'American Idol' eliminee Alex Preston: Deep down, I knew it'd be Jena Irene and Caleb Johnson in the finale

American Idol's thirteenth season eliminated Alex Preston and determined the competition's Top 2 finale contestants during Thursday night's live results show on Fox.
 
Alex, a 20-year-old from Mont Vernon, NH, became the eleventh finalist sent home from American Idol after he had received the fewest home viewer votes cast following Wednesday night's Top 3 performance show, which had featured each finalist singing three songs each -- mentor Randy Jackson's pick, the judges' pick, and a song selected for each contestant by his or her hometown.


Alex had received fairly good reviews from American Idol's judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. on Wednesday night. Alex's ouster set up a Caleb Johnson versus Jena Irene finale.

During a Friday conference call with reporters, Alex talked about his Idol experience. Below is what he had to say. Check back with Reality TV World soon for more.

How did you feel about your elimination?

Alex Preston: It was kind of sad but it was a great experience.


You didn't seem that surprised when you got eliminated and you managed to maintain your composure. Did you expect or anticipate your elimination? I know some viewers are surprised you didn't get emotional when you got ousted one week before the big finale.

Alex Preston: Yeah, I was expecting it. Jena and Caleb are so good and their performances were so big. I knew deep down it was going to be them in the finale, but I mean, I was happy with Top 3. And I was really proud of them too.

During Wednesday night's performance show, you sang three songs -- none of which you could pick yourself. How did you feel about all your song choices and do you think the outcome might've been different had you been able to select a song yourself that you really wanted to impress with?

Alex Preston: I thought the song choices were great. I was really happy with them, and you know, picking your own songs is obviously a lot more comforting. But having these really respected industry professionals pick out songs for you that they think you would do well with, it's kind of an honor, you know? So, it was a fun experience, having [Randy Jackson] and the judges and our hometowns pick a song for us.

How did you friendship with Jason Mraz initially begin?


Alex Preston: I am really good friends with the winners of The X Factor, Alex and Sierra, and they introduced me to their friends Nancy and Michael, and they actually wrote "I Won't Give Up" and a bunch of songs on Jason's new album.

And so, they called me up and invited me to go get coffee with Jason, and it just sparked from there. And then he came on the show and now we're doing a duet in the finale, so like, it's a crazy chain of connections.

Did American Idol restrict you on what you could or could not write on social media?

Alex Preston: Not really. I usually like to keep it real. (Laughs) I feel like my followers and my fans were the only reason I got to this point, so they deserve to know who I really am and they deserve to know what's really on my mind. I wouldn't be anywhere without them, so I would like to interact with them and tweet people and share my own thoughts and stuff.

I know you put a lot of your original music up online. Do you have more songs you will be releasing soon or, as you write more stuff, are you going to be saving it for your album that will be coming out?


Alex Preston: I really do want to release as much as I can, but I am going to -- I'm already starting to try to figure out a way to plan my record, and I have a couple co-writes lined up that I do want to get on the album as well.

But yeah, I mean, if I could release a single, that would be awesome. I want to get something out there as quick as I can and take advantage of this, kind of, wave of publicity that the show has given me.

What are you most excited about for the finale?

Alex Preston: I'm probably most excited about singing with Jason Mraz. Also, I'm really excited to see Jena and Caleb and their performances because they're both so good, and I'd be happy if either one of them won this whole thing.

It's interesting when different styles of music compete. You have a fairly subtle kind of music. When you're standing on the side of the stage and Caleb and Jena just deliver some big, blasting numbers, what's your reaction?


Alex Preston: I mean, it's awesome sometimes, but I can't do that. It's not who I am, and that's, you know, television. People love seeing that stuff, but I always wanted to stay true to who I am and stick with my style.

Could you tell us an interesting and fun personal fact about Jena and Caleb?

Alex Preston: Personality-wise, well I mean, they're both so nice. I mean, it's crazy, like, we all hang out all the time. Jena is just like one of the guys. She's just so fun to hang out with, and Caleb and I actually had been roommates since the beginning, and we were the only roommates left.

From the very beginning of live shows, we were roommates and we stuck around to the end, which is pretty cool. And he's just a super cool dude. We get along really great and yeah!

You seemed to put your creative spin on everything. How did you make each song your own?


Alex Preston: I usually, when I hear the song, I think of how I would do it and then I usually take an hour or so and just run through a song and run through, like, alternative chords -- choral structures.

And then I meet with my vocal and arrangement coaches, Tim and Antonio, and we spent quite a while on another arrangement that fits my style. But I think that's how I really had the most fun this season, is making those arrangements my own. It was a blast.

Which judge really helped you improve the most throughout the competition?

Alex Preston: I mean, all of them definitely helped me. Harry's feedback was always really spot-on and honest, I believe, and I always took all of their criticism to heart.

Is your single "I Love this Feeling" ever going to be released?

Alex Preston: I really hope so. I'm not actually sure at this moment, but it's an awesome song. I really hope it's released... I'll see what's going on with that and get information out there.


The judges really encouraged you to get out of your comfort zone, which you did by playing instruments on Wednesday night. Will that experience, playing drums and what not, affect your performance style when you hit the road on your own solo tour?

Alex Preston: Absolutely. Totally. This competition has really taken me out of my shell and I've learned a lot more about myself as a performer. I've become more confident in myself as a performer too, so you know, I can't wait to play drums and all these different instruments when I play live.

Above is a portion of Alex's Friday conference call with reporters. Check back with Reality TV World soon for more.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski