'When they get a crush ... then we're done,' Adedapo says of three consecutive male 'Idol' champs.
By Gil Kaufman
Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo
Photo: FOX
It hasn't escaped the attention of the female contestants on "American Idol" that a woman hasn't won the reality competition in three seasons. And they can't help but notice that so far in season 10, the bottom three has had an excess of estrogen.
But on Friday (April 1), one night after becoming the third and fourth female casualties so far this year, Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo weren't making any excuses.
"We sort of figured since there were more females watching this show the votes were going to be more for the guys," Megia, 16, the youngest contestant in "Idol" history, said during a conference call with reporters.
And while she made a point to give props to the "incredible" guy singers left on the show, Megia admitted that the ladies of "Idol" had discussed the potential pitfalls of the large female voting bloc and were a bit worried about how that might impact their stay in the leaky "Idol" mansion.
"[We were] a bit intimidated by all the girls watching the show and knowing that their votes are going to be going for guys," said Megia, who was done in on Thursday night's elimination show by her tepid rendition of Elton John's "Daniel," which she dedicated to her older brother.
Though she echoed that concern, Adedapo said the girls didn't let it get to them because they all had faith in their abilities. "When it comes down to it, the reality is that more than 50 percent of the audience is little teenage girls," said Adedapo, who may have confused some of those tweens with her reggae take of "I'm Still Standing." "When they get a crush ... then we're done."
Despite that worry, Adedapo said she never let it knock her off her unique path on the show, during which she incorporated her colorful style and years of dance experience. "Sometimes people just didn't know where to place me," Adedapo admitted when asked if perhaps she was a bit too different on a season with less outrageous personalities and more focused vocalists.
"I felt like maybe they didn't understand me sometimes," she said, noting that most of the reaction she got from fans was positive and to the effect of "I don't know about you, but I like you." But between her African dance moves and her reggae accent on Wednesday night's show, Adedapo said maybe it was hard to put her in a neat category that made it easy to cast a vote.
Song choice is such a crucial factor that Megia wondered in retrospect if maybe she had made a mistake by not mixing it up and moving away from ballads every week to show another side of herself with an uptempo number. What she didn't regret was sending her rendition of "Daniel" out to her brother and pouring all her emotion into that tune. "I'm glad the last song I did on the show was dedicated to my brother," she said. "[But] I didn't want to come off as just a ballad singer."
Like many "Idol" finalists who leave early, Megia copped to being "devastated" on Thursday night when her ride ended but said she didn't cry for more than 15 minutes or so. "I just told myself things happen for a reason and this is not the end of it," she said, promising that the exposure she got on the show will help her launch a career where she can show America that she's much more than just the high school balladeer.
One of the big subjects of conversation on Friday was the nearly out-of-control emotions fellow teenager Lauren Alaina displayed during the eliminations, which verged on distracting. Adedapo said part of that was Lauren's sadness at losing out on someone who had been a kind of mother figure to her during the finals run. "She kind of cried it out a little big, but that's a natural thing," Adedapo said, explaining that she's always been there to encourage Alaina to have confidence in herself and tell her that she's beautiful and talented.
But losing Megia was a double blow, since the two 16-year-olds had gotten very close during their rehearsals and classes. "It really is like losing a best friend," said Adedapo, who struggled to say goodbye to her pal Jacob Lusk as well.
No matter what happens, both said they were proud of what they did on the show and they're looking forward to the next step. "I just wanted to show every piece of me," Adedapo said of her risk-taking performances. "For me, I'm really about staying true to myself. Once I set my brain on something, I do it."
Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday on MTV.com, following the "American Idol" results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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