Ray Mickshaw / FOXDon't cry for Matt Giraud's loss last night on American Idol. Why? Well, for one, he didn't set out to be the American Idol anyway. And for another reason: He might just be the only contestant from this season to end up as a trivia question.
We'll let Matt explain: "I never came in wanting to be the American Idol. My dream was to play that piano on that stage. My dream was to sing jazz on that stage. My dream was to meet the mentors. That was like dreams come true for me."
Find out what else Matt had to say in his closing remarks interview this morning...
When asked how it feels to make Idol history by being the first contestant the judges used the new judges' save rule on, Matt said, "I can't wait to see my name on a trivia card. I feel blessed [and] honored. It was a really cool feeling, probably one of the coolest moments of my life. It made me feel real special, and I hope people think it was worth it. I really didn't know people felt that passionately about me. One of security guards told me he never heard the room get so loud."
The Kalamazoo, Mich.-bred singer-musician says he plans to make a soulful rock record, but he wouldn't mind paying his dues a bit first. "I would love to get on the road and maybe open up for a band after the [American Idol summer tour]—maybe like the Fray or Gavin DeGraw and just pay my dues in the music industry," he says. "And I'd like to get more into some soulful rock with a twist of blues on it. I'd love to see myself as a lead man with a piano and a band around me."
One thing he doesn't see were the comparisons to Justin Timberlake, which he got a lot of this season. Of the comparison, Matt says that it was "a little bit annoying, but I respect him a lot. But I think I'm a lot different. I love his type of music. I can pull it off, I think. But it's not really where I want to go musically. I'd rather be rocking out with some kind of piano band."
Do you think it was Matt's time to go? Can you see him going the way of Gavin DeGraw or the Fray? Sound off below.