'American Idol's' Paige Miles: 'The judges can give mixed messages'

Paige Miles just missed going on the "American Idol" tour, which she says is harder than a normal elimination. Find what else she has to say about her experience.

Paige participated in a conference call sounding like her throat was just raw, we felt so bad for her. But she soldiered on and answered all the questions.

On Miley Cyrus and the mentoring process:
I thought Miley did a great job. She's got so much experience in the business, doing what we all want to do. I'm 24, so I'm older than her, but talking with her, her age didn't come across at all. I was just speaking to her as someone else with experience doing what I would like to do ... We got to run our songs with her and talk to her about them. We all met as a group first and talked, then had separate rehearsals. We dedicated a morning to it.

On the judges:
The judges do have a certain amount of power over the voting public, but it also comes down to the performer giving a solid performance. Tuesday wasn't my best and they ripped me for it. [The voting] can go both ways, though, because sometimes they'll back up the person the judges ripped apart ... The best thing to do really is just be yourself and do what makes you comfortable. The judges can give mixed messages ... Some of the things they say, I agree with and I totally understand where they're coming from, but in some ways the context of it can be a little hurtful. Sometimes we think they could rephrase it or say it in a better way because it does come across as pretty harsh.

What about them not letting her sing before deciding not to save her?
I initially thought the save was something where you'd get to sing and then they'd make their decision. For the statement to be made before I even opened my mouth, I was pretty bummed.

On being so sick during "Idol":
It was bad last night, but it wasn't as bad as it is now. I've been struggling with laryngitis for three weeks now, I have swollen vocal chords. I had very little time for it to heal because we have to sing so much. It's tough when you're in a singing competition and you have no voice. It affected my song choice because I would stay away from what I would typically do ... try to do something smaller in effort to not overtax my chords or do something where I could possibly damage them ... [last night] I just got it together and let it rip.

On the song choice process:
It's actually quite difficult. The judges make it sound easier than it really is. You have to meet certain criteria and we can't usually do the same artist, it's way more difficult than people realize ... [the judges' helping choose] would be helpful. It's a really hard process and hard part of the show, so that would be interesting.

What would she have chosen for R&B/Soul next week:
It was a toss-up between "Don't Leave Me This Way" and "I Can't Stand the Rain."

And what's next for Paige?
To continue moving forward with my singing and wherever else it may lead me. I love to perform and this is something I want to make a career out of. I'll possibly move out here to LA.

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Photo credit: FOX