San Diego's 'American Idol' finalist Smithson still enjoying the ride

By ANN ZIVOTSKY - For the North County Times | Saturday, May 10, 2008 10:18 PM PDT ∞

Carly Smithson is full of contradictions. She's the Irish lass who has tattoos. She's the "American Idol" finalist whose smile was as bright the night she was voted off the Fox television series as it was during any other week of the singing contest. And her travels took her from Dublin to an Irish pub in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego.

"I was at The Field and I got to say hello to everyone," Smithson, 24, said this past week during a telephone conversation that took place as she drove from San Diego to Los Angeles to appear on the May 6 "American Idol" episode. "Being Cinco de Mayo, I knew it would be a really quiet night in an Irish bar."

Born in Dublin, Smithson came to America with her father when she was 14, and within a few years, had been signed by MCA Records to a record deal. The first two songs from the album, "Ultimate High," didn't catch attention and she was dropped by her label. But a decade later, Smithson has sung for millions of television viewers ---- many who now call themselves fans ---- while she competed in the seventh season of "American Idol."

The television show was a world apart from her singing at The Field. "I miss singing there. It was kind of funny. We (Smithson and her guitar player) used to set up ourselves. Every week we would buy a new piece of sound equipment. Every week something would go wrong. I miss more than anything all of the craziness."

It hasn't been exactly quite for the singer since she was voted off the show on April 23. She's appeared on "Regis and Kelly" and made two appearances on "Ellen," the first time alone and then teaming up May 5 in Chicago with fellow "American Idol" castoff Michael Johns. The top 12 finalists are slated to appear on the May 21 season finale, then she'll prepare for the "American Idol" summer tour that comes to the San Diego Sports Arena on July 2.

Was the duet with Johns on "Ellen" a glimpse of something to come on the tour? "I think we're maybe, maybe, going to do one together."

San Diego fans will get the chance to see Smithson live during the tour stop, but Smithson said much of her family, and her husband's family, live near Tampa, Fla., so she's also excited about that August date.

"I'm excited for the tour. It's so many dates and we get to hang out together. That's what I really miss about being on the show ---- I miss everyone so much."

Smithson was enthusiastically supportive of her roommate, Syesha Mercado, the only female finalist left in the competition (David Cook and David Archuletta round out the final three). Smithson said she still hangs out with Cook, Johns and Amanda Overmyer, with whom she was having lunch while in Los Angeles last week. But it was finalist David Hernandez who went on a spy mission with her.

"The first day, I snuck in with David Hernandez and we looked at the big stage and we thought, 'My God, what are we going to do with that?'" she said, comparing it with the small stage at The Field.

There are more contradictions to Smithson. A self-professed rocker, she thinks her performances on the show of Heart's "Crazy on You" and the Beatles' "Come Together" showed best who she is as a singer. She started off the season with the 1960s standard "Shadow of Your Smile."

"I did it because of my husband. I thought on the first show you want to show your voice, and my husband has 'Frank Sinatra' tattooed on his stomach. I came into it scared to death, because it's a really big song. And that morning in bed, I was totally ill. I've never been so sick in my life. They actually had to carry me off the stage when I was done with the song."

Smithson said she'll stick to rock.

"I think pop rock is what I want to do, because you can move around with it."

In several interviews since being voted off, Smithson has said she's not sure viewers saw who she really is. Asked about those comments, Smithson said, "I don't think it's necessarily the show." She added that she believes viewers saw a realistic side of her during the show's live segments, but not during the pre-recorded segments used to give background on contestants, in which she thought she came across as too serious.

"The girls, in particular, didn't realize how those segments were edited. You do really have to show your personality on those segments."

Smithson reflects on the changes in her life from singing at a small San Diego pub to appearing on the nation's No. 1 TV show, and admits there are striking differences.

"From the earliest part of it, you have a camera in your face. I'm learning how to do that better, how in 10 seconds to be yourself," she said, adding "being in a bar and going to 'American Idol' are very different. But by the end of the show, I was really comfortable going out there."

So about those tattoos, which include a partly completed geisha on her arm? Smithson said she and husband Todd will continue to operate the Gaslamp District tattoo shop they own, Nothing Sacred.

"We just celebrated the one-year anniversary of the shop. I'm still very hands-on with the shop and have been there for the last couple of days. My husband is there every day. We prayed and prayed that it would take off and stay afloat, and it came true."

Since she's a local favorite, fans have been sending notes to both the bar and Nothing Sacred.

"The amazing thing is all the fan mail that came to The Field and the shop. I was reading through them all. I found out I actually appeal to 81-year-olds. I loved it."

The rules of "American Idol" prevent contestants from signing record deals until after the touring for the show is complete, so it may be a long time before Smithson is singing at The Field again. But she'd like to.

"I would love to. I think it would be fun. I would probably do it as some kind of charitable thing."