Every Wednesday, the eliminated contestant on American Idol visits the press room, as do the remaining contestants. But the person going home is usually the last finalist to arrive. But on Wednesday night, 17-year-old Tyanna Jones was the first person to show up for interviews, and was smiling and confident as she sat down with Billboard to talk about leaving the show and what’s next for her.
“I’m feeling so good right now. The pressure isn’t off, because I still have a lot to do. I have to get ready for the finale. I have to come right back and tour.”
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Unlike contestants who went home earlier in the season and had a longer time away from Hollywood, Jones will only have a two-day visit to her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. And one of those days will be devoted to talking to the media. “I’m sad that I have to leave everybody here, but I’m excited to have this little break and see my family.” Asked if she was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed, Jones replied, “I probably won’t do that because I’m going to make everybody sleep in the living room with me so I can have them all around me. We’re going to talk and watch movies.” Jones has other plans too: “It’s been a while since I’ve been to our three-level huge mall.” But isn’t she afraid of being mobbed at the mall? “I know everyone in Jacksonville was rooting for me and they’re going to be excited to see me.”
Like many eliminated finalists over the years, Jones had an intuition she was leaving the show in fifth place. “I knew I was going home and I was totally OK with it. I would have loved to have stayed and performed some more, but it was my time to go home.”
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Looking back at the highlights of her time on Idol, Jones recalled being in the top 48: “It was my first time performing in front of an audience where people paid to see you, at the House of Blues. That was the moment where I knew I really, really loved this. I’ve always loved singing, but I only did it at my church. Doing it in front of an audience and seeing their feedback was the highlight.”
Turning to the future, Jones said she’s excited about going to 38 cities on the summer tour. “It’s going to be with the four amazing people who are here right now. Even the few days I’m going to be away from them, I’m going to miss them so much.” Jones loves the idea of being on the road and has plenty of travel experience. “Our church goes on a trip every year. We rent two vans and pile into them. We’ve been to New York, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.”
The remaining four finalists of season 14 all mentioned Jones’ maturity when asked how they felt about her departure. “It’s such a bittersweet thing,” said Rayvon Owen. “She’s my little sister, such a beautiful spirit and so mature. Imagine how she’s going to be when she’s my age!”
“She’s beyond her years in so many ways,” agreed Jax. “She’s like my bigger sister and I love her so much. It’s upsetting that she’s leaving, but I’m not worried for her at all. She has an incredible fan base back home. She’s going to be a legend in this business.”
“Luckily she’s only gone for a week and I’ll miss her for that week,” said Nick Fradiani. “When I’m talking to her, it feels like I’m talking to an adult. She might be the most gifted singer I’ve ever been around who is her age. When I was her age, I was goofing off at school.”
Also deeply affected by Jones’ exit is Clark Beckham. “I was really close with Tyanna and her mom,” he confided. “I hung out with them, ate with them, prayed with them and sang with them. This hurts the most of any cut for me because we were so close. She was our little sister that we bugged and made fun of, and then she came right back at us. She’s churchy like I am, and we have a great connection. I love her with all my heart and I’m going to miss her, but she’ll be back in a week.”