American Idol eliminated Qaasim Middleton and determined its Top 7 artists during the fifth live show of its fourteenth season Wednesday night on Fox.

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Qaasim, an 18-year-old student from Brooklyn, NY, 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 last week's performance show.

Qaasim and Rayvon were therefore each asked to sing a Billboard Top 100 hit after Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo served as their mentors. Qaasim performed "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, while Rayvon sang "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele. After both singers took the stage, America tweeted for the "Idol Fan Save" in real time, and the majority of viewers voted to save Rayvon.

During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Qaasim talked about his American Idol experience. Below is the first half. Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion.

Now that you've been eliminated, what was your favorite thing about being on American Idol?

Qaasim Middleton: My favorite thing was just the fact I met all these wonderful people and the network and connections, the fact we're about to vibe and just really take over the game. I got so much to give y'all, y'all don't understand. So, I'm so excited, man, you have no idea!

Did you have a favorite person that you worked with on Idol?

Qaasim Middleton: Well, okay, I loved everybody. But the person who was my mentor, my coach -- outside of Scott Borchetta -- was Kenya Hathaway. And she, other than my mother, has been really helping me out vocally and keeping me in shape. She's keeping me focused and showed me all the ropes about everything that's going on in this industry.

She was really just amazing -- an amazing help, an amazing asset to my progress as a human being and as an artist. So, I'm really happy she did that for me, and I can't wait to see her again and see all the rest of my Idol family again.

You know you couldn't get through this interview without being asked about that infamous microphone drop when you got saved by the judges a couple weeks ago.

Qaasim Middleton: Yes, like I said before, it was really just within the moment. I wasn't thinking too hard about it. I just felt like that's what needed to happen.

You've been so open about your faith throughout this process. How did that play a role in your everyday life and also while you were experiencing this crazy Idol journey?

Qaasim Middleton: With God? Yeah, it's all about just, you know, staying true and being centered. If you don't give the glory -- you've got to give the glory. That's what it is, because all things happen for a reason and all due praises to Him.

He definitely has given me a light and a path to allow myself to grow. He's making me a better human, making me a better communicator of the arts.

Because everything is on this earth to communicate in one way or another, and I'm just really happy to have gotten this experience and met these wonderful people and gotten this much exposure and networks and connections. It's just such an amazing experience, so I can't wait to just keep going now.

What have you learned about yourself during this process?

Qaasim Middleton: I learned that I'm really resilient and I'm pretty good at singing and dancing at the same time. (Laughs) But I'm still just learning so much more, and you know, this experience has packed in years and years worth of training in such a small, little amount of time.

We all -- I was talking to [Quentin Alexander] about this -- on Saturday. I was just telling him how I realized that our song-learning skills and our memory skills have gotten so good over the past, you know, several months, because we're constantly being hounded to learn new songs to be able to perform them in front of the public if we don't know them already.

So, I just feel like I did everything in my power to do everything I possibly needed to do for the show. I felt like I contributed a heavier amount to the show in regards to the people. And I feel like they've also contributed a heavy amount to me, so it's just, like, a wonderful experience, you know what I'm saying? I'm just so blessed. You have no idea.

How important was your family in your journey from the beginning?

Qaasim Middleton: If they weren't here, I would not be -- I wouldn't have gotten this far. They kept me centered and they kept me focused. They kept my vision on the path I needed to do, and they realized that, you know, this is such a beautiful opportunity, you know what I'm saying?

I didn't go up into this competition with the mindset to beat everyone. I came in with the mindset to do as well as I possibly could and be better than I was before, and that's literally what I feel I've done.

I've grown. I feel it, you know? I spiritually feel that. The energies are different, you know, I'm much more mature. And I can't wait to keep going, man. I got so much to give to y'all. I have so much to give that God's given me and I can't wait to show y'all what I got.

How has being a musician impacted your dating life?

Qaasim Middleton: Well, I have a girlfriend. I've had a girlfriend since last year. It's about to hit a year right now and she's had such an impact and has been such a beautiful human being in my life. I don't really talk about her often because I kind of like to keep that stuff private, especially because of the market and the industry I'm going into. But it's really just been a wonderful experience.

What inspired your song choice last week for Kelly Clarkson's theme? You picked "Stronger," which I believe is about a breakup. Were you thinking about anyone in particular?

Qaasim Middleton: I was thinking about my "Idol Save" and I was thinking about how I came back strong from that. And ironically, that performance wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. There were too many factors that played into it.

I don't want to go through them because I don't want it to sound like I'm giving excuses, but it definitely should've been better. But everything happens for a reason, and so, I'm good. That song is the theme song of my life because I'm good.

What were you planning on singing next week?

Qaasim Middleton: I was planning on singing "Will It Go Round In Circles" by Billy Preston and "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray.

How did you feel about the show's judges trying to push you out of your comfort zone? They were constantly talking about your vocals and how they should be upfront and center. That performance when you sat down on a stool with a guitar, did that feel normal and comfortable to you?

Qaasim Middleton: Well, this is the thing, I've been singing and playing guitar since I was 10, and I just started doing the singing and dancing thing in December -- really, like, hardcore. So I haven't even gotten a year in when it comes to singing and dancing at the same time.

This is all new to me and I was experimenting with how good I could be on the stage of American Idol. That's why I'm really happy, because I've realized that I'm really good at it. So I could probably pack stadiums in about a year or two.

So, I'm really excited. I'm ready to go. I'm a singer/songwriter and I play guitar. The "Stronger" performance was really supposed to showcase that side of me a bit better than what it did. So that was really my comfort zone more so than the new stuff that I've been doing.

But I feel real comfortable with the new stuff I'm doing now, so I'm finding myself in so many different new ways. I'm really comfortable with where I'm at and I can't wait to show y'all some more stuff.

Idol must've been a very eye-opening experience for you.

Qaasim Middleton: Yes, definitely. I met some wonderful people who made me a better human being and I got so many different colors that they know I've got that y'all haven't necessarily seen yet. I'm an MC, I'm a producer, I'm an actor, I did the Naked Brothers Band.

And so, that helped when it came down to the professionalism of the craft of everything that we're going through. My brother and I have got some video-game ideas coming out for y'all soon. I've got movies coming out and dance videos -- just so many different things. You have not seen the last of me at all. Trust me on that.

Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion of Qaasim's American Idol interview.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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