Hollie Cavanagh, the British-born 18-year-old singer from Texas, had an inkling her American Idol journey would be ending Thursday night. “I kind of woke up today with a gut feeling,” Cavanagh told EW backstage about an hour after being eliminated. “I was staying positive throughout the day and still staying hopeful, of course, but when my name wasn’t called, I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, really?’”

It was her undistinguished performance of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” on Wednesday that drew criticism from the judges and baseball cap collector Jimmy Iovine, and may have been Cavanagh’s undoing. But the contestant didn’t regret choosing the song. “The lyrics are so powerful and it’s such a beautiful song,” said Cavanagh. “Maybe it wasn’t right for a competition, but if I think about something I wish I had written, I’d choose that one.” And she already knows exactly the kind of album she’d like to release: “A pop album with some soul” that would be inspired by the music of Christina Aguilera. “But not so much her recent [albums],” said Cavanagh. “Can I say that?” Yes, yes you can.

To hear more from Hollie, including how she got herself out of a mid-season rut and why she picked Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” for her exit performance, check out EW’s video exit Q&A below. READ FULL STORY »

Elise Testone, the 28-year-old rock and soul crooner from South Carolina, had mixed feelings about being eliminated Thursday night. On the one hand, she told EW that she was surprised to be sent home after her rendition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Bold as Love.” “I felt completely successful [with] that performance in every aspect,” said Testone, “[including] the outfit, the singing, and having my bandmate onstage with me.”

On the other hand, Testone wasn’t about to dwell on her elimination. “I accepted what happened to me as soon as it happened,” she said. “I just thought, ‘What’s next? What am I going to do now?’” To hear about Testone’s plans for the future, check out EW’s video exit Q&A with the singer below.

As for the results show itself, the most memorable moment actually occurred during a commercial break. READ FULL STORY »