The Next American Idol

Carly Smithson - Age 24 from San Diego, California

Carly was named after a song her mom heard on the radio.

The first concert Carly attended was Kylie Minogue.

If she had 24 hours to do whatever she wanted Carly would spend the day with her husband and her dogs or visit Ireland for the day to catch up with her family.

Carly would like to meet Johnny Cash if it were ten years ago.

If Carly could perform anywhere in the world, she would choose to sing in Wemberley, England.

Her roommate during the 7th Season of American Idol was Amanda Overmyer.

She plans to differentiate herself on American Idol by being the only tattooed girl and not singing rock.

If she could change one thing about herself, she would like to be tan because she burns easy.

Her favorite moment in American Idol was when Sanjaya Malakar got voted off.

The toughest obstacle in her life is living with the bad skin on her face.

Before American Idol, she worked at an Irish bar a block away from her husband's tattoo shop.

The proudest moment in Carly's life is when she became a wife and when her and her husband opened a tattoo shop.

Carly wishes that she could tattoo someone. She tried it once and wasn't good.

Carly claims she has lucky charms because she is Irish.

Carly is allergic to cats and dogs.

Carly would like to be a make-up artist or a photographer if she doesn't make it on American Idol.

Her personal goals in life are to win American Idol, be a good person to others, to be well-traveled and educated, to make Ireland proud, to have a family and be the best mom she can possibly be and to make music and sing forever.

She thinks her friends would be surprised to know that she owns a Blink 182 CD.

Her rituals before performing are to warm up, don't talk too much and to suck on a boiled piece of candy.

The most embarrassing moment in her life was when she lost her voice at a friend's party.

Carly auditioned in Las Vegas back in season 5 of "American Idol."

Carly's final Hollywood performance on "American Idol" was when she sang "Alone."

Carly made her singing debut in "Les Miserables" at the Olympic Theater in Dublin.

Carly tends a bar and operates a tattoo shop with her husband.

Carly moved to Los Angeles, California at age 13.

She released an album called Ultimate High in 2001.

Carly has a tattoo on her right arm and a diamond tattoo on her left middle finger.

Her musical influences are Heart, Celine, Skynyrd, Ray Charles, Whitney, Rolling Stones, U2, Janis, Johnny Cash and Annie Lennox.

Her audition number for the 7th Season of American Idol was 175.

Her audition number for the 5th Season of American Idol was 74118.

She auditioned for American Idol in Season 5, but could not make it to the Hollywood Round due to problems regarding her working visa.

She had formal singing training, but she didn't enjoy it.

Carly says one of her talents is pouring a perfect pint.

Will Carly Smithson Be the Next Americal Idol?

Will Carly Smithson Be the Next Americal Idol?

Favorites:

We are the makers of music and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Ann Wilson, Celine.

Bono.

Simon Cowell because he is honest.

Carrie Underwood.

Carly starting singing at age 3.

Carly was the first contestant to be called into the decision making room for the top 24 that actually made the top 24.

Carly auditioned for American Idol in San Diego, California, and sang "I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston.

Quotes by Carly Smithson

The most embarrassing thing I've done on stage, the most embarrassing thing, oh! I went back to Ireland just last June for a big event to perform at and lost my voice.

I have really bad allergies and it actually only developed in about the last five years, but I hadn't really been home to Ireland in that time and I'm allergic to dogs and cats and that kind of thing, so I got to my mom's house and they got a cat and it was gone, I didn't even pay any attention, just happy to be home and after the first night, I started sneezing and all that kind of stuff and then the event was a few days later and I totally lost my voice because I was coughing so much and it was really embarrassing because I couldn't sing like my own songs and all these people were like looking at me, it was pretty funny.

I ate it last week, it was at a sushi restaurant and it was disgusting. I felt like I was on Fear Factor and my husband ordered it just because it was disgusting, it was squid marinated in squid guts and it was disgusting. He thought it was delicious, he just ate the whole thing, but it was disgusting.

There was a man sitting beside us that had a Japanese girlfriend before and he spoke Japanese, he knew all of the different sushis and I'm not gonna try that, I'm gonna try it, but I'm not gonna order something weird, but my husband is all into ordering weird things, so my husband asked for like, "What's the strangest thing I can get my wife to eat," so they ordered it, it was squid marinated in its guts, it was disgusting.

