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.

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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. Below is a portion of her interview. Check back with us soon for the concluding portion.

You did so well with "Love Runs Out" on your audition, but when you did it the other night, did the band come in a key higher? Why wasn't the second time a charm?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: I think, honestly, it was just I was in a state of shock because I was first, and I was very, very nervous, and so when the band kicked in, I think I kind of just jumped in a little. I just jumped in feet first and I picked it up as best as I could towards the middle, but it was what it was.

The theme was what got me here, so I had to do "Love Runs Out," and I did the best I could with it. And for the most part, I had so much energy throughout the song that I think it was like -- it was just a matter of me sharing how excited I was about making the Top 12, and it might have overpowered the song, and it was a weak performance. But, I'm proud of it, and I don't regret anything.

This was your fourth time auditioning for Idol. Do you think the new format threw off some of the contestants? I think it could work two ways: You get called up to the stage and you're all excited with so much energy or you're sitting there watching everybody else get called up, and then it starts playing with your mind a little bit. What do you think?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: I think it's a matter of how you deal with it because it is very nerve-racking to sit there and not really know if you're going to get to sing or not, and so when you do get your name called, it's a little frazzled. You can be frazzled by it, I mean, just like me. 

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through after my second week in Detroit, so when I was the first person to be called, my mind was in a million different places.

I wasn't expecting it at all, and so I had to make do with what I had, kind of, in that short amount of time. And so, I don't think it's throwing people off. I just think that it's a matter of dealing with it, and getting to a place where you can be calm throughout the entire episode.

How does being eliminated from American Idol affect your determination to make it as an artist? 

Sarina-Joi Crowe: It doesn't. It actually motivates me even more. It's like, at the end of the day, I know everybody wants to go all the way on Idol, and that is ultimately the goal.

But, if you can go from the number 100 to 60 to 48 to 12, every single time you come on the show, and those are your stats, then it's a pretty good sign of what kind of career you're going to have. You're always going to go a little further, you're always going to get a little better, and I'm okay with that because it just means that I still got time to grow and do great things.

When you're singing a love song, like "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" when you were in the Top 8 girls, do you have anyone in mind to make the delivery of your song convincing? And, if not, how do you make it so believable?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Well, there's nobody in mind because I am like so single it should be illegal, but I just try to use like past relationships as an example, maybe, or I just try to jump into the shoes of somebody that I think would feel that way. 

For instance, me and Rickey Minor talked a lot about "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and the yearning and kind of the need in the song, and I just tried to channel it as best as I could because it's kind of like a bipolar thing, like, "I don't like you, but I love you."

And, I really got fascinated by that concept, so it was just a matter of me finding a situation, whether it be a past relationship, or maybe like a movie situation, or a friend that had told me a story once. I always try to find something I can connect to, and push it out as best as I can.

What advice do you have for people who want to audition for the show in the future -- maybe even multiple times like you did?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: I just felt like you should never give up. That's the one thing that I want to make known across the nation, is that like, if you don't take anything from my story, it's that when somebody tells you "no," you can't really take that.

You have to go back and figure out what you're going to do next and try it again, because everybody's going to tell you "no" at some point. You're going to get a million no's, but it's that one "yes" that's going to make a difference after you get those no's, and I would just say to just keep pressing.

If you're going to audition for stuff, if you're going to do TV shows, if you're going to do plays, or movies or anything, keep doing them. Just keep going out there and keep hitting it hard. Even if it doesn't happen for you right away, it's going to happen.

And, the best thing that's going to happen for you is you're going to get tough skin, and when you do get that, yes, it's going to rock you to a place where you're going to be so excited, and you're going to give 150% because you want it so much more after getting the no's. And, it's just a matter of perseverance, and I just want everybody to have that, and get that from my story, and that's really important to me. 

You're still young and your career is only just starting. Are you planning on staying in Los Angeles right now or do you have plans to go back home?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Well, I'm going to do some traveling. I'm in L. A. for a little bit, for a couple of days, and then I'm going to go home and thank my wonderful hometown because they have been incredibly supportive of me.

They have rallied together and pushed so hard for me, so I owe them some time. And then I'm going to go back on the road and visit some people and do some gigs, and my career is very much on the move at this point.

What were you planning on singing next week for "Movie Night?"

Sarina-Joi Crowe: I was planning on singing "The Way We Were," by Barbara Streisand, which would have been a much sadder "Save" song than "Neon Lights."

What are your post-Idol plans? Have you thought about what you might like to do now that you're leaving the show?  I mean, I know your elimination was kind of sudden, but have you thought about how you might take advantage of the exposure you got on Idol?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Yes. I'm definitely, I'm going to take advantage of exposure on Idol. I've been lucky to have a loyal, loyal fan base that has been following me for so long on the show, and I just want to give back to them.

I really want to record an EP and put it out there for people to hear and maybe tour and meet some of the people that rallied for me and pushed me through every week, and I want to do everything. 

I really want to move to L.A. and just really start going around the circuit with things, and I know that I can do it because now I've proven to myself that if you never give up, things are going to happen.

So, I just want to keep spreading that message and showing people that this is not the end of me -- ever. Obviously, it wasn't the end of me last year, and it's not going to be the end of me this year, so.

Have you thought about what kind of album you'd like to make?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Yes. I'd love to make like a pop/soul album, like the stuff that Jessie J does, the stuff that Demi Lovato does, Kelly Clarkson -- with like the rock, soul and the pop.

All of that is me; It's so totally me. And I have wanted to do that for a while, and I feel like I really solidified that on Idol. From the minute I did "Mamma Knows Best," I said, "Wow, this is the music I want to make. I want to make this kind of music forever."

We've seen you grow so much in the past few weeks on the show, now I want to know, has the show taught you something about the music industry that you didn't know before?

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Yes. It taught me that -- one valuable thing that I will take from this show for the rest of my life is that when you have a gut feeling about something, and your gut is telling you something, you need to follow your gut, no matter what. 

Like, no matter what people tell you, no matter who's in your ear, if you want to do something, do it. Because at the end of the day, you're the only person that has to get up there and sing. You're the only person that's being judged by America. You're the only person that's putting yourself out there.

So, if a million people are chattering away at you about what you need to do, but they're not out there doing it, you are, who's going to be disappointed in the end if it doesn't work out -- you or them? So, I have always kept that close from Idol, is keep to yourself, do you and trust your instincts, and all is going to end up well.

Where do you get your inner strength to persevere? 

Sarina-Joi Crowe: Mostly from my mom. She's always been very big about following our hearts and doing what we want to do, and not letting anybody else stop us. I mean, I come from a small town. It's a town where people kind of just graduate high school and then they get a job and then they stay there.

And, from the minute that I was like 12-years-old, I was like, "Well, that's not going to be me." Like, "I'm not going to do that; I'm not going to stay here forever. I'm going to do big things."

And my mom was like, "Yeah, you are." And she's always told me, "If you want something bad enough, you got to keep going for it. You can't let one 'no' make you stop forever. You have to just keep doing it no matter how many times you get your feelings hurt, or how many times you're disappointed. Going for it eventually will pay off." 

And, I just built up a tough skin because of that, and I've built up like just the strength to just keep doing it no matter what. So, I'm happy that it got me this far on Idol, and I know that it's going to get me far in life, so I'm very excited about things.

Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion of Sarina-Joi's interview. To read the first part, click here.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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