Kree Harrison: I had a problem of not letting my wall down before 'American Idol'

Kree Harrison finished as American Idol's twelfth-season runner-up when Candice Glover was crowned its winner during Thursday night's live finale broadcast on Fox.


Candice, a 23-year-old from St. Helena Island, SC, defeated Kree, a 22-year-old from Nashville, TN, after she received the majority of home viewer votes cast immediately following Wednesday night's performance broadcast which featured the Top 2 finalists each singing three songs.

During a Friday conference call with reporters, Kree talked to Reality TV World about her American Idol experience. To read what she had to say, click here. Below are some additional highlight's from Kree's call. Check back with us soon for more.  

What are you most looking forward to on tour?

Kree Harrison: Honestly, being able to go out there and perform for all the fans and try to hug as many of them as I can. Just for getting this far, I'm so appreciative -- and [for the fact] I got to stand in the finale last night with Candice.


What do you think the pros are of finishing American Idol in second place?

Kree Harrison: It's been the most amazing experience. Honestly [it's amazing] the fans have gotten me this far, and now I have a following.

Are you going to be doing more traditional country or pop country?

Kree Harrison: Well, I mean, I would hate to put myself in a box right now. I've only, you know, put out a single just today, so for me, I would love to get on country radio and whatever that brings to people whether it's pop or traditional. I still think I'm more of a traditional artist but the judges said to be worldly and not just do one particular thing. But it's definitely a touchy thing and always will be.

What is it like getting support from Kacey Musgraves who also started on a reality show and has made it big in the industry? What's your reaction to that?


Kree Harrison: Well first of all, she's my best friend. We met and hit it off in Nashville... I'm so proud of her. She's so proud of me, and I just can't believe that all these good things are happening to the both of us right now. Yeah, I can't wait to get back to Nashville and see what's next. Obviously she'd come to the show and supported me, and I just love her to death. I'm so proud of her.

Keith Urban was a big of yours but I really felt like he was hard on you at certain times too. Do you have any thoughts on maybe why he acted that way and when he'd say you weren't connected with a few songs?

Kree Harrison: I mean, I feel like for the four judges, I respect [them] so much and I always have, and especially Keith, because you know, we're both country singers. And at any point when he'd give me some critiques, I took it as constructive criticism. Because at the end of the day, you can't really grow if you're not listening and learning from your peers.

So yeah, I always took it to heart and I agree with him. I've always kind of had a problem in the beginning of my career of kind of letting the wall down and being able to connect emotionally, just because it is the hardest thing to do -- to open up. But I feel like through this process, it's really happened, and I feel so good about it. I'm happy that it's happened that way.

You and Kellie Pickler had mentioned you were going to get matching tattoos... (Laughs)


Kree Harrison: Okay, this is a joke that's just gone wrong. (Laughs)

So have you heard from Kellie since last night?

Kree Harrison: I talk to her all the time but I haven't heard from her. I'm sure she understands that it's a whirlwind. But I will definitely talk to her, and I'm so freaking proud of her. I hope she wins Dancing with the Stars! I'm rooting for her, and I know that the Idol family is too.

Me and [Angela "Angie" Miller] and [Janelle Arthur] voted for her a couple times. But yeah, we're so proud of each other and I've gotten to see her at the studios, and she's such an amazing woman and friend. And yeah, I hope to collaborate soon.

What are you most looking forward to doing when you first get home?


Kree Harrison: I'm not going to be mad about laying in my bed. (Laughs) I definitely am going to get as much rest as I possibly can, because we've been working our butts off. More than anything, I'm just kind of taking it all in with everything that's happened, and I can't wait to go back to Nashville and make music.

Are you going to perform your new single at the Grand Ole Opry?

Kree Harrison: Today's my birthday and that's the best birthday present I've ever gotten in my life.

So you're excited about the opportunity to perform there?

Kree Harrison: I mean, I'm positive that there's footage of me when I was younger. This has been one of my lifelong goals, is to play the Grand Ole Opry and just stand where all of my peers and all of those country music legends have stood.


It's going to be hard not to kiss that circle! Yeah, I'm excited of course! Keith Urban told me and I cried. (Laughs) Yeah, it was very special. It was a good moment. I'm happy that we shared it. I found out the night of the show [last night].

Looking back on your whole Idol experience, is there one judge that's kind of your favorite or that you respect the most?

Kree Harrison: They brought so many different things and opinions and advice to me. I just can't imagine just picking one because I respect all of them for so many different reasons.

But I mean, last night, being able to play with [Randy Jackson] and Keith and obviously [Travis Barker], but you know, those two judges, they all rooted for me and I'm so thankful for it. I couldn't possibly pick one, but I do love Keith, and I do hope that we get to collaborate more in the future.

What was it like to be reunited with the Top 10 and what did you all do to celebrate after the finale broadcast?

Kree Harrison: Well, they all sang happy birthday, which was really awesome. But I mean, we had the freaking show of your lives, are you kidding? It was so much fun and I tweeted earlier, the best part about it was celebrating the finale with the Idol family -- not just the contestants but the whole crew.


I mean, you become so close to these people that you work with every single day and you spend every waking moment with each other. So it was very special. It was an amazing night.

What are some of the things you're looking forward to most when it comes to creating your album and such? Is it being in the studio, touring, etc?

Kree Harrison: I mean, the whole process is exciting in itself because it is such a process. You write, you listen to songs, you go in the studio and you create what is yours. It's like birth. It's like creating your baby to go out and share with the world. I mean, all of the above is what we live for. So, I can't wait for all of it to tell you the truth.

You chose to sing first after the coin toss Wednesday night...

Kree Harrison: Everybody's asking me about that! (Laughs) I mean, at that moment, I was just like, "I don't care if I go first or second. I mean, it's just the two of us. I could just sing at the finale and I'm freaking excited about it."

I don't know, they just said, "What do you want?" And I asked [Candice] first, and she said, "I want to go second." So I said, "Fine, I don't care." I was just so happy to be able to perform again.


To read what Kree had to say to Reality TV World during her Friday conference call with reporters, click here. Above are some additional highlight's from Kree's call. Check back with us soon for more.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski