After "American Idol"

With Scotty McCreery taking the title on American Idol 10, another season of the hit television show has officially come to a close. With the finale celebrations simmering down, fans will eventually be left to wonder what happened to their favorite competitors who graced the stage but failed to win the competition. After being thrust into the spotlight, in front of millions of people, these competitors are quickly slid back into obscurity and forced to deal with a defeat the world witnessed. Only a tiny collection of former American Idol competitors have actually climbed to the top of the music industry to gain super star status. Although the competition provides the opportunity of a life time to hopefuls, is there room for the cluttered talent pool American Idol brings to the surface?

Setting out to prove there's room for her, one year after her exit from the show, Ashley Rodriguez, a Season 9 top-24 finalist, proves a career after Idol is possible. "She has a fight inside her that can't be taught," says Dirk Pate, Timeless Music Group owner/producer who's helping guide her career and produce her debut album. When she was only six her grandmother changed the course of her life when she told her she was destined to be a singer. That one moment spawned into her attending Berklee College of Music, auditioning for American Idol and now, working on her debut album while promoting her first single Dance All Night, which was released via iTunes on May 24th.

With the music industry yearning for a young, Latin songstress to captivate the air ways, she is ready to step into the spotlight and prove she has the "it" factor Simon Cowell said she possessed during her initial Idol audition. "She's fearless, she really is," says Pate. Being fearless may be what it takes in an industry that's so, "here today and gone tomorrow". Ashley credits American Idol for giving her the wisdom and strength needed to survive the challenge of breaking into the music business. Only time will tell where her journey will lead but for now she can be an inspiration to all former competitors. She's proving to them, competing on American Idol should be the beginning of a career, not the end.

Tasha Pope, Photo By, Harris Davey Jr. "After American Idol", Associated Content by Yahoo!