'Idol' Exit Q&As: The Latest Cuts

ALEXANDRÉA LUSHINGTON, 17, DOUGLASVILLE, GA.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why were the girls having such an off night on Wednesday?
ALEXANDRÉA LUSHINGTON: A lot were nervous and a lot had to do with song choice, I guess. And everybody watching everyone else do what we thought was really well, and [hearing] the feedback they got. It was kind of discouraging, but at the same time it was like, Now we have to step it up. We all went out there and we did the best that we could, and I have no regrets at all.

You called Ryan a ''freak'' last night. What was that all about?
Everybody knows that I'm just loud and out-there and goofy, so I was just kidding around with him.

Was it promised that your grandmother would be able to come out there?
It was a long time ago, at the first audition with Simon and Paula and Randy. We were in Georgia at the time, and he was like, ''Bring your grandma to L.A.'' I guess he was thinking that if I was farther in the competition — I guess that's what he was talking about. I was just kidding around.

This week you sang Chicago's ''If You Leave Me Now.'' How do you think choosing that song played into you going home last night?
Well, I have no regrets about my song choice. I still think it was a really good song that I picked, even though I never heard that song. It ended up growing on me. Everybody had a tough time that night. But it's over now.

What was your second choice for '70s week?
No, not really.

But, really, what other song had you thought about doing?
Anything around that vibe. I didn't want to do anything too upbeat like I did the first week. You know, mellow it down a bit.

Anything more specific?
I don't know, really. You know, to think about what I could have done is not good.

You mentioned that you always felt like the underdog. How so?
Because I had yet to prove myself and really show what I could do. And I wasn't really letting myself come out like I wanted to. I was doing, like, piece by piece. But it's okay now. I'm still the underdog, and I'm going to continue working and following my dreams.

When you were singing on elimination night, the cameras kept flashing to David Archuleta as he was crying. What was your relationship with him?
We had a really cool relationship. We were really good friends because we've known each other for a while — we were on Star Search together about four years ago. And we ended up bumping into each other on our way to the hotel for Hollywood Week. We were like, ''Hey,'' and we've just grown really, really close since then. It was sad to leave, and I know he was upset to see me go.

If you could have picked any song, what would you have loved to do for America?
I would have loved to do a Nikka Costa song. Any of them. Just any one they would have let me do. I'm a huge Nikka Costa fan. It would have been nice to rock out to that.

What is the next step for you?
Well, I'm going to continue working and writing. And I'm going to try to put my band together again. I have a lot of options ahead of me. Being a part of this, I had a lot of exposure. And try to get into other things as well.

Every contestant has said that exact same thing, but what does that really mean? You said you were writing — are you going to do that full time?
I've always done that full time.

But for reals, what else?
Continuing on with school as well, and making sure I stay focused with that too, because I do plan on going to college one day. So just stay focused on that and my music and getting into other things that come toward me.