The conspiracy theorists who believe that the David vs. David “American Idol” finale was in the works for weeks or months might have gotten a little bit of a wink and nod from Syesha Mercado during her “Idol” exit interview with TV reporters on Thursday morning.
Syesha didn’t necessarily say – or really even hint – that the proverbial fix was in. But she did say she was pretty surprised by the song she was given by the producers, which ultimately might have been her downfall. Syesha said she knew immediately after she performed Tuesday that she was going home, what her future plans, and how her father’s struggle with drug and alcohol addiction has helped make her who she is.
On what’s special about each David… Of course, they’re unique, but David Archuleta has that beautiful smile and has that really good connection with kids and the younger audience. David Cook has that connection with the younger audience and the older audience. I feel like I’m a little sister and an older sister to both Davids. I just wish them both the best of luck and it’s all about what the voters want.
On who she considers herself to be, as a performer… I’m a mix of a lot of things. I think that’s why people are, like, “Oh, she’s Broadway,” or whatever. I’m like a black Christina Aguilera, or an Alicia Keys. I definitely picture myself putting together a Christina Aguilera (type) album, the one she just recently did, and an Alicia Keys (type) album, “The Diary of Alicia Keys.” I like pop and I like R&B and I like the old school/new school kind of thing. I’m glad I did do “American Idol” because people were able to see that transition that I went through. People will know who I am.
On her dad’s addiction and how it shaped her… I think the struggles that we go through, for me, it made me the strong person that I am. Having my dad struggle through that, it really made me sad a lot in my life, but it actually made me understand people more. I told myself that I’m not going to let this determine what my future is going to be. I’m going to make him proud so that he wants to make me proud, and that’s exactly what’s happening now. It’s just a beautiful story to tell. Some day I’ll tell it. Maybe in a book.
On what she wants to do next in her career… I want to do everything. I’m really goal-oriented. I want to make an album, I want to star in a film, I want to do Broadway, I want to open up an organic restaurant. It just depends on what comes first.
On how she dealt with being in the bottom three and two so much… Every week is new, and I never packed my bag. They told us, “You know what, pack your bag.” But I never packed my bag because I believe if you’re passionate about something, you can do it. If you want to get top three, you’re going to get top three. Whichever David is the most passionate, they’re going to win. I didn’t pack my bag because I wasn’t ready to go. I just talked to my family a lot and they really helped me stay strong and they told me so many things that helped me when I was on that stage.
On getting this close to the final and not making it… To me, like, I made it. I think anybody who is on the show “makes it.” For me, this was very successful, making it to the top three. I set a goal and I got there. I’m very, very, very happy, I’m at peace. I feel like I’ve made it and only great things can come from here on out.
On what she thought when she got the producers’ choice song for Tuesday’s show… I told myself … I was, like, “I don’t know that song, but I think my nieces and nephews like it because I know they like that movie ‘Happy Feet.’” You know, it’s not like I could change it, so I had to try and make the best of it. You know, I’m very optimistic and positive, and whenever something kind of comes my way that’s going to be like, “Oh, that’s just terrible, that’s not going to work,” I just try to block it out and I try to think, “What can I do to turn this into something positive, what can I do to make the best of it?”
On whether she thought it was a “singer’s song”… No, it really wasn’t. And I’m the type of person that, if I’m doing a song like that, I want to do it all out, and I wasn’t able to have backup dancers. And, most of the song was backup singing. It’s like, you know, that whole studio techno kind of stuff. So, it was weird, because most of the time I wasn’t supposed to be singing.
On when she knew it was going to be a David vs. David finale… Probably the night before, after I got done performing. I was, like, it’s over, you know? I mean, it’s not over, but I got too many bad comments from the judges to keep me there. At this point in the game, you couldn’t have that many bad comments to be there. So I accepted what it was, and I moved on and I made peace with it. And I couldn’t be happier right now. I don’t feel defeated, I don’t feel like I failed. I felt like I grew a lot and I showed America a lot of different sides of me and things that I’m capable of ,and I’m capable of a lot more and I can do a lot more and I’m ready to show everybody what I’ve got.
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