by Gina Scarpa

 

Jovany Barreto came out of the gates strong this season on American Idol. In New Orleans, he impressed the judges with his unbelievable range. He sailed through to the Top 24 but was unable to impress America with his performance of "I'll Be". The judges gave him one last chance to make the Top 13 with a wild card pick but passed him up in favor of Stefano Langone. Today, we spoke to Jovany in an exclusive interview about his Idol experience and if he plans to continue pursuing a career in music.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you decide to try out for Idol?
A. Jovany: My sister gave me the biggest push. I was working at the shipyard and I've been singing since I was six years old. Nothing professional, nothing trained. She was like, "Anything is better than the shipyard. Why don't you just go out and try it and see what happens?" It was in my area, a 10 minute drive away.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the audition experience like for you?
A. Jovany: It's crazy because I've never performed in front of people that matter, if that makes sense. In New Orleans, I had a lot of anxiety... negative anxiety. As you go throughout the competition and American Idol starts throwing those things at you like Group Week and the Beatles, it's like a snowball effect. You start getting better and you don't get scared anymore. Before you know it, the anxiety turns into positive. You're anxious to get back up there.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The judges seemed to really like you during the Hollywood round, always complimenting your upper register. What, do you think, was your best performance?
A. Jovany: Oh man, my best performance... they didn't show much of it but I got a standing ovation. It was when I sang Marc Anthony's"You Sang To Me". Marc Anthony is my idol and it felt really good to do one of his songs. I really enjoyed that and of course, my first audition. That came from the center of me.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you made the Top 24, were you feeling confident that you would get to the Top 10 and be voted in by America?
A. Jovany: You gotta do the best you can. You never really know. I did the best I could out there. It was apparent that maybe, the song choice wasn't the best choice. I think I did a good job with the song but maybe, America didn't wanna hear the song. You just never know. I wasn't like, "I'm in, I'm a lock," but I wasn't like, "I'm going home." I was like, "Whatever happens, happens." That's really how I felt, genuinely. I can't read music, I don't play an instrument. I just sing in the shower and I got this far. It was awesome to be around the caliber of talent and professionals.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you surprised that the judges put Stefano into the Top 13 over you?
A. Jovany: No. No way. Let me tell you something about that guy. He is such a great vocal talent. He is so incredible. Any of the Top 40 could've been in the Top 24 and any of them could've made the Top 13 and it would make an incredible season. It's still shaping up to be an incredible season, whether I'm in it or not. Stefano has the moves, he can sing, he has great runs. This season, the Top 24 had everything you wanted. We branched out to different genres and we didn't butt heads.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What has it been like to watch the show since your elimination?
A. Jovany: I've watched it! They're like family members. I Tweet them and text them to be encouraging. The thing is that I know they'd do the same for me. That's how close we've gotten. They say it's a competition but it's really not. You go out there and you do your best and you want everybody else to do just as good.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Has your time with American Idol motivated you to continue pursuing a career in singing?
A. Jovany: Oh my gosh, yeah! I played baseball and I dedicated about 15 years of my life to it. I was good, I was really good at it, and playing at a high level. I haven't dedicated an ounce of anything to singing and look what kind of level I've gotten to. I'm going to dedicate myself to singing and performing and maybe branching out to acting and modeling. I've been calling everybody and their mama!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: There were a lot of fans who thought you should've made it into the Top 13. What has their support meant to you?
A. Jovany: The thing is that it's just beautiful. There's nothing but great things that people say. These people heard me sing live twice. If I keep pursuing, my fan base will grow and the love for my music will grow. You can't put any words to describe what American Idol gives to somebody. I'll put it like this. It's one of the biggest building blocks anyone can ever have. It's like taking a guy who's like 6 foot, 200 pounds, typical baseball player, but never played in his life. Maybe he played a game or two of stickball in his backyard. A major league manager says, "I want you to play for the Florida Marlins," and he bats .300 and hits 15 homeruns. That's what I compare it to. I'm ready to get out there, dedicate myself, and make some beautiful music.

 

American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa