Lacey Brown was the next contestant to be eliminated from “American Idol” and the first finalist to be cut from the Top 12. The 24-year-old event coordinator from Amarillo, TX, shared her thoughts in a recent conference call. Excerpts are below.

Q: There’s been so much talk this season about conflicting criticism from the judges … With all that going on, also just the plain pressure of, you know, doing what you want to do, do you feel like people got a real sense of who you were as an artist? 

Brown: It’s difficult with the criticism that you hear because it has been a little bit confusing and, therefore, I would change things week-to-week, which can leave the audience kind of questioning who I am.

I would say, I’m a very different artist.  I have a very different voice that’s not suited for a lot of different genres, but I really see myself doing more of like a pop folk mix of an album.  I definitely can see myself making an album soon.  I would love to do that if I get the chance to.  And, you know, I just want to give people the chance to hear something that’s fresh and new and different. 

There are not a lot of voices like mine right now on the radio, so I kind of take pride in the fact that I’m a lot different.  I’ve always been a little bit more unique and individual, and I just try to embrace that and try to show that in my performances.  So hopefully people can get that, and hopefully they like it, and so I’m looking forward to writing some new music that fits my voice and that people really like.

Q: So after making it so far last season, and then not getting to that Top 24, what made you want to come back this season and try again?

Brown: You know, I’m one of those people that gets very competitive, and I decided it’s way too much fun of an experience to not try again, to try to get further if I would have made it into the top.  Last year it was Top 36 instead of 24.  If I would have made it into that next round, I wouldn’t have been able to come back this year, so I’m really glad that I got a second chance. 

Q: Well, you took the news really well last night, and you had a look on your face almost like you had made peace with whatever the outcome was.  Is that what you were feeling?

Brown: Yes.  It’s really strange because I woke up yesterday morning and had the strangest feeling that I was going home.  I hadn’t been tipped off by anything, hadn’t read anything, but really talked to a few of the other constants and just said, ‘Look, I’m going home,’ and they were like, ‘No, Lacey.  You’re crazy.  Why would you go home?  Out of everybody here, why would you go home?’  And they were really supportive and really sweet, but I – something about it was just off, and so it wasn’t that I had made peace with it.  I think I had just gotten used to it, you know. 

It’s a hard thing to hear.  But when you’re there in that moment, after you sing, you’re not in control of anything.  And so it’s been a shocker every week who goes home sometimes and who stays sometimes instead of another person.  That’s just the nature of the show.  So it wasn’t a shocker, but it also came as like a realization; the reality of the fact was just a little overwhelming.

Q: Because you’ve been cut before, the Top 24 before, was it harder to go this time?  Did it make, you know, going further more or less gratifying?

Brown: You know, honestly it was hard both times because I wanted to get further last year, and I wanted to get further this year.  They were equally hard.  I will say hard is different from overwhelming.  I’ve obviously gotten to the Top 12.  I’m in the number 12 spot in America right now as far as “American Idol” goes, and that is not a bad place to be in. 

So was it hard?  Yes.  It was emotional, but I’m very happy with my spot.  I’m very proud to be where I’m at.  And I wish I could have gotten a little bit further, but as far as it being hard or easy, I don’t think that’s a decision I’m trying to make right now.  It’s just been a blast up to this point, and I’m just really excited to be where I’m at right now.

Q: Do you think you can pinpoint what you think your downfall was?

Brown: You know, I would probably have to say energy.  I think they kept asking for energy in my songs, and I kept trying to give it, and they kept trying to say, you know, it was a sleepy performance.  They wanted to see a little bit more energy because I’m a happy and a lovely type of personality, and they just wanted to see that transferred into my music.  The issue that I was having is I really love to sing ballads.  I love telling a story with a song.  I love the emotion of the song.  I’m very artsy, so that side of me comes out when I sing.

And so I think I kept picking songs that I really loved to sing and really felt and maybe it didn’t transfer as well stage wise.  And so maybe that was it, but I wouldn’t have changed any of it because that's who I am.  Even though I’m a bubbly happy person, not every song that I sing is going to be up-tempo or, you know what I mean.  If I could say anything, I would say possibly that.  I’m not really sure, but even if it is, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. 

Q: I saw on the show that Simon went right up to you at the end and I know you were a little bit emotional.  What did he say?  Did he say anything nice to you?

Brown: Yes.  All the judges came up afterward.  I think they genuinely care about the contestants.  Sometimes it’s hard to hear their critiques, but they’re there to help you, and it’s a fine line between taking what they say personally and taking what they say and applying it to yourself to fix yourself, you know, and work things out that you need to work out. 

When they came up afterwards, they had nothing but nice things to say, things like, you know this is just another step into your career.  You have great vocals.  You’re very unique … they’re just full of compliments because they want to see us succeed, and they don’t want us to feel like all hope is lost because it’s not.  I’m in the Top 12 right now, and even though I got voted off, this is not the end all for me.  This is a great opportunity to jumpstart my career, so I think that’s the point they were trying to make when they got on the stage afterwards.