'American Idol's Sarina-Joi Crowe: I had mixed emotions when singing for "The Judges' Save"

American Idol eliminated Sarina-Joi Crowe and determined its Top 11 artists during the first live show of its fourteenth season Thursday night on Fox.


Sarina-Joi, a 19-year-old musician from Columbia, TN, was the last of the Top 12 contestants asked to perform a song that got "the party started," which ultimately revealed she was on the chopping block based on the nationwide vote following Wednesday night's show.

Sarina-Joi then got to sing for the one "Judges' Save" of the season that expires at the Top 5. She took the stage with "Neon Lights" by Demi Lovato. However, Idol judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. decided not to use the save because it's so early on and someone inevitably has to go home every week.

During a Friday conference call with reporters, Sarina-Joi talked to Reality TV World about her time on the show and early ouster. Check back with us soon for more from her interview.

Reality TV World: Based upon your performance Wednesday night, were you shocked that of everyone in the Top 12, you apparently got the lowest votes? A lot of viewers did not see that coming.


Sarina-Joi Crowe: I wasn't shocked. I wasn't exactly happy with Wednesday's performance. I knew it wasn't my best. I won't say it was a bad performance, but it wasn't my best. And I have nerves to thank for that because I was called first and I was kind of in a state of shock, but I don't regret anything. So, I kind of woke up with a feeling that I could be in the bottom, and so I prepared for that.

Reality TV World: I know it was the first week the judges could use their Save, but they knew how hard you worked to get there, and Jennifer even told you last week you were the strongest singer out of all the girls. When you sang, did you have hope they might save you or did you just view it as your last live performance for America -- something to have fun with?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: It was mixed emotions. A part of me wanted them to stay, but a part of me knew the reality of the situation and the reality was, it was the first episode of the season. And despite Jennifer's comments, I know that this is a very talented group of kids, and so, I was kind of half and half.

So I said, "I'm going to try to do both. I'm going to try to sing for 'The Save' and then also leave one last really good impression for America so that they can have something positive to remember me by -- not a sad ballad, but you know, something fun."

Reality TV World: Viewers didn't get to see any clips of Scott Borchetta mentoring you because you had to sing for "The Save." Would you mind sharing some of the advice he gave you in addition to any compliments? And how did you feel about him being your mentor in general?


Sarina-Joi Crowe: Oh Scott Borchetta is amazing. He's an amazing, smart, smart guy. He complimented me on my power as a singer and my emotion as an artist and how I connected everything I sing. What he really told me was that I just needed to work on solidifying myself as an artist even more, you know, zoning in on what I want to do and sticking with it and honing it.

And I really needed to work on, like, my ear and getting better. Because he told me I was already good but I could be better. And that's great criticism to get. So, he was awesome. He was very hands-on, he always had good things to say about the arrangements of the songs, you know, what he wanted to hear from me. And I was really thrilled to work with him.

Reality TV World: Since you auditioned for American Idol four times, could you talk about what changed from season to season -- like how you prepared yourself each time and grew in that process? And were you surprised the judges took this long to make a Top 24 contestant considering how much they've praised your vocal ability this season?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: No, I wasn't surprised because personally, over the years, I felt like I needed to improve. Season 10 and 12, I wasn't anywhere near where I was. No, Season 10, I wouldn't have lasted the first week of the live shows. So I needed to get better and I needed to get, you know, smarter as an artist. And I feel like this was the perfect timing for me.

And as the seasons have changed, you just kind of have to attack it. You attack it with the same mentality of, "Okay, I just really need to get to live shows and then the real work starts, and I just need to keep going as much as I can." But, you just don't really know what's going to happen. So you just say, "Hey, I'm going to prepare for anything and just be ready to roll with the punches," you know?


Reality TV World: What was it about American Idol that made you want to be on the show so badly? And did you ever consider trying out for The Voice or maybe even, back in the day, The X Factor to see if you'd have more luck there?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Absolutely, I did consider other shows. But, you know, I had to come face to face with reality in that American Idol was incredibly good to me my first season and the people that work for American Idol are incredibly hands-on.

They really care about the contestants. They really want to see people do well. They don't want to see anybody do badly. Even the people that don't make it to Top 10 or don't make it to Top 12, they want to see those people do well.

And that type of care is the reason I wanted to come back so much and get to a point where I was around these people, because I wanted to show them, "Hey, I deserve this too." They've always been super supportive of me coming back. I've never been told that they were tired of seeing me, and that meant a lot to me, so that was the reason mostly.

Check back with Reality TV World soon for more from Sarina-Joi Crowe's interview.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski