With the stakes so high at this point in the competition, one might expect a "fallen Idol" to be bitter, or have regrets, but this is not the case for
Chikezie. In our recent interview, he said that he's happy with the way everything went down, as he followed his heart the entire time. As he put it, "If I’d done something that wasn’t me and then I’d gone home, I would have been so upset that I didn’t follow my heart. I would have been so upset and so distraught about it, but I’m so glad that I did what I did." In fact, it's because he followed his heart the whole time that he was prepared to go home, and he's still thrilled to be going on the tour. When asked if he's always as happy as he seems, Chikezie said he tends to wear his emotions on his face, and that he's so please right now because he feels blessed to be in this position.
Chikezie talked a little bit about how he'd never been to a concert before, but he just knew how he wanted to behave on stage, and that the working the crowd he did was just a natural thing for him to do. He really enjoyed the mosh pit and interacting with the fans, and he talked about how enthusiastic they were.
As is well known in this competition, song choice is key. When asked about how he chose his songs, Chikezie said that he listened to a song first and then decided whether there were any parts that could be changed. If he thought it was a song that shouldn't be touched, he would just make the most of it. However, as he said, it had to touch him first before he wanted to perform it. Surprisingly, Chikezie said he wasn't affected by the negative feedback after his last performance, as he knew Simon wasn't going to like it. As he put it, "It’s kind of like running on a diving board. You know the diving board is eventually going to end so you run even faster. That’s the way I looked at it because I knew the judges – at least Simon would not like it. So it took a lot of the pressure off because then I didn’t have that to worry about. Now, I’m just performing for the sake of performing, which is what I love to do."
When asked about the friendships/bonds that are formed among the Idols, Chikezie said, "It becomes a family because you’re a group of people that are basically going for a similar goal and it’s not necessarily to win or to beat anyone, but simply to be successful in what it is we love. So we basically just form these bonds where we’re just helping each other out. We create this amazing support system. If one person is having a bad time, then two people come up and back them up, you know. We never have too many problems." In fact, he even went so far as to say that the reason he seemed happy after getting eliminated is because he was glad none of his friends had to go!
Chikezie also touched on the ways he changed from the time he auditioned last year until this year's tryouts. He said that he realized that it's one thing if you can sing, but it's just as important to be a good performer and to entertain your viewers. After realizing something was missing when he was eliminated during Hollywood round last year, he went home and "studied, studied, studied." He looked at different styles of music and various artists to figure out why he wasn't connecting. This year, on the other hand, he found it to be much easier, because he really learned how to be himself and make the most of his abilities. In fact, Chikezie said the best advice he received while on the show was from all the vocal coaches, who got together to tell him to stay true to himself. As he stated, "I learned that hard work pays off. Perseverance pays off. If you believe in something and you just fight with everything you have, you can get it."
Besides going on tour, Chikezie would obviously love to put an album out soon as well. When asked about his style and the genre of music he'd like to include, he said, "Basically, I love the idea of fusion. I love the idea of bringing together several different styles to make something – make something new – make something fresh – make something people have never heard before." He likes artists like Gnarls Barkley, who take a lot of risks. Chikezie's also open to acting. As he went on to say, "Why not try everything you know? I’m the type of person that I like to see what I can do. I like to know what my boundaries are. You know I’m always testing myself to see what I can accomplish."
Chikezie opened up even more in his exit interview--
watch it now!
After her experience on season two of American Idol, Trenyce has to be someone who believes in second chances. Initially, she made it through to the top 32 and was let go. However, Paula Abdul chose her as a wildcard contestant after her amazing rendition of "Let's Stay Together," and she ended up sailing on through to an impressive fifth place. "Let's Stay Together" ended up on the season two compilation album.
After the season ended, Trenyce toured with her AI peers on the American Idol II Live Concert Tour, and she performed Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," and Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing." The 41-city, 55-day tour reportedly outsold the Justin Timberlake/Christina Aguilera tour!
Since appearing on "Idol," Trenyce has made the round on numerous national television shows, and has done quite a bit of stage work. She appeared in a show called "Love In the Nick of Tyme," and also played the lead role in the musical DREAMGIRLS in Indianapolis. Trenyce also played the role of "Star" in Soul Kittens Cabaret, along with Tatyana Ali. She headlined at the Aladdin in Las Vegas and the Sahara for a two-month run. Trenyce even had the opportunity to meet her own Idol, Alfre Woodard, while doing a cameo in the Queen Latifah film Beauty Shop.
In August of '07, Trenyce posted some snippets of some songs on her Myspace page.
Happy Birthday, Trenyce!
According to Billboard, all three American Idol judges are represented on the Billboard charts this week. 
Billboard is reporting that, just as his stint starring in the Broadway hit "Spamalot" concludes, 
After selling more than 695,000 copies of his Gold-selling debut CD and delivering three consecutive top 5 singles to country radio, 
