The last woman standing loses her shot to become a part of the "American Idol" finale.

Despite her numerous visits to the bottom two, SYESHA MERCADO's "American Idol" journey took her all the way to the Final 3, but it finally came to an end on the talent competition's Wednesday night results show.

"I never packed my bags," she reveals. "They told us, 'Pack your bags.' I was, 'I am not packing my bags because I don't want to go home yet.' If you want something, it is going to happen for you. If you want to be Top 3, you'll be Top 3. I didn't pack my bags because I wasn't ready. I just talked to my family a lot. They helped me stay strong."

Syesha shares that she felt at a disadvantage at the beginning of the competition, because she was on vocal rest. Viewers of the Hollywood Week shows will recall that she was carrying paper and pencil to write notes, saving her voice for the final performance that could get her into the Final 24.

"I was really in a little shell," she explains. "It kind of separated me from everybody else. I don't feel I was at my full potential, because of the negative mind-frame that I was in. I was, 'Nobody really sees who I am.' I was so focused on that, it was really harming my performance. Once I got my mind right again like it was in the beginning of the competition, I became more comfortable with myself and the stage and the feeling of being overlooked completely subsided and eventually people recognized me."

The 21-year-old from Sarasota, FL, has her goals: to make an album, to star in a film, to appear on Broadway, to open an organic restaurant, and to work on behalf of the Lupus Foundation.

"I am like a black CHRISTINA AGUILERA/ALICIA KEYS," she says. "I can see myself putting together a Christina-type of album, like the one she recently did, and an Alicia Keys album, like the Diary of Alicia Keys. I like pop, I like R&B and I like the old school/new school thing. I am growing as an artist and evolving. I am glad I did 'American Idol,' because people were able to see that transition I went through. That is the beauty of doing this competition -- you just learn so much."

As for who is going to win the competition, Syesha says it will be the one who is most passionate about it.

"They are each unique," she says. "DAVID ARCHULETA has that beautiful smile and he has that really good connection with kids -- the younger audience. DAVID COOK has that connection with the younger audience -- the girls go crazy over him. The older audience, too, feels he is really charming. I feel like I am a little sister and big sister to both the Davids. Once everybody was gone, we had had the chance to have a more intimate relationship. This competition can go any way. I wish them both the best of luck. It is about what the voters want."