Allison Iraheta knows that winning isn’t everything. Though the 17-year-old singer was eliminated from “American Idol” Wednesday night (May 6) after a record-breaking 64 million votes were tallied, she’s looking to another fourth-place “Idol” finisher, Chris Daughtry, for reassurance that all is not lost.
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“I hope I do as well as he does,” says Iraheta, referring to Daughtry. “He’s done so much, and if he didn’t have to make it all the way to the top…it gives me a chance, hopefully.”
Though she’d landed in the bottom three numerous times, Iraheta was the only female left in the show’s male-dominated ninth season and she shared a close bond with frontrunner Adam Lambert; the pair performed the Foghat classic “Slow Ride” on Tuesday’s rock-themed episode. “We’d thought about doing a duet (for) a while now,” says the singer. “We really had fun. We’re even planning on doing that song on the tour.”
Iraheta, who perhaps fatefully chose to perform Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” for Rock Week, singled out the week’s celebrity mentor as a personal favorite. “When I heard it was Slash, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, Jesus, I can’t wait to meet him.’ I’ve been a fan for so long, and it’s insane that I got to sing while he was playing for us. I think he was one of the best mentors we’ve had, hands down.”
Asked whether she was upset by the judges’ ongoing criticism of her “boring” personality, hair and fashion choices during her time on “Idol,” Iraheta was forthcoming. “Yeah, it sorta did. I was like, ‘Come on, I’m singing here!’ But I think overall, they all look for what you’re going to do as a selling artist. I know there (were) a lot of risks I (took) in the dressing and all that…but I had fun with it, so I think that’s what mattered.”
The final three “American Idol” contestants–Lambert, Kris Allen, and Danny Gokey–will perform two solos each on next Tuesday’s show. Wednesday’s elimination episode will feature performances by Katy Perry and 2007 “Idol” champ Jordin Sparks.