"American Idol" lost one of its most unique voices during the elimination episode last night (Apr. 28), as Casey Abrams received the least votes and was sent packing. After the judges used their only save of the season on the growl-happy jazz musician five weeks earlier, Abrams bid farewell to season 10's top five -- Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart -- with one final rendition of "I Put a Spell On You."

Casey Abrams Voted Off 'American Idol,' Bruno Mars Performs

One day later, Casey is staying positive about his elimination and says that he was prepared for last night's outcome -- although, sadly for the rest of America, he did say that he was planning on performing the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and a Blink-182 song in the coming weeks on the show. In a conference call today, the singer talked about his boosted confidence, Steven Tyler's kissing ability, and Haley Reinhart, whom he denied dating.

Did you ever expect to get this far after the judges used their save on you, or did you think you'd be gone in a week or two?

That's what I was really afraid of, and that's why I knew I had to work hard. I was like, "This would be kind of embarrassing if I got cut the next week." I didn't expect to make it to the top, I expected to maybe make it this far. This is like exactly what I expected, so I can't be mad at that.  
 
Did you have a feeling going into Thursday that you would be eliminated?

Yeah. I don't know what it was. I feel like everyone was just so incredible [this week]. I felt like my performance was pretty good, but seeing Jacob kill it, seeing Haley kill it, seeing Scotty and Lauren kill it, and Durbin obviously -- it just made me feel that these guys are incredible. These guys can carry the show, I don't really need to be here, so if I go home tomorrow, I'm prepared.

When you gave a shout-out to Haley at the end of the performance, were you saying goodbye to more than just a song partner?

No no, I was saying goodbye to my very special musical friend. That's all it was… We are not [dating].

What is your vision for a Casey Abrams headlining concert?

"Pure craziness" is probably the title of it. There would be everything; the last two performances, "Harder to Breathe" and "Nature Boy," sum me up. Let's just rock this hard and have some fun, and then let's slow it down and play some smooth jazz, you know? Just straight-up Casey. There would probably be more instruments than you'd expect: some trombones, some dulcimers, some random-sounding instruments.

Who's the better kisser: J. Lo or Steven Tyler?

Steven Tyler. Well, J. Lo just let me kiss her, Steven Tyler actually kissed me back. It's a different story.

What has "Idol" done for your confidence as a performer?

Everything. I used to not like to sing in public, and now I feel like I'm singing a little bit too much. I'll sing in hallways with random people that I don't even know. Maybe that's a bad thing, but I just feel a lot more comfortable onstage, and I feel like I can do anything offstage.

'American Idol': James Durbin, Scotty McCreery Spring Forward on Carole King Night