SEBASTIAN — Kristen O’Connor said she leaves American Idol with her head held high, a tight-knit group of new friends, and a readiness to embrace the next career doors that will open for her.
After a run on American Idol, O’Connor said she was disappointed, but not surprised at her elimination on Thursday’s live show.
“I did have a feeling it might happen. I was a wildcard the week before. I felt that if I didn’t have a really strong performance when I sang ‘Beautiful Disaster,’ there was a chance I’d be going home,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor was influenced by her vocal coaches and mentor, Randy Jackson, to go with the Kelly Clarkson song, and after rehearsal, O’Connor said she was feeling confident about the choice.
But during her onstage performance, a glitch in her ear piece got her off to a rocky start.
“There was a click track that was playing in my ear,” O’Connor said. “It was really loud and extremely distracting. I had to take it out just to get through the song.”
She added she thought the metronome-type clicking, completely offbeat of her song, may have been intended for another contestant’s performance.
Even though O’Connor said she thought her performance was strong, especially after fighting through the technical difficulty, she said that once it was all said and done, she did not believe it was the one that would win America over.
“It’s just unfortunate that I didn’t get to show American everything that I have to offer. But I’m really proud of everything that I did show and I just hope that [America] will continue to watch my journey and my career as it unfolds,” O’Connor said.
From here, it’s anyone’s guess which doors will open for O’Connor as she continues to pursue music.
Song-writing and recording her own album are on the top of O’Connor’s agenda as she moves forward, but she said she wants to keep her options open for any opportunity that may come her way, post American Idol.
“I’m interested in anything that this could bring for me. If this leads to musicals, or Broadway, or acting,” O’Connor said. Above all else, she’s ready to show everyone what she is really made of.
She said she wished she had been able to perform with her guitar, and to prove her ability to sing more upbeat songs than she did during her American Idol stint. But in the future, fans can rest assured that O’Connor will be coming out with plenty of new material.
“It will definitely be an original sound for me. I see myself as kind of an R&B, pop, soulful singer. I love really soulful, sultry music, but definitely with a pop side to it,” O’Connor said.
In the end, O’Connor said she has learned a great deal that will help her in her future musical endeavors, but above all, the lesson that stood out the most was to just be herself.
“Jennifer Lopez said to me last night, and something I gathered throughout the whole competition, was that it’s so important to be yourself and to stick to what you know and to be authentic. Because that’s when you really shine,” O’Connor said.
Her message to her fans is one of extreme gratitude for their support, and an urge to continue following her through her career, as she is confident it will not be long before she is singing for the world again.
Fans can follow her on Twitter and Instagram, with the handle, ImKristenO, or through her new, verified Facebook page. A few YouTube videos are also available, with more to appear on her YouTube channel in the near future.
