American Idol’s Ashthon Jones Talks: The Elimination, J. Lo, & More

American Idol fans just experienced the first major elimination of the season: Ashthon Jones. And now the could-have-been superstar is speaking out about her departure, Jennifer Lopez, and more!

Ashthon Jones, the 24-year-old diva-in-training who was born in Georgia but resided in Nashville, was voted out this past Thursday night after being unable to persuade 30+ million voters to keep her in the competition. Her departing song? Diana Ross’ “When You Tell Me That You Love Me,” with which she hoped would take her to the next round, but instead, judge Jennifer Lopez, broke the news: “Not this time baby… I’m sorry.”

Ashthon’s favorite quote is “too blessed to be stressed”, does she believe that may have been the reason her fate on American Idol was cut short? “Yes. I have nothing to be sad about, or stressed about. I just can’t believe I made it this far and I can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen next. I feel in my spirit that something is gonna come out of this. It was sad for me to leave my friends, and leave the stage, but you gotta keep it moving, not look back, and strive to be the best.”

But doesn’t she miss that mansion she was allowed to move into? “Yes. I would love to have a place like that someday, but it was almost too big.”

Jennifer Lopez spent a great deal of time with Ashthon on stage after the show…what were they talking about? “Jennifer, man, that’s my baby. She said, “I was pulling for you. We were all pulling for you. You’re a star. You’ve gotta keep going. I see things for you. And one of the things I want to give you is about the song choices. And that is, if you’re in a competition, or if you’re an artist, when you pick a single, make sure you pick a hit to be your single. Because that’s what it’s all about and that”s what your fans are going to remember.”

If she could take it back, would Ashthon have picked a lesser-known Diana Ross song? “Yes, I did at first. But I’m not gonna be down about that, because as I look back, I picked that song because it meant something to me. I loved the lyrics. “When You Tell Me That You Love Me” is such a positive and inspiring song, but it wasn’t as big a hit as “I’m Coming Out” or “Missing You.””

How will her professional life differ now after American Idol than it did before? “I did music for a while, for about six years, and then I had to go back to working as a retail manager. I sold shoes. And then right before the auditions, my mom called me and said, “You need to go to the auditions for American Idol.” And I said, “Mom, I can’t get off work right now.” And she was like, “Ashthon, trust me, it’s your time. It’s your moment. Please, just go do it.” And I did. I quit my job, just to get my wristband. But at that moment I had to choose my destiny. And I did. So my job is what I’m doing now. I believe in my heart that something will be waiting for me.”

In the after-show interview, Ashthon was quoted saying that she thought the public thought she was someone that she wasn’t. What did she mean by that? “When I was getting comments from the judges about being a diva, I took them as compliments. I love to put eyelashes on, and do my hair, and my clothes. But I think America took it that I was overly confident in myself. But that confidence doesn’t come from me. It comes from God. I’m Ashthon Jones. I’m a regular Nashville country girl raised in Georgia. I’m humble, I’m sweet, I’m not perfect, but my faith is so strong in God. But people didn’t see that, and I think it hurt my votes a little bit. But now I’m not in a bubble anymore. I can show the world who I am, and still continue to be the confident diva on stage.”

And even though Ashthon Jones won’t be gracing us with her presence on American Idol anymore this season, fans have a good feeling that she “ain’t done yet”!

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  1. Funny….I just made a comment over in the AI Forum BEFORE I read this and that’s exactly how she came across to me….over confident. But her voice was still amazing.

  2. People pick up on that. They don’t root for the ones that act like they have everything and don’t need to worry – people cheer for the underdog and the sweethearts. AI is about a lot more than talent.