Goodbye, Matt Giraud

Matt Giraud has been on quite the roller coaster ride during this season of American Idol. He made the Top 36, but didn't make it into the (then) Top 12 upon first try. Matt was thrilled to have another opportunity to come back for a shot at a wildcard spot, and this time he received one of the coveted spots in this season's Top 13. Despite getting great reviews for Matt's Motown performance, he found himself in the bottom 2. Then, Matt was a part of American Idol history during Songs from the Cinema week when he received the fewest votes, but the judges thought this wasn't his time to go so they used their one-time-only "save" on him. Matt Giraud went out with a bang on the week he was looking forward to, "Rat Pack standards." On a press call, Matt opened up about his rocky, but wonderful, road on Idol.

Matt says his biggest challenge on American Idol was choosing what song to sing each week. There are songs he'd be instantly drawn to, but sometimes there were other songs that were better suited for him. Although the judges preferred when he sang songs with more soul and less rock, he got tons of comments from fans saying they loved the rocks stuff. Matt's favorite performance of his was "Part-Time Lover." He thought everything came together well and had a lot of fun with it.

One of Matt's favorite memories from living in the mansion is the dueling piano competitions he'd have with Scott MacIntyre. He also enjoyed cracking jokes with his Idol friends who call him "Matt the Riffer."

Now that Matt has been a part of American Idol history, he says, "I can't wait to see my name on a trivia card!" Matt said that he felt blessed and honored to be saved, "I have never felt so much love in a room before and it was a really cool feeling," Matt said. "I think it was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. It made me feel real special and I hope that people think that it was worth it." One of the security guards told Matt that he had never heard the room get so loud in all of his years at Idol.

Although Matt was a little surprised that Kara and Randy weren't wild about his performance of "My Funny Valentine," he felt great because he left the competition with Simon calling him brilliant and comparing him to Nat King Cole. He was at peace with the elimination because he went out doing what he loves- jazz.

Matt Giraud hopes to put out an album that has a little more of a rock or soulful rock edge. He hopes to be the lead man at the piano with a band around him, much like Gavin DeGraw and The Fray.

Now Matt looks forward to going home to Michigan to see his loved ones and thank his hometown fans. He also is excited to tour the country this summer. Dreaming about playing in large venues his whole life, he can't wait to meet the people on the road that got him to where he is today. Although nothing has been decided, he would love to sing "Georgia on my Mind" on the tour. Matt sang that song at auditions and his fans are still talking about it. He also wants to dance around a bit, and judging by his mastery of Paula's disco choreography, he'll do great!

Lastly, Matt would like to say the following to his fans, "thank you very much for helping me to believe in myself, and I appreciate you guys believing in me and you guys amaze me, all the time."