared.
Did the judges confuse or help her?
“It has been a little bit confusing and therefore I would change things week to week. … I’m a very different artist. I have a very different voice that’s not suited for a lot of genres. I see myself doing more of a pop-folk mix sort of album. … There are not a lot of voices like mine on the radio. I take pride in that I’m different, a little more unique.”
After missing a slot in the top 36 last year, why did she decide to try again this year?
“I’m one of those people that gets very competitive. It was way too much of an experience to try not to get further. … I’m really glad I got a second chance and decided to come back. I needed to work on a couple of things and come back and get further in the competition. So it was an easy decision. And everybody involved in the show -- the contestants, the relationships we formed -- was a blast.
Was she surprised when she was eliminated Wednesday night?
“I woke up yesterday morning and had the strangest feeling I was going home. I talked to a few of the other contestants and said ‘I’m going home.’ And they said,. ‘No Lacey, you’re crazy. Why would you be going home?’ But I knew something was off. It wasn’t that I made peace with it, but I had gotten used to it.”
Was it harder going home this time as opposed to last year?
“I wanted to get further last year and I wanted to get further this year. They’re equally hard. But hard is different from overwhelming. I’m the No. 12 spot in America as far as 'American Idol' goes, and that’s not a bad place to be.”
What was her biggest downfall?
”I’d probably have to say energy. The judges kept asking for energy in my songs and I kept trying to give it and they’d say it was a sleepy performance because I’ve got a happy, bubbly personality and they were having that issue with my music. I love to do ballads. I kept picking songs I really love to song and really felt, and maybe that didn’t translate very well on stage. I wouldn’t have changed it because that’s who I am. Even though I’m a bubbly, happy person, not every song I sing will be uptempo.”
What did the judges say after she was voted off?
“All the judges came up afterward, and I think they genuinely care about the contestants. Sometimes It’s hard to hear their critiques. They’re there to help. There’s a fine line between what they say personally and applying it to improve yourself. They said this is another step to my career, and that I’m very unique. They want to see us succeed and not feel like all hope is lost. Even though I got voted off, it’s not the end-all for me. This is a great opportunity to jump-start my career and that was the point they were trying to make.”
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