I worked at a theme park, a travelling theme park in Dublin when I was about twelve and I think that's the most oddest job I've ever had; I sold hotdogs, burgers and during our lunch breaks we would go on all the rides and it was really cool, it's like a travelling thing, it comes every year and you guys have such cool theme parks here [United States], big theme parks, we don't really have that; we have the travelling carnival in Dublin and it's a huge event every Christmas and I always waited for that carnival to come around, so like I'd go with my parents and I've always wanted to work there, so I got a job eventually, so that was really cool.

My family has helped me a lot to pursue my dream, my dad actually moved from Ireland when I was about thirteen, fourteen and moved to Los Angeles to try and help me further my career.

He did actually get me signed when I was quite young and it didn't go very well, but he put his heart and soul into it, he really did, he left his job, he left his life and he came state side although he always wanted to live here and we had a blast, we had a really cool time. We lived in L.A. for a little bit and he really helped me and my mom helps me out because she is the most organized lady I know and she puts all of my stuff together that I need. They're very supportive parents, they really are.

My mom does a lot of production, so she understands the industry and she's kinda' helped me out and prepped me a little bit and she told me to listen to everything that people say and be on time all the time and if someone tells you to be quiet, be quiet.

People would be surprised to learn that I don't necessarily listen to a lot of rock music 'cause I am tattooed, well I actually do, but I don't necessarily listen to it, I'm more tuning it out because my husband is playing it, but I'm not really that rocker girl that a lot of people think that I am.

I just love tattoos and I love art, but I listen to a lot of Barbara Streisand and stuff like that. I listen to a lot of like Celine [Dion] and Whitney Houston, I listen to a lot of skinners and southern rock and that kind of thing, I'm not really into that kinda' hardcore rock you see.

I don't know, I think maybe Kelly [Clarkson] because I have a high voice, high range, but I don't know, you don't really wanna compare yourself to any of the past idols, I want to look to the future and be the new fresh face, I guess, but probably Kelly 'cause I have a high, high range.

My favorite performer would be Axle Rose 'cause he's just crazy, but my favorite singer would be Anne Wilson, so kinda' two separate, but he also had a really good voice, he could hit some high notes and I love watching Axle Rose on the stage, he was just nuts, I didn't know what he was gonna do next. He would be on the speaker, he would be in the speaker, he'd be in the crowd he'd be all over the place, he was just really cool.

I don't know, it's just the coolest thing, it's that ultimate that your being told that what you're doing is good, people are, 'cause you'll always sing and you'll sing, but actually getting that response back that people enjoy what you're doing, I think that's the main reason and winning is obviously going to be the ultimate, everybody really enjoys what you do and they really appreciate your music, so I want to do that.

If I don't become the next American Idol, I don't know, I'll go home? I'll be OK about it, it will be a total bummer, but I'll go back to San Diego and just be with my husband, run our tattoo shop; I think I might want to take up photography or definitely maybe cooking; I would love to cook and go to culinary school, that's always something that I've wanted to do, so I think I'll probably do that.

I love to cook and I'm very good at it, I'm really, really good at it. I can, I can take together leftovers from the refrigerator and whip up something fancy. My husband said it's one of the main reasons he married me, 'cuz he hadn't had a good meal in years.

I first started singing when… probably when I was about four. I used to always, I come from Ireland, so there are always sessions after hours in people's houses. I guess that's just something that we do and if you're going to have a house party somebody always brings a guitar and there's a few singers, but I, at four used to get out of my bed, sneak into the kitchen, there'd be a ton of my parent's friends and I'd be on the kitchen table within five minutes, singing for everybody, so it was always something I've wanted to do.

When I found out I made top 24, I couldn't stop crying. I cried, well actually I cried before I made top 24. Ryan had come over to the chair and he was like, "So you're up next, how do you feel?" I don't know why, but I just got so emotional, I started crying. Cried all the way to the elevator, up in the elevator, out of the elevator, it opened and three judges are looking at me and I'm just like, "Uhhh…"

So I sat down on the seat and it was great because they didn't say anything to me for a whole like 30 seconds, which feels like an hour when you're sitting there and I cried for the entire 30 seconds and they started talking to me and it all got dragged out, then they said, "You made top 24." It just, it was crazy, I really didn't, I didn't think I was going to make top 24, so I had such a bad audition in San Diego. As soon as they said, it was just crazy, you don't, it takes, and I watched it with everybody.

Everybody who came down that elevator had to be given a whole two hours before they were calm again, not shacking, and until it really had sunk in and then we all kinda' sat around the hotel lobby last night and we all spoke and it was just, it really started to sink in then, but it was just amazing, the coolest feeling ever.

Will Carly Smithson Be the Next Americal Idol?

Will Carly Smithson Be the Next Americal Idol?