Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Deandre Brackensick made it all the way to Vegas on American Idol last year as a 16-year-old.

This year, he made it to the big stage, thanks to a wild card save, and quickly made a mark with his unique look and his unique voice.

But he left Idol in eighth place Thursday night, despite Jennifer Lopez’s efforts to save him.

On Friday, he talked to the media about his Idol experience.

* He said the judges provided positive feedback after Thursday’s show and encouraged him to continue pursuing music. He also said he got to say goodbye to some of the contestants while packing up at the mansion. “It was all love and it was all amazing.”

* Despite Jimmy Iovine’s sometime harsh criticism, Deandre said he appreciated it because it pushed him to prove him wrong and get better. He said he respects Jimmy’s opinions.

* He says the contestants have a close bond, which should make for a fun summer tour. And he thinks folks who buy tickets will be treated to a wide diversity of music.

* He says he thought he did a good job on Wednesday of DeBerge’s “I Like It,” despite Jimmy’s criticism. He thought it was one of his best performances, vocally and in terms of performance.

* He says Idol has brought out his confidence and he’s looking forward to going to prom back at his high school on April 21. He hopes it’s a brief respite of normalcy before he embarks on tour and then a musical career.

* At past proms, he says he also worked as ticket taker or in the coatroom because he was uncomfortable with himself. That’s changed thanks to Idol, he said.

* As for folks who like Deandre’s hair, he says it’s naturally curly. No products necessarily to create that look.

* Deandre says he’d like to be an R&B soul artist and use his falsetto to bring back old-style soul with real instruments as opposed to computer-generated effects.

* He says he thinks he might have been voted off because his voice and his style aren’t appreciated as much these days. “I’m trying to bring something back, but it’s not back yet.” Plus, he says, there’s lots of talent in the competition and someone “has to go each week.”

* He speculates that the judges — other than Jennifer Lopez — might have been reluctant to use the save on him because he’d already been given a second chance when he was selected from among the wild card contestants to advance to the finals.