Michael Sarver leaves American Idol

Michael Sarver sang “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” on his way out of the Top 10. He talks about singing for his life, the pressure to go country and that now-famous signature grin during a post-elimination interview.

During the preliminaries, Simon Cowell pleaded with America to vote for Michael Sarver, this season’s “nice guy,” an oil rig worker from Texas who sang “Thank You” by Boyz II Men during his first audition. But the judges declined to bring him back.

Sarver is still smiling.

How are you feeling after last night’s events?
Feeling great. I am a very happy man.

How do you feel about the judges’ decision not to save you?

I’m OK with it. They have to make a decision based on what they believe the future of the show holds. If they thought that I wasn’t quite winning material, then that’s the decision they had to make, and I respect it. Do I believe that I still have what it takes to win? Absolutely. I believe I’m a winner.

The judges didn’t make their decision immediately when you were done “singing for your life.” Were you surprised by theier vote?

It was actually very cool that they had to think about it. They hadn’t thought so hard with other contestants. I was very, very complimented by the fact that they did think about it, and that whatever I did last night made them think about it. That tells me I do have what it takes to impact the world musically. That was very encouraging.

You sat through a few Judges’ Save decisions in “American Idol”?

I think the Saves are a good idea. The idea that they can pull someone out of the fire, who they really believe in their hearts doesn’t belong there, for whatever reason, someone they believe really deserves a second shot? Absolutely.

So you didn’t mind “singing for your life”?

No, because I didn’t sing for my life hoping to God that maybe they would save me. I sang for my life because if that was going to be my last chance to sing on the show, it was going to be the best I could give it. The fans deserve as much as I can bring.

Do you feel like you made any mistakes during the show?

I would wish that somehow I would have gotten a little better health-wise so I could have done more justice to my song. I was disappointed that I couldn’t give it more than I did. But I did give it all I had.

Wednesday, the night of your performance, Simon said you couldn’t win and you said that you were OK with that. Why did you say that?

Because each week that I was on the show, it was a blessing to get that week. This show is no joke. There is a lot of talent. I didn’t take any moment I had for granted. I was OK with it because if I wasn’t going to win someone really great who I’ve learned to really truly care about is. I’m fulfilled in a way that I can’t even really describe in words. The idea that I might not win the show wasn’t really the most painful thought because too many good things have come from this already.

Did you feel any pressure to go country like the judges seemed to want? You sang “Thank You” by Boyz II Men in your audition and you told us your roots were “R&B and soul” earlier.

Yes. I did feel a little bit of pressure from the media and fans who for some reason put me into that country category. It’s not a bad thing, country is great music. But I will say that my true roots in my heart is R&B and soul, and I plan to explore that.

Do you really smile as much as you do on the show?

I do, I really do. I’m a very fulfilled man. I’ve been screwed up just the same as anyone else, there are things I’m not proud of. But my life is so good right now. I’m blessed beyond words. I have nothing to frown about. My smile is genuine from one end to the other, I’m just a happy man and I just fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine.

Any words for your fans?

For those of my fans that stuck by me through the process and were so loving in the way that they voted for me and sent messages, I will never forget you. I love you and I hope to see you on the road.

What do you want your career to look like after “American Idol”?

I hope within the next year, people see an album come out. I want to record right away. I want to stay fresh. This is an incredible platform and I want to take full advantage of it. I believe I do have fans out there. I made it to top 10 because of them, so I want to give them what they voted for.

And it’d be an R&B-soul album?

It’s really hard to describe -- it’s like R&B, pop, rock and soul. It has everything to do with so many different types of influences in my life. When you come right down to it, it's soul.

"He's a great talent," commented Paul Brighton of Audition Portal.