'American Idol' eliminee Quentin Alexander: I was disappointed and bummed about the summer tour

American Idol eliminated Quentin Alexander and determined its Top 5 artists who will be going on this summer's tour during the seventh live show of its fourteenth season on Fox.


Quentin, a 21-year-old retail associate from New Orleans, LA, was in the bottom two with Rayvon Owen, a 23-year-old singer and vocal coach from Richmond, VA, based on the nationwide vote following the prior week's performance show.

Quentin and Rayvon each sang two "Arena Anthem" songs. Quentin sang "Light My Fire" by The Doors as well as "Shake It Out" by Florence and the Machine. Once both singers took the stage, America tweeted in real time to save one of them via the show's new "Idol Fan Save." Home viewers ultimately voted to save Rayvon for the fourth consecutive time.

Below is a portion of Quentin's interview with reporters. To read what he had to say to Reality TV World, click here. Check back with us soon for more.

What were you planning on singing next week?


Quentin Alexander:  Next week, I was going to tackle "House of the Rising Sun."  I was excited, but it's not the end.  I can still do it somewhere.

Do you feel you were judged too harshly by Harry Connick, Jr.?

Quentin Alexander:  I do not feel that I was judged too harshly.  I feel that he held me to a high standard, which is always great to do that to a student, I feel, because it gave me something to work towards, and I'm actually the least technically-trained singer that made it through to the Top 10.

The fact that I even was there was a great accomplishment, and I appreciated every chance he got to tell me that this is what you need to work on, so I knew exactly what I should work on.

Did you think you were going home this week?


Quentin Alexander:  I wasn't sure.  I always have feelings, but this time, I really kind of tried to drown that out and focus on the performance just so I could more so enjoy it than sit there and worry about if I was going to go home or not.

Short range and long range, what is next for you?  Will you have time to go back to New Orleans?  And, going forward, where do you see yourself going in music?

Quentin Alexander:  Yes.  I have a couple more interviews to do and then I'm back home for a little bit, and then it's back to work.  But after all of that is said and done, I'm going to be focused on doing my personal things. 

I have a couple projects that I was working on before, and that is the short films that I'm working on that incorporate my music, as well as the fashion that I've created.  So I'm really excited to introduce that to everyone so we get a chance to see firsthand what kind of artist I want to be.

Could you just take a minute and reflect about the whole journey?  It was almost a year ago when you first auditioned for the show here in New Orleans.  Through Hollywood, through these last few weeks, can you talk about the ways that you've grown, the way this experience changed you, and the things you'll take with you in your career going forward?


Quentin Alexander:  Well, thinking back to January of last year when I first auditioned for the show, I would have never imagined that I would make it this far.  And it seemed as though every week that I went through the process, I shocked myself more and more, and it ultimately built my confidence as an artist.

They really kind of nurtured my art within myself, because I was afraid coming in to the competition that people weren't going to understand or people weren't going to be receptive and they were automatically going to ridicule what I did. 

And the fact that they embraced it, and now they want more, it made it all worth it.  I've learned so much about my vocal strength and learning more about the stage, learning more about the technical aspect of it, as well as the business and work side of it. 

I've gained so much knowledge, and so many tools and so many relationships.  The bonds that I've built in this competition are going to be there for life, and it's great to know that I have something tangible to hold onto after everything is done.

Have you been approached at all by anyone about playing and performing in New Orleans in the coming weeks or months?  Have there been any offers for that opportunity?


Quentin Alexander:  I'm actually not sure.  If it comes in the future, then that's the greatest thing, and I'm expecting and hoping for it to be that way.  Hopefully, I get home in time to catch Jazz Fest, but if not then it's okay.  New Orleans is a place of greatness, so I'm expecting nothing but that.

Scott Borchetta took you to the Dolby Theatre this week, and he said you took a big breath in before you opened your eyes and thought about the possibilities.  What was going through your head onstage with Rayvon waiting in those five minutes for the "Idol Fan Save" results?

Quentin Alexander:  Really, it was more of, "I'm having fun, I'm enjoying this moment, and I'm so proud of how far I've come, and the fact that I'm standing on this stage right now is like a badge of honor for me."  And, going against Rayvon, it's a fun thing because we got a chance to really see each other -- not go at it, but perform at our best or try to perform at our best.

