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.

I want to release music that is true to myself.

I want to let my fans know that I will not hold myself back anymore. Everybody knows me as "15-Year-Old Little Jessica who was on 'American Idol' and who is this sweet, quiet girl." I am very soft-spoken, but I have gone through numerous experiences, and I want to speak out and tell people what has been going on in my life.

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 was 16-years-old when I appeared on 'American Idol,' and the show was my boot camp. It was a crazy, stressful at times, experience.

I always had an idea for what I wanted to do in the future and throughout my career. This wasn't, like, me figuring out what to do after Idol. I've always known the steps in what I had to do to get where I was.

The best part of being signed by a major label was having the support of a big company behind me and the ability to meet new artists and producers.