"American Idol's" latest eliminated contestant, Colton Dixon, has never shied away from being himself. Sometimes that involved putting on a flashier show, offering up his favorite worship song on the singing competition and sharing his strong religious beliefs on Twitter. And it had paid off with plenty of praise from the judges and votes from his fans.
But the one week he strayed a tad, he was sent home. The problem, according to Colton? Lady Gaga.
Jennifer Lopez called his performance of "Bad Romance" an "exciting performance." Randy Jackson declared that the audience was "just at the Colton Dixon concert." And Steven Tyler encouraged him to "keep taking chances and risks."
But the 20-year-old singer believes his fans weren't as impressed with his song choice despite the tune being a hit.
"I've taken pride in knowing who I am and taking a stance in my faith, and by choosing 'Bad Romance,' I turned off a lot of those voters, who are my core voters," Colton told reporters during a conference call on Friday.
And it seems he realized his mistake quickly when he offered up a mea culpa as he stood on stage as the 7th place finisher. “I wasn’t myself (Wednesday) night, and I get it,” he told the audience.
“I got caught up in the musicality and the performance instead of what it should’ve been, which is a connection to a song that I normally bring every week,” he explained to reporters.
"I think ('Bad Romance') was a bad risk to take because I didn't really think it through," Colton said. "I think musically and performance wise and image, I was so happy with the way it turned out. But at the same time, the message that was portrayed wasn't really who I was. ... I think that’s the main reason I’m talking to you right now.”
Though it was a tough lesson to learn and a disappointment to not continue in the competition, he’s looking forward to the “Idol” tour and furthering his musical career.
“You have to have a valley before you can peak,” Colton said. “And what’s cool about this is I don’t think I’ve peaked yet.”
Do you think "Bad Romance" was a bad choice for Colton? Share your thoughts about his elimination on our Facebook page.
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- Producers warn Colton that faith talk could hurt his 'Idol' chances
- Thursday recap: Colton goes home in shocking 'Idol' exit
- 'Idol' judges are missing key component -- credibility
- Move over, 'Idol' judges! It's time to put Jimmy on the panel
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