And sharing a stage with any of them is a huge, huge honor, and it's always exciting to kind of see the new places we can reach with our vocals, like watching Rayvon hit that extremely high note was super, super, super exciting for everyone, and it's a great moment to share with everyone.

You've impressed everyone with your style.  I think you probably took the most risks, especially out of the guys with different hair and outfits.  What is kind of your fashion inspiration and would we ever see anything in the stylistic realm from you with fashion in the coming weeks or months?


Quentin Alexander:  Absolutely.  I take a lot of inspiration just from being broke and having to go thrift for things, and seeing kind of the things that are in the shops, in the costume shops, and then watching people initially today, like Andre 3000, Erica Badu, Kanye West.

They all kind of have their own look at everything, and they put things together just to kind of make themselves happy I feel first, and then people just enjoy it.  So, I kind of do that same thing, but I definitely sketched out a couple of things that I've been working on before, and hopefully within the next month or so there's going to be some clothing out.  So, just be looking forward to that.

How did growing up in New Orleans, which is an epicenter of some amazing music and culture, influence you as an artist?

Quentin Alexander:  Growing up there, it actually really, really, really played the biggest part in the way that I present my art and the way that I am, just because there's so many different musical influences, so many different cultural influences, different ways of life all in one small bowl. 

It's kind of the gumbo pot, which is what we call it.  It's just a mixture of everything, and I pride myself on that because I don't think most people realize how far your reach can go when you're kind of dabbing in each pot.  You know what each flavor is like, you know how far you can go, and it ultimately shapes how I look at music and how I look at fashion, and it's going to play a huge part in the rest of my career.

How does pursuing a music career affect your romantic life?


Quentin Alexander:  I think for anyone dealing with that, it just becomes a matter of, this is what I have to do for your personal life goal, and then the person that you're with most likely will understand if they're the person that you're supposed to be with. 

It's always great to have that teammate behind you, someone supporting you from the outside that isn't really in the same kind of boat that you're in, and I feel that in order for anything to work out, the best thing to do is to communicate, let each other know what's going on, just really stay focused on what your goal is, and just stay true to that love. 

So, as long as you focus on the work and that person is right there beside you, then I don't think there's anything to worry about.

Now that you're eliminated unfortunately, are you planning on catching up on anything pop-culture wise, like are you going to be reading any books or catching up on any TV series, anything like that?

Quentin Alexander:  I'm probably going to nap for a little while, just to kind of come down from the entire experience.  But I'm hoping that I actually get home in time for the festivals because it's the greatest time of year in New Orleans to have all the music come in and all the people coming from different places in the world -- to just to see that kind of experience. 

But, as far as television goes, I'm the most analog guy, like I'm not sure what's playing right now, but I should maybe get into it.


I know your ultimate goal was to win the competition, but quite possibly your secondary goal was to be in the Top 10.  Are you really bummed that they cut it down to five this year, and that you didn't make it?

Quentin Alexander:  Yes.  I wish that it could have been a Top 10 tour, not just for myself, but I think that everyone would have kind of appreciated having that bigger spectrum. 

But I understand it being a more concentrated thing because the talent is so great this year, and it's great to kind of focus in on what their concert exactly would be like, as opposed to just putting on another episode of American Idol. And I'm grateful that I've made it this far because it's a huge accomplishment for anyone. 

Not many people can say that they've even made it onto American Idol, and I get a chance to say, not only have I made it over hundreds of thousands of people, I made it to the Top 6 of that many, and I'm really proud of that accomplishment.

So when exactly did you learn that it was going to be five instead of 10, and do you know exactly why they did that?

Quentin Alexander:  I'm not 100% sure, but I do think that it's a better thing to benefit everyone.  It's a chance to really focus in, like I said, on the artist, and it enhances their experience more.  And I don't remember when I found out, but I was disappointed at first.  But then once I thought about it, I understood how much of a benefit it would be to the five that actually went on tour.


To read what Quentin told Reality TV World, click here. Check back with us soon for more.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski