A lot of people who wanted to audition for Idol have asked me: “What should I do?” or “How to I prepare myself?” I always told them: “Just go in and believe in yourself.”

I used to have hair so long, my nickname was Pocahontas.

I love artists that just do what they do with so much passion and emotion.

I think that I have grown a lot as an artist. I have been writing about my experiences of love and overcoming the struggles that I have faced in the music industry. I have so much more to tell my fans, and I know so much more about myself. It is crazy how much I have grown over these past years.

Even though it was a stressful time in my life, I have a lot of good memories from my Idol experience.

My friends are mostly familiar with music that plays on the mainstream radio.

When you are in the American Idol bubble, a lot of contestants want to go as far as they can and wish to be on point with ready-to-go songs.