Frank MIcelotta / FOXAlthough the Idol world was buzzing that Naima Adedapo wasn't favored to win the competition, we gotta admit we had a soft spot for her eclectic style and self-confidence.
When we caught up with Naima the morning after her elimination, she shared her thoughts on how Idol fans viewed her and why, exactly, female contestants are dropping like flies:
No one seemed to connect to Naima's Wednesday night reggae spin on Sir Elton John's "I'm Still Standing," and it was that performance which put the final nail in the coffin of her life on the Idol stage.
Of course she's bummed to be voted off Idol, but Naima doesn't wish she had made different choices.
"Honestly, I just wanted to really show every piece of me," she told us. "That's what I've been trying to do. I've been trying to take opportunities to show a new face, to show something different about me. I hadn't really gone roots-reggae, and that's a big part of me. I connect to it. I had some people telling me, 'I don't know about it,' but for me, I'm really about staying true to myself and once I have my mind set on something, I just go after it, and I have no regrets about anything I've done on the show, and I'm happy I was able to show that side of me."
Although she lasted several weeks, Naima admitted she was likely a little misunderstood.
"I think people just didn't know where to place me," she said. "I felt like maybe they didn't understand me sometimes. Honestly, the reactions I have got from people was positive. I definitely struck people in a different kind of way. I think because it was hard to place me in a certain kind of category it did have an affect on how people voted or how they perceived me."
Naima says her that the power of fans who are developing crushes on the male contestants is something all the remaining female contestants need to think about during the rest of the competition.
"When it comes down to it, the reality is more than 50 percent of the audience is little teenage girls and once they get a crush, we're done. They dominate, and that's all right, but I feel like [the female contestants] didn't really have too many conversations about it because we are all pretty confident in our work. It is the reality of the situation. The teenyboppers, once they fall in love…they're in that generation. My audience was more kind of the older crowd who are not necessarily as technology savvy sometimes. So I would get people saying 'Yeah, I voted for you three times!' "
Are you sad to see Naima go? Which Idol do you connect to most? How many times do you vote every week? Let us know in the comments!