Jeremy Bradley- Drew Wright is joining us on the phone. Drew, it's like being tackled at the five yard line, isn't it?

Drew Wright- (laughing) No, not really! It's OK, I'm quite happy with where I placed this year so it's OK for me.

JB- What were your thoughts last night? Did you think it was you going home?

DW- Yeah, I did. Honestly, I had a good strong feeling it was going to be me and I was quite at peace with it.

JB- That's the same thing a lot of contestants have been saying this year, is that it's kind of relieving once you're done.

DW- Yeah, it's not really relief, it's just . . . well, I guess it is in a sense. It is what it is, you know? I've done everything I wanted to do on the show and more so I'm quite happy with the results.

JB- And we've seen time and time again that you don't have to win the show to be successful.

DW- No, in the long run it doesn't. No matter what you've got to write a good record and create your own voice no matter where you finish and that's what it's all about - using the publicity you get on the show to kind of strike when the iron's hot and do something with it.

JB- Of the three contestants remaining (earlier this week) all have their distinct sort of style. Theo is the piano man, Mitch is… well, I don't want to say goofy . . .  how would you describe Mitch?

DW- Folky, I'd say. A lot of the stuff on the show isn't the stuff he normally does and he listens to a lot of folk-style music. That's really his forte, that's really what he's good at. That's his element.

JB- Were you in your element on the show? I know a lot of contestants feel pressure to make the typical pop/top 40 album. Did you find yourself changing at all as an artist to get by on the show?

DW- I'm a fan of all kinds of music. The strangest part was to get a comfort level with the cameras and taking the song and getting it down to a minute-thirty; and being judged under such scrutiny, that's the major thing. Other than that I did all songs that I like. I never did a song that I didn't like or wouldn't perform.

JB- You've learned, I guess we call them the harsh realities of television, there's the whole visual aspect of it. Did you really think you'd get so much of a response just about facial hair?

DW- (laughing) That's the thing! It's just day-to-day life and something as simple as shaving could draw so much attention. It's just the media, it's just the way it is.

JB- Exactly. I mean, it didn't make headlines when Amberly shaved her legs or something, right? Why when a guy shaves his face?

DW- I don't know. I think just because I had a beard from the beginning of the show and when I was introduced so when I shaved it was kind of like it dramatically changed my appearance. I look a lot younger without the beard.

JB- What did you learn about yourself as an artist going though the whole Idol experience? Did you learn anything about the music industry that really caught you by surprise?

DW- No, I always knew it was a business. Television is a lot different than the music industry. It's pop culture so you have to take it for what it's worth and do your best and represent yourself the best you can. You have to understand that going into it.

JB- What's the one thing you're taking away from this experience?

DW- The one thing I'm taking away from it is, in general, I think I'm a better performer. I've come out of my shell a lot more and built more of a comfort level on the stage. That's definitely one thing I'm going to take away from it.

JB- A lot of people don't know the behind the scenes stuff about the show. There were a lot of music writers on the show this season. Tell me: are you allowed to perform original music on the show? Or do you have to do covers?

DW- No, you have to do covers, unfortunately. With the implementation of instruments last year it allowed people who actually play instruments to come on the show and showcase that as part of the talent as opposed to just singing. That kind of opened the floodgates for a lot of artists to get some promotion they never would have got otherwise.