Transcript of Skylar Laine’s conference call on Friday morning:

Is there anything you wished you could show to America, whether it’s a song or a part of your personality, that you wished you could have done?

“I really think I showed everything that I could. I showed ballads, I showed upbeat songs, I showed passion, I showed anger in my songs. I really think I showed a lot of stuff. I wouldn’t change a thing that I did on the show. “

Which judge would you like to go on a night on the town with and why?

“I’d probably pick Steven to go out on a night on the town with, ’cause he’s crazy. We’d have fun!”

What are you looking forward to on the summer tour?

“I’m looking forward to meeting fans on the tour, ’cause they’re the ones that have gotten me this far, and they are the ones that are still supporting me now, even though I’m not on the show anymore. I’m just looking forward to meeting them. Then seeing all the places that we’re going. And finally feeling like I’ve made it by being on a stage giving a concert.”

What advice were you given during the show that you’ll carry on with you from this point on?

“I’m definitely going to carry the advice to stay myself – don’t let anybody change me as an artist. I’m not a pop country singer. I never will be and don’t let anyone try to make me one. I need to sing the kind of country music that I wanna sing. And that comes out when I write.”

•Do you choose the dresses you wore on the show? Do you get to keep the clothes?

“We get to keep most of the stuff that we wear. The stylist helps us. If I didn’t like something, of course, she would always say ‘OK well we’ll find something else’. But she was really good at finding me stuff. I told her ‘bring me dresses, but have something that’s a little bit hard core, not something so girly.’”

•Why did you decide to audition for American Idol? Why now?

“I actually wanted to audition for two years. I always had something else going on that I couldn’t. So this year I finally got the chance and I was like ‘you know what, I’m just going to go out for it. I don’t think I’d make it past the first round.’ But I did and now I’m Top 5! It’s incredible, it’s unbelievable to think I’ve made it this far.”

•Did you purposely set yourself up as a country artist?

“It’s definitely a conscious decision. I’ve accepted the fact that if I get to make an album and I have singles out they they’re probably only going to be played on country radio. Because that’s just the way it is, and that’s the way my songs are going to sound. I’m fine with that, because I want to make real country music–honky tonk songs—the good old country stuff. That’s what’s going to make me happy, and that’s what comes out when I write.”

What kind of growth have you seen in yourself throughout the competition?

“I definitely got more confident each week. I’ve always been confident on stage rockin’ out, but I’ve gotten more confident each week. I’m just happy to have made it this far. I think 5th place is good with me.”

Do you hope to do a duet with Miranda Lambert in the future? Maybe some songwriting?

“It would be my dream to write with Miranda and do a duet. Justin Moore is another one of my inspirations. Miranda and Justin are my idols. I would love to do a duet with both of them and write with both of them. Hopefully one day I will be able to.”

What’s the best advice that you received while you were on the show from the judges?

“I’d definitely received the advice to stay myself and don’t change the kind of artist I am. Just keep writing.”

Did you ever give any thought to trying to please the viewers as opposed to pleasing just the judges?

“I really always thought about that. I was really thinking about that every time. I was trying to please the viewers and the judges. Maybe it was just my time to go. I just didn’t get enough votes.”

Can you compare the stress you’ve had on Idol to any other thing that’s ever happened in your life?

“I really can’t. It’s been the most stressful time. I loved it. I said I was relieved because I’m relived that I won’t have to have that crazy hectic schedule. Just cause I won’t have to worry about song choice, and being judged. I’m relieved about that stuff.”

Are you still planning to work in your family’s restaurant?

“Of course I want to help out. I just want to help out in any way possible that I can.”

Who are you closest with on the show?

“I was closest with Josh and Hollie. We just had a bunch of funny stuff that we’d always say. I would wake her up with a duck call sometimes. That was pretty funny.”

Were you surprised to go home this week?

“It’s never a surprise on Thursdays. You never know what’s going to happen. This season has been really unpredictable. It’s going to keep being that way now. I was just happy to make it as far as I have.”

About Carrie Underwood saying she was sorry to see you go …

“I think that she was so sweet about it. She actually said in one of her interviews, I think that country community is already welcoming me with open arms and that just means the world to me. All of her comments were sweet. I was so happy to hear them.”

•Could you elaborate on being eliminated. At first glance, it seems like you might have been a little surprised.

