You remember her—the cute pink and black clad 16-year-old with a big enough voice to win over the judges with Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” during her audition more than four years ago. Now at 21, American Idol season 3 runner-up Diana Degarmo dishes about the show, what she’s been up to since and just what we’re in for with the latest episodes of American Idol Rewind.
Sharon Tharp: Hi Diana! So the American Idol Rewind for your season is airing. That’s always fun to watch.
Diana Degarmo: Hi! Yes, definitely. The rewind is going to be a fun thing to watch just because there is so much behind-the-scenes gossip and tidbits that you don’t see when you don’t watch the show. So, it’s going to be good and juicy!
ST: It’s hard to believe it’s been over four years since your season!
DD: Yeah, time flies when you’re having fun, huh?
ST: Looking back on the experience, what comes to mind?
DD: It’s so wild because part of me thinks it was just yesterday and the other half of me thinks that it was eons ago. But, I still have people that recognize me, which I think is amazing. It’s cool that people have that great of a memory. My hair color is quite different, which throws a lot of people off now. But people go, “Oh, you’re that girl from American Idol” and it’s so cool.
ST: Do you find yourself still getting treated as a cute 16-year-old girl when in fact you’re 21 now?
DD: Yeah, I’ve had people ask me, “Have you graduated high school yet?” or “Are you old enough to be in a bar right now?” when I’m out with friends or something like that, which is funny and kind of amusing. That’s the thing about television when you’re at that age—you kind of get put into a time capsule of being sixteen. But, so far isn’t hasn’t been an absolute horrible thing. You know, I’d rather be considered 16 for the rest of my life than thought of as 102 or something.
ST: What was the toughest part of being on the show? Was it the age thing?
DD: Well, being 16 was definitely hard competition-wise. But personally, I think the whole competition was tough for everybody and the mental part of the competition that you have to go through every week of getting up there, giving everything you got and wondering whether or not you are going to make it to the next round. It’s just a lot mentally and physically that your body takes on because there is so much stress and hard work and all of your emotions of being nervous and excited and scared and having a great time. It’s all these things, so it’s definitely a mental competition on top of being an actual singing competition.
ST: On the other hand, what were some of your fondest memories?
DD: All of the friends that I’ve made with contestants and meeting all the cool people like Donna Summer and Gloria Estefan and people like that who I would normally never get the chance to actually work with—that was really really cool.
ST: Looking back, is there anything you would change about maybe your audition or a song choice, for example?
DD: I’m a pretty big believer that all things happen for a reason and I’m one of those “hindsight is always 20/20″ people. There’s always, “Oh I could have done this” or “I could have done that,” but in the end, I made it to number two out of 70,000 people that auditioned, so I feel like most of my choices were pretty good. I think the only thing I could ever change would probably be some of my outfits.
ST: I think a lot of people would say that! So, who were you closest with on your season?
DD: Actually, it’s kind of funny because he wasn’t on the show very long, but we’ve kept in touch the best and that was Matt Rogers. He and I just bonded back during Hollywood week. I called him “Bubba” and he was like my big brother. I sang at his wedding and things like that since the show’s been over. When you’re with the same people everyday and almost every waking moment of four months, you get pretty close. I got to know a lot of people like LaToya, Jasmine, George and the top five pretty well.
ST: You’ve done a lot since the show including an album and a starring role on Broadway. What has been your favorite part of the success?
DD: I think my personal favorite part, even though I’ve done some really cool things, was the chance I got to do a USO tour overseas. It’s really cool to say I did a USO tour, but it’s also really cool to say I was the first idol to go overseas. I did 13 countries in seven days and I am a big supporter of our troops. It was just one of the most wonderful and humbling experiences I’ve ever done. And if it weren’t for Idol, I probably would have never gotten the chance to do it. It was really really cool.
ST: Speaking of the troops, is this the first year that you get to vote in the presidential election?
DD: It is my first time to vote! I missed it last time by just a few months. I’m super duper excited! I get to give my two cents this year.
ST: So, what can we expect in the upcoming episodes of Idol Rewind?
DD: The one good thing is a lot of the commentary that you didn’t get to watch originally and that you won’t find on any YouTube video. You definitely get a behind-the-scenes look that the normal viewer didn’t get the chance to see. I think it’s a brilliant idea that they get to replay it and I think it’s been great because I’ve made fans who didn’t watch it when it originally aired, but are watching it now. Now they get to see me laugh and tell all these funny stories. I’ve had people say to me, “I’ve never watched American Idol before and now I’m watching the rewind and I’m a huge fan.” So, I’m collecting even more fans and it’s wonderful. It’s kind of cool to go down memory lane and see all those videos. It’s kind of cool to look back and go, “Oh, that was a really neat experience.”
ST: Is there anything you remember that happened that you wouldn’t want shown?
DD: You know, we all had to live in a house together on that season and that was the last season they did that. And I’m telling you, that’s where the real reality show was. When you’ve got seven girls and only two bathrooms, it gets kind of hectic in the morning.
ST: I can imagine. So do you find it hard watching yourself on television?
DD: If I do anything on TV, I hate to watch it. It makes for a skin crawl. It’s the weirdest thing. I don’t like watching myself, but every now and then it’s kind of amusing to look back. It’s like having home videos of yourself that, especially at that age, you can watch and say, “Oh, what was I thinking?” or “Oh, that was cool.” It’s been fun watching and it’s fun to catch up on the episodes.
ST: So out of all the seasons, who is your favorite idol?
DD: Oh, wow! I couldn’t pick a favorite, but I’ve been fortunate enough to befriend a lot of people from different seasons because we automatically have this experience that no one else has gone through. You know, we always have something to talk about and I’ve gotten chances to do things with Justin Guarini and Bo Bice and Bucky Covington and Kellie Pickler and people that I would have never met. Idol kind of brought us together so it’s been cool meeting all the people from different seasons.
ST: So what have you been up to recently?
DD: Right now, I’m living in Nashville and I am recording a country album here, which has been wonderful. I’ve been writing and being a part of this community, which is exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I would be back here someday and I’m glad I have. I started out country and kind of came back full circle. Right now, I’m performing a lot around here and promoting myself as a songwriter. Also, a couple of idols, we are getting ready to go on a Christmas tour. We are going to hit some of the smaller markets around the East Coast. We are super excited about that too.
ST: Great. Thanks for your time, Diana!
DD: Thank you!
Be sure to check your local listings for times and stations where you can watch the second season of American Idol Rewind. You can also visit www.tvguide.com/listings for more information…
