American Idol's Crystal Bowersox blazes her own path

Crystal Bowersox blazes her own path

Crystal Bowersox did not win "American Idol" this year, but that's just fine with her.

The young mom with the blonde dreadlocks won over season nine fans and judges with her heartfelt, soulful takes on classic '60s and '70s songs.

In the end, she lost the title to Lee DeWyze — but got a record deal with 19 Recordings/Jive Records.

So what kind of record does she want to make? Something in the vein of Ray LaMontagne or Melissa Etheridge?

"I don't want it to be like anyone else's," she said in a phone interview from Florida. "I take most of my inspiration from life —I want it to be my words."

She was pegged as a bit of an old soul this season, and that doesn't bother her.

"I listen to all sorts of music and check everything out," she said, "but what I love is kind of limited to what touches me and what moves me."

Staying true to herself an making "real, organic" music is her priority.

"I will not being singing 'Blah, Blah, Blah,' " she said, a reference to the radio-friendly pop of Ke$ha.

Of the other nine finalists she's touring with, she would be most likely to record a duet or track with Casey James, she said.

"I really like Casey's stuff — he's definitely a real musician, and I like his southern rock, country style."

Two of the biggest challenges for her during the tour are managing her type-1 diabetes (she wears an insulin pump 24/7) and
adjusting to life without her 18-month-old son, Tony. She gets to talk to him and see him occasionally, but "it's never enough."

Becoming a household name doesn't seem to have fazed the singer, whom fans lovingly dubbed "Mama Sox."

"I think people need to remember that we're human, we need space and time and you can't please everyone all the time," she said. "You've got to worry about taking care of yourself."

Source: CARY ASPINWALL World Scene Writer/TulsaWorld