“I know that I had a lot of people wanting me to change it up a lot. But if I changed it up a lot, it would mean changing me.” Aaron Kelly, 17, faced the press bravely on the heels of his elimination from American Idol 9. During his time on the show, Kelly was known for crooning sweetly and perfectly on-point, displaying what would be dazzling vocals for anyone at any age.

But he also remained wooden on stage and only once deviated from his formula of singing softly and sincerely to the crowd, picking up the pace and making an attempt to move around on the stage for only one of the numbers he performed. Aaron Kelly explained that he thinks of himself “as a country artist,” so his song selection was all about “songs that I could make sound a little country.” If only he’d thrown in a little rock n roll, he might have made it to the Top 4.

As for Aaron’s future, it’s wide open. “Hopefully I’ll get to an album,” he commented during his exit interview. “I’ll have some songs on there that I wrote, which I’m excited about.”

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