'American Idol's Rayvon Owen: I think I've gone through the worst of it on this show

American Idol eliminated the competition's underdog, Rayvon Owen, and determined its Top 3 finalists during the ninth live show of the series' fourteenth season Wednesday night on Fox.


Rayvon, a 23-year-old singer and vocal coach from Richmond, VA, was the bottom votegetter as a result of last week's nationwide vote that followed the season's Top 4 performance show. Rayvon had been at risk for elimination almost a handful of times this season, constantly landing in the bottom two.

Rayvon competed in three rounds of competition this week against Jax, Clark Beckham and Nick Fradiani. Rayvon sang Scott Borchetta's pick "Want To Want Me" by Jason Derulo, "As" by Stevie Wonder for his hometown dedication, and then "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker because the judges had selected it for him.

During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Rayvon talked about his American Idol experience. Below is a portion of his interview. To read what he told Reality TV World, click here. Make sure to check back with us soon for more.

Do you know what you're going to be singing at the finale or whom you're going to be singing with?


Rayvon Owen: I do but it's not confirmed and not public yet, so I can't say that right now. (Laughs)

What about once the show is over? Is there an artist you'd love the opportunity to work or sing with?

Rayvon Owen: Yeah, definitely. I would love to perform with Sam Smith or John Legend or Celine Dion. Someone like that would just be an amazing performance.

What do you think your album is going to look like?

Rayvon Owen: My record is going to be a pop record with soul influence. It's going to have kind of the raw emotion like John Legend or Sam Smith but with the pop edge of a Katy Perry or Betty Who.


Do you plan on pursuing music full-time now as your career? And do you have plans to go back home to the Richmond area or stay in California.

Rayvon Owen: Absolutely. I moved to California just shortly before the show, so I definitely -- this is kind of a second home for me. But I love Richmond and that's where my family is and my childhood home is. And so, that's definitely going to be a place that I return to and perform at and do concerts and get involved in organizations and things I was involved in there.

But yes, overall, singing is definitely what I'm built to do. It's what I will do for the rest of my life, and that's another reason why I'm so grateful for the show. It's going to give me that opportunity. Even though I didn't win, I made it far enough that I will be able to do this for the rest of my life and take advantage of this platform. And I'd also like to do some acting. I have other passions as well.

What songs did you have in mind to sing next week if you were to survive in the competition longer?

Rayvon Owen: I didn't actually. The coronation song is the song I would've heard last night, so the other three are going to be working on those. And then we were going to hear what the other picks were. They would've been songs that were going to be assigned to us. So, honestly, I had no idea! (Laughs)


You weren't going to be able to pick your own song at all?

Rayvon Owen: Well, possibly. There was kind of one category that they were tossing back and forth. We may have repeated a performance or something. So I'm not sure exactly what that would've been, because it wasn't confirmed that that was going to be one of the themes.

So, yeah honestly, as of last night, I would've known what I was going to be performing for the finale. But obviously we know the coronation song is one song they're going to perform, and there's going to be some other picks as well.

Last night's performances were really good. Everyone at least had one great moment. Do you think that had anything to do with how the show changed its elimination format this week? All of you got to sing in no particular order and then the elimination came at the very end of the show. Did that make for a more relaxed group of contestants?

Rayvon Owen: Yeah, I think that made a huge difference. I was talking to the other three and I said, "Y'all, let's just treat this as a show. This is a show. We get to get out there and everyone gets to sing everything they prepared."


I said, "So let's just get out there and have a good time, have fun, and enjoy this. Because, you know, whoever is going home, it doesn't matter. That will come at the end. There's no chairs or [instant Twitter] voting, you know, none of that. No bottom two or anything until the very end."

I think that helped to loosen us all up and to just get out there and have a good time. They should [do that every week]. It's stressful being on the chairs and [Ryan Seacrest] calling names and all that stuff, and the Twitter Save, and singing for the save. (Laughs) It's very stressful, but I think I've gone through the worst of it on this show, so if I can do what I've done on this show, I can do anything. (Laughs)

What was it like to sing Jason Derulo's song "Want To Want Me" shortly after he performed it on the show himself? Did you feel extra pressure because of that? It was an interesting pick for you.

Rayvon Owen: Yeah, you know, [Scott Borchetta], I guess, was inspired by Jason coming on the show. He brought him in as a mentor, and I guess he saw some influence of Jason in me, which is really awesome. So at first, I was like, "Oh, you know, this is going to be -- how can I follow [Jason]!?"

But then I was like, "You know what? I'm just going to get out there and have a good time and put my own spin on it and just do it the best that I can."


And I think Jason -- I don't know if he was watching last night -- but I think he would've been proud. And surprisingly, no one has compared or even said anything to my knowledge about it. Because I think I did it in my own way and I had a good time with it. It was a fun performance for me.

That was a very special moment at your homecoming when Elliot Yamin stopped by. Did you get any personal time with him?

Rayvon Owen: Oh yeah. I did. I did get a little bit when he was there, and even some last night, because he came and spoke with us after. But it was really special, you know, it reminded him of his homecoming, which he said was one of the best days of his life. And it reminded him of his mom, who as we know, has passed.

And I think her birthday was that day or around that day. So, it was a special moment for him to see Richmond come back out and support me. And he said his mom would've been right there next to my mom, cheering me on as she cheered him on several years ago.

So it was a really cool moment, because I myself, watched [his season on Idol] and voted for him and supported him throughout his journey. And what an amazing talented guy! I was just so shocked to see him there. It was such a special day, special moment, for me.

Obviously it's Mother's Day this weekend and you have a very unique relationship with her. How has that impacted your journey?


Rayvon Owen: Oh my gosh. It's been amazing. I've always wanted to make my mom proud. I've always wanted to thank her for all of her hard work and sacrifice she's made for me. And honestly, I would not be here -- you would not know who I am -- if it wasn't for her pushing me and making sacrifices. She sent me off on trips and tours and rehearsals and lessons and piano lessons and everything.

She sacrificed what she had and what she didn't have for me and my sister to give us equal opportunity -- even when we were in a situation that probably wouldn't necessarily [happen]. She made that happen for us, which is amazing.

So I feel like I wanted to thank her in the best way that I could, and what better way than to dedicate a song to her and connect with her in front of America? Just to show her that I'm so grateful for everything she's done and she was extremely proud. She called me her "winner" after the show last night.

To read what Rayvon told Reality TV World during his interview with reporters, click here. Check back with us soon for more.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski