The 22-year-old was the first of the Final 10 to exit.

CHIKEZIE EZIE is one "American Idol" contestant who is very mellow about being voted out of the competition. On Tuesday night, he chose the ballad, "If Only For One Night." RANDY JACKSON claimed, "It wasn't hip and cool;' while, SIMON COWELL labeled his performance "cheesy."

So, Chikezie says he had an idea he was going home, but that it is okay: "Last night I was glad that none of the other guys had to go home. That is probably the hardest part of the show -- saying goodbye to your friends. I didn't have to say goodbye to anybody. They didn't have to say goodbye to me, because they will see me on the tour."

This isn't the first stab that the 22-year-old from Inglewood, CA, made at getting onto the singing competition. He tried last year, as well, and actually made it to Hollywood before getting cut.

"Last year when I got sent home, I went home and I worked and I worked and I worked. All I expected to get out of it was to get to the next step -- to get to the Top 24," he relates. "When I got there, I was, 'This is awesome.' It was so much easier -- not to say that it is the easiest thing in the world -- but it is easier than I thought it would have to be. I thought I would have to be this person or act this way, but I was just being myself and I got through."

As for the future, Chikezie's dream is to some day win a Grammy and earn enough money so his parents don't have to work, if they chose not to.

In order to win the Grammy, of course, he will have to record an album, which he hopes will be fusion.

"I love the idea of bringing together several different styles to make something new and fresh that people haven't heard before," he explains. "I really respect artists like GNARLS BARKLEY who are willing to take risks with music and end up coming out on top because they believe in what they are doing and are dedicated to it."

Another artist who is an inspiration for Chikezie is MICHAEL JACKSON. He says, "What is so great about Michael Jackson, and what I tried to get from him is, basically, he is an inventor. I don't believe that he has a routine ever. He gets on stage and he does what he does best. He works it and works it and works it. That is something that anybody should look up to. It is that freedom that separates singers from artists."