Jeremy Bradley- Eva Avila joining us on the line right now. Hello!

Eva Avila- Good evening… good morning… good afternoon!

JB- How are you?

EA- I'm good, how are you guys?

JB- Good, thanks. You know, you're not just a music artist. You're also a Mabelline supermodel! You just do it all.

EA- Aww! Well, not yet! But I'm slowly but surely trying to make my way through the industry and not missing out on any opportunities. I do my best. I've always wanted to do this so I'm enjoying every second, that's for sure.

JB- One of your favourite things is music, of course. I understand you're travelling around our great country right now. Are you tired? This must take its toll on you.

EA- I am tired, but you know what, I don't allow myself to complain because ever since I was 3 I wanted to be a singer. I wanted to do this for a living. And because of Canadian Idol, they gave me a great opportunity to actually achieve my goal and realize my dream. I'm actually doing this for a living. This is my full-time job and I could not be happier. Yes, it is taxing and it's very exhausting. Ever since Monday of last week I've been running around the whole country doing promos and doing interviews and showcases for my new album. I haven't had a moment off, really, in weeks which is crazy but I get to go home this weekend - I have a weekend off - and it's a little sprint and then the hardest part is over when you promote an album. Running around and getting up super early to do the morning show interviews and stuff like that, but I'm having fun.

JB- Speaking of our country, the nation -- really, the world -- first got a taste of Eva Avila on Canadian Idol. Talk about that experience. Was this something you expected after the first audition?

EA- Definitely not. I was extremely reluctant to audition in the first place. I did not want anything to do with those kinds of competitions. I was completely certain that it was not for me, that it was not in my path. And then, I have to be honest, the morning of the auditions in Ottawa, I woke up with a very, very strong strange gut feeling telling me to go audition and it's the weirdest thing. I can't even explain it properly. It was like a little voice in the back of my head that said, "Hey, you've got to go audition. You've got nothing to lose." So I went to audition, and thank God I did because it was the best opportunity that ever happened to me. Thanks to the competition I have my dream job right now so it's been great. Everything led to another and now, who knew I was going to release a second record two years after my first one? Hopefully it'll never stop. I want to do this for as long as I can.

JB- It has opened up a lot of opportunities for you as well, besides music.

EA- Definitely. I just signed up with a program called At My Best, a children's wellness program. And it's focusing on three key areas for children from kindergarten to Grade 3. Over 1,000 people in Canada are incorporating that program in schools. And basically it's just to help influence children and their parents to make healthier choices every day for happier, healthier children. Statistics these days are very shocking with the obesity rate increasing constantly in North America. So I'm kind of a role model for this program and it's a huge honour for me because it's something I really support and believe in.

JB- That's something we were going to talk about, so let's jump ahead a little bit. We have a listener email here from Judy. She says, "Throughout your time on the show and even after winning…"  -- and I was at the press conference after the show, so I know what she's talking about -- "…you still seemed so humble and gracious. So many people let this fame go to their head. It doesn't seem like you have. How have you stayed so grounded and genuine?"

EA- Oh, that is so nice! Thank you for the compliments. That's really sweet. I think I was raised by amazing parents and an amazing family that always kept me grounded. They taught me values of life that I still take into consideration today. I'm 21 years old and I have not seen the world yet. I feel like I'm just starting to live, you know? I've lived a huge whirlwind and winning the Idol competition, I could have easily lost myself and felt overwhelmed and let it get to my head. But the people around me -- my friends and family -- have kept me grounded. I'm a homebody so I need to go back home and get home to Quebec at least bimonthly otherwise I'd go crazy. It's just about keeping in mind that this is a privilege and to be able to do what you love in life, you have to be grateful for it. You don't know how long it's going to last. And I believe in karma strongly. So it's just a matter of keeping my feet on the ground and surrounding myself with the right people.

JB- Thanks, Judy, for sending in the question.

EA- Yes, thank you.