I've learned this, that haters wanna hate. You could sing a song perfectly, you could write the songs perfectly, and some people are absolutely going to hate you.

As far as talent goes, we had pretty much everything, and I think that's why this year was so successful.

I know that music is my life. It is my strong point. That's my love.

American Idol transcends age, gender, ethnicity, everything.

When I'm with my parents, that's the place I can unplug. That's the place I can shut down and not worry about work or what's going on. I go home and hang out with them. I sleep more there than any place else ever.

Writing down everything I eat makes such a difference, because you never realize how much you're consuming unless you read it later in the day.

I grew up listening to Queen. They were no stranger to throwing in the unexpected and something a little more dramatic.