“I wasn’t surprised because, I just got a gut feeling. I sat their and told Hollie, ‘I think you are about to be surprised’ because she though she was going home. She was like ‘no, I’m not’. I said, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be surprised.’ I said ‘I told you so’ after. I wasn’t surprised. You can’t be because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Did you agree with Jimmy that Jessica Sanchez’ dress was too mature and racy for her age?

“I really don’t know what to say about that. I loved her dress. Jessica’s got a body to die for. She’s stick thin. Don’t we all want to be that way? I loved the dress. If people were offended by it, then they were offended by it. I didn’t really have a problem with it.”

Did you feel the adrenaline rush every time she hit the stage?

“Definitely. Even if I was singing a ballad, I felt an adrenaline rush. It’s crazy to be up on that stage. I can’t ever remember anything that happened up on stage. I really don’t remember anything. I have to watch them back.”

What are you planning to sing on tour?

“I’m definitely going to sing country. I don’t want to have to sing pop. On the show we have to sing what they give us. I just want to sing country music. Hopefully I’ll get to sing some of my songs.”

How important do you think song choice is and do you think it had anything to do with your being eliminated?

“I don’t know if song choice had anything to do with me being eliminated. I really don’t know what it was. It could have been–I will never know. So I don’t really like to linger on it. I’m just trying to remember my good times that I’ve had on the show. I had a great time the other night performing.”

Are you ready to leave your hometown in Mississippi and become an L.A. girl?

”I don’t plan on living in L.A. after the tour. I’m going to move to Nashville. That’s where country music is. That’s where country artists record. That’s where I want to be.”

Do you plan to incorporate some of the glamorous clothes she wore on Idol into your everyday life?

“I don’t know about into everyday life. Maybe once n awhile. I always try to keep something a little bit more hardcore in my outfits. Give me a dress, but I’m going to put something with it that’s a little bit more tomboyish.”

•How were you able to stay so positive throughout the competition? And during your farewell song?

“I definitely just forgot about everything and would sing the song–songs I love and I just forgot about it all and rocked out. I just wanted to go out with a bang last night and I think I did a good job of it.”

Who was your favorite mentor and why?

“Probably Stevie Nicks because she just spent so much time learning the songs the night before and she wanted to have an idea of them. She came in the next day and really had done her homework and really showed that she respected us and we respected her.”

What was your favorite performance?

“Probably two–’Stay With Me’ and ‘Gunpowder and Lead.’ I loved both of those.”

What was running through your head when you got on stage in front of the big audience?

“I really can’t remember what was running through my head. When I get on stage, I kinda just block it all out. Probably ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…don’t fall!’”
•You don’t really think about it now? “I don’t really think about it, because I can never remember what was going through my head when I was performing.”

What did you find the most challenging about the competition?

“Staying true to myself and walking in high heels!”

Does your mind actually go black when you’re on stage and do you not remember how the performance went when you were standing there being judged?

“I could remember, but I can never remember what was going through my head in the middle of the performance. Sometimes I’m not even thinking about anything…I’m just singing it. Sometimes I could be thinking about something completely different in the middle of the performance–like hm…what am I going to eat when I leave here. I don’t know what it is–it’s weird. It just happens that way. I can never really remember what it is.”

On making sure to slap the hands of the fans standing by the stage.

“I really loved coming up and touching the fan’s hands. There the ones that have gotten me here–they’re the ones that love me, they’re the ones that are going to buy my albums hopefully. So I just wanted to show them that I know they are there and that they are supporting me.”

Are you working on songs for your album?

“I have a lot of songs. I have songs that I’ve written before, and of course, I have a catalog of them and then I have stuff that I need to be finished, I want to write with other people–anything that they can have me do, I’m really excited about.”

If you had to pick somebody to win the competition now, who would you pick?

“I could not pick at all. I wouldn’t pick even if I could ’cause they’re all so amazing and I love them all.”

On Jimmy’s comments about not understanding the lyrics to “Fortunate Son” and not having the darkness of Dusty Springfield on “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me“.

”’Fortunate Son’ is a war protest song, so you know, it’s kinda like, I didn’t really know if I should connect to the lyrics or not. I was just kind of singing the song ’cause I really liked the melody. Sometimes you just sing a song because you like the song. Dusty Springfield–I felt like I had the darkness. I felt like I had a lot of passion, but Jimmy always has his opinion. He’s not where he is today without knowing a couple things. I respect his opinion.”

Skylar’s closing remarks:

“I just want to thank everyone for all the support. I just want to say that I hope to be talking to you all in the future maybe if I get to make an album. Thank you all for everything. I hope that you’ll have a blessed day.”