Katie Stevens finished 8th in the American Idol voting this season before being voted off the list on Wednesday night. Thursday morning she participated in a conference call. Here is what she had to say:

What did the fan support mean to you?

KS: “It meant the world to me. Having all of Connecticut behind me was an honor. I was doing this for my grandmother, but I was also doing it for everybody else back home because I wanted to make everyone proud.”

What”s next for you … back to school, go to the prom?

KS: “I actually don”t think I”ll be able to attend prom or graduation cause that”s when Tour rehearsals start. But  I”ll go back, hang out with my friends and get my diploma. I am really looking forward to the Tour. Hopefully, after that I”ll write an album. I”m excited for what”s to come.”

What advice did Adam Lambert give you that you”ll take with you?

KS: “He told me to always stick to what I love and what I believe in. He was great as a mentor because he has been through the Idol process and he was able to give up feedback on what he did and how he was able to evolve through all the pressures.”

Can you talk about why you were doing this for your grandmother, and you said you speak fluent Portuguese, how did that come about?

KS: “Growing up my parents went to work and I”d stay with my grandparents who came from Portugal and they would speak Portuguese and they would talk to me and my brother and we kind of picked it up. Mygrandmother raised me. She went to every performance I ever had. She always inspired me and encouraged me to follow my dreams. And so this was something that I wanted to do. And when she was diagnosed wit Alziemers” it affected me and I wanted to do something while she still remembered me. So I accomplished my goal which was to have her be proud of me.”

What was the most difficult thing to do on Idol?

KS: “I think it was each contestent would go out there and it was hard knowing you would be judged afterward. You didn”t know what the comments would be. Nerve-wrecking going into the judging part of it.”

Simon and Kara had a tug of war over pop vs. country for you?

KS: “I think in Top 24 when I got those comments I was trying to please the judges and not myself. I decided going into Top 12 I was going to be myself. Everything after that showed off. They all know what they are talking about but ultimately I have to do what I love and what I know is best for me. I kind side more with Kara pop R&B kinda like stuff that Kelly Clarkson does where she has a soulful voice kind of R&B, soul, pop, rock background.”

What would you have sang next week as an inspirational song?

KS: “I would have sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.””

What was the reaction of your parents last night?

KS: “They have been behind me since I started to sing when I was little. Obviously, they thought I was upset. My mom said to me, “If you started out and you were at the stadium and they said you are going to make but only to the eighth spot would you have done it?” I said absolutely. They (her parents) told me how proud they were of me and I don”t have any regrets about anything. I”m so proud of myself that I was able to make through this at my age.”

Did anyone actually send you his phone bill to take you to Prom?

KS: “No, but the day after I made that announcement I was told that a bunch of people would send me phone bills but no actually has yet.”

Were you happier not having the pressure of the save?

KS: “I love Big Mike and I was so happy that he got the save last week. Just to be able to spend another week with him. As I was standing next to him I had the feeling that it was going to be me.”

Did you feel like you were in a no-win situation. The judges kept telling you to be young, be fresh and yet you were forced to sing older songs like the Beatles?

KS: “It was definitely difficult to act younger and do older songs. But you know what I”ve never been afraid of a challenge. I was happy to sing those songs. It was the chance of a lifetime, and it might have been a no-win situation, but you always gotta be prepared to go on because everybody”s gonna go home but one.”

You appeared to be very emotional each week when someone was eliminated. Can you talk about that?

KS: “We are like a family and it” isn”t a competitive situation. We all love each other and it was really hard the week”s that Lacey and Paige were eliminated cause they aren”t going on Tour with us. and you don”t know when you are gonna see them. But I got less emotional with the people in the Top 10 cause I”m gonna see them and spend so much time with them over the summer. It was kinda a “See ya later” rather than a “Good-bye.” We are all really close.”

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Following is a link to Katie performing on American Idol:

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/katie-stevens-american-idol/37674f36963143a25dad37674f36963143a25dad-1759136186770