Following her elimination from American Idol this week, Syesha Mercado sat down with People Magazine. Here are highlights from the interview:

Paula Abdul said you sang songs that didn’t really define who you were. In your mind, who are you exactly as an artist?
I’m a mix of a lot of things … I’m like a black Christina Aguilera [or] Alicia Keys. I definitely can see myself putting together a Christina Aguilera album, the one that she just recently did and an Alicia Keys album like The Diary of Alicia Keys. I like Pop and I like R&B and I like the old school, new school thing so I’m growing as an artist, I’m evolving … You’ll know who I am once I put out that album.

What are your plans after the American Idol tour?
I want to make an album. I want to star in a film. I want to do Broadway. I want to open up an organic restaurant. It just depends on what comes first but I have goals that I want to do and I write them down and I’m going to continue to look at them. Whatever opportunity comes first, what’s the best career move for me, that’s pretty much what’s going to happen.

Only one American Idol contestant truly bombed on Andrew Lloyd Webber night - and even Brooke White recovered nicely after initially forgetting the lyrics on “You Must Love Me.”

But the performances that stood out the most last night didn’t belong to David Cook and David Archuleta for a change. We were most blown away by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson.

Take a look at each right now, starting with Syesha:

And Carly:

Which American Idol performance was your favorite? Write in. Let us know. 

A few American Idol women suffered through the flu last night, as Kristy Lee Cook and Joanne Borgella seemed particularly affected by sickness.

Still, this group of 12 easily outperformed its male counterparts from the evening before. We could choose from an array of solid auditions, but have tried to stick with our two favorites below. Along with the obvious selection of the worst from the night…

• Syesha Mercado (pictured): She went big - and it paid off! This crooner’s rendition of “Tobacco Road” was far from a ballad, but the judges didn’t seem to mind. Simon called it “terrific” and Paula said the performance was “joyful, fun and big!”

• Asiah Epperson: Tugged on our heart strings with her original audition, performed mere days after her dad passed away. But has proven that she’s far more than a sob story. Simon said her rendition of “Piece of My Heart” was his favorite of the night.

And the worst…

• It’s a good thing Amy Davis is so pretty, as you can see below. We don’t mean to be so harsh, but “Where the Boys Are” just didn’t cut it for us. Or the judges. Randy said it wasn’t great for him, while Simon was even more brutal: “It was a very boring song.”