by Gina Scarpa

 

Last night, on American Idol, two singers were eliminated after the judges used their only save of the season last week on Michael Lynche. Early on, in the hour-long results show, Ryan Seacrest let Andrew Garcia know that it was the end of the road for him. Andrew gained attention early on in the competition for his spin on Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" but up until recently, the judges felt he wasn't rising to level and the bar that he had set for himself during Hollywood week. Today, Andrew spoke to RealityWanted reporters in a press conference call about his experiences on the show and his plans going forward.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Getting songs and putting your own twist on them, is that your thing and is that what you plan to do in the future?
A. Andrew: Going forward, I have my own music that I want to do. I want to do my own originals. But I'm also a pop and R&B guy, and I love to make songs acoustic, like Forever by Chris Brown.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Who are your musical influences?
A. Andrew: I love everything, from rock to R&B to hip-hop to everything.

 

 

Q. What was your life like before Idol?
A. Andrew: My life was just taking care of my son - I was a stay-at-home dad. On the weekends, I'd play shows and that was my income. I'd make like $400 a gig. I went out and played acoustic. It was cool. And then Idol is way bigger, so I knew I had to try it out and look where it got me.

 

 

Q. Your rendition of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" pulled in 3 million views on YouTube. Did you ever imagine that it would take off like that?
A. Andrew: When I thought about what I was going to do, I figured that, well, Paula is not on the show anymore and so I could do my twist on it and see what happens. And it took off like crazy.

 

 

Q. Going into the Top 24 and with your YouTube following, it seemed like you had a lot of hype. Do you feel like you let your early fan base down?
A. Andrew: I don't feel like I've let my fans down at all. They get me and that's all that matters.

 

 

 

Q. There was a big deal made of song selections this year. What was your process in selecting songs? Did you go for songs you knew or new ones that you weren't as familiar with?
A. Andrew: In the beginning, I did songs that I knew. And I had fun with it. And then the process got more difficult, so I went for songs that I could switch up. It was hard, but I had fun doing it. If you don't have fun, you'll regret it and that's not cool.

 

 

 

Q. You had a bromance blossom with Lee DeWyze. What sort of common interests do you guys have? And do you have a song?
A. Andrew: We don't really have a song, but we do jam a lot. We hope to tour together. Our common thing is that we just found ourselves doing the same thing at the same time.

 

 

Q. Are you planning to propose to your girlfriend?
A. Andrew: I haven't proposed yet, but I am for sure going to marry her.

 

 

Q. What was the best piece of advice from Adam Lambert?
A. Andrew: To let go and have fun and put my twist on it. And I know where he is coming from

 

 

 

Q. You and your folks seem to be really tight. They seem like great people. Did they get emotional when you were voted off last night?
A. Andrew: They saw that I wasn't sad or bitter and that I was happy and thankful for all the opportunities I had. And they felt that and so they were happy with me.

 

 

Q. How has the show has changed your life or your approach to life?
A. Andrew: I always felt the need to do music. Idol has shown me so much more about music and how the industry is. And I have met so many people and have had so many new experiences.

 

 

Q. Are you writing songs yet?
A. Andrew: I'm already starting.

 

 

Q. What do you have planned in the future?
A. Andrew: Making an album, getting ready for tour and doing the best I can and having fun.

 

Be sure to tune in when the Top 7 take the stage on American Idol, Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

For more American Idol links, visit SirLinksALot.net