Diana DeGarmo

I grew up listening to Dolly Parton and just loving her music.

I always knew I wanted to be involved in entertainment in some way. But I really can't say I'd be where I am now if I hadn't been on 'American Idol.'

I want to be a country singer more than anything in the world.

I really truly believe I found my identity with country music.

Good music is timeless, whether it's a country song, rock, or R&B.

I love the challenge of singing something that's not that easy.

What I do is a little bigger than traditional country. I've been belting all my life, so I fit right in with the musical-theater style.

Southern women sometimes get dumbed down when they're turned into characters. I don't like that.

Acting while I'm singing just kind of happened because I'm a hambone at heart, I guess. And I'm a Gemini - I've got several personalities to access as an actor.

I appreciate the level of professionalism and talent that I get to be around every night, eight times a week.

I love musical theater because it's live. There is no Auto-Tune. There's no second chance. What you see is what you get. You have to be amazing every night.

I grew up doing certain little things in the musical theatre realm, but I didn't really understand that you could... make a career out of it.

Most people don't know I grew up singing country music; that's what I sang right up until I did 'Idol.'

I'm definitely interested in acting. I've done it in my past. I know I can do it, let's put it that way. And it's so much fun.

I would love to go to college because you never know what is going to happen with your career, and you always want something to fall back on.

I love all genres of music. I think it helps you become a better performer if you know the different types of music.

I grew up listening to Patsy Cline. I was a huge Patsy Cline fan. I still am. Even though she's considered country, I think of her more as a blues singer. She's got a great blues voice, and she has such an amazing story, which I always loved.

Snellville is a great city. It's a great place to grow up and live. I love it. It's very full of southern charm and wonderful people. And they've supported me greatly throughout all of my endeavors.

I love shopping for shoes. I'm a big shoe-lover. Shopping is definitely something that I do on a regular basis.

There was a perception that reality-show people are just mere personalities, that they don't have real talent, and I worked real hard to change peoples' minds, one show at a time, and proved a lot of people wrong. I'm proud I was the first to do that for 'Idol' on Broadway!