American Idol's Kimberley Locke Recommends Auditioning for Anything and Everything

For Kimberley Locke, a Top 3 Finalist on "American Idol," her journey into the music world has become more than she ever imagined it would be.

"When I did my first record, Bob Catania, the head of my promotions team, and I were in the car driving somewhere," Locke said via telephone from Miami. "He turned to me and said 'So, Kimberley Locke, after today, you will forever be able to go and download your record from the Internet or buy it off of Amazon.com for the rest of your life.' "

Kimberley Locke auditioned for the Second Season of "American Idol"

Talking with Associated Content after the recent Winter Music Conference in Miami, Locke said she went to Florida with Randy Jackson to promote her new single "Strobe Light."

"Randy and I, our partnership is a singles contract where we release a single every 6 to 8 months," Locke said. "'Strobe Light' is a dance song. I've had some great success in the dance world. I've had three Number #1 dance singles on the Billboard Chart."

Before all the recording deals and contracts, Locke auditioned for the Second Season of "American Idol," ultimately finding herself in the Top 3 with Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. "By the time you make it to Top 3, you've been doing it for a couple of months at that point, so you are used to the routine," she said.

When it gets down to the Top 3, Locke said, there are a lot more songs to cover. "You're performing three songs in one night, so the song selection becomes crucial. You are down to the wire, the nitty-gritty of it all, so it becomes pretty intense."

"Heat Wave" gets an icy reception on "American Idol"

Some "American Idol" fans sit at home questioning the contestants and their choice of music, but Locke reminds everyone that all the songs have to be cleared within a certain genre.

"That's what a lot of people don't understand, that we don't get full reign of every song in the world to sing. These songs have to be cleared and we have to be given permission to sing those songs on 'American Idol,' " Locke said.

As she progressed on "American Idol," one of her choices received an icy reception from the judges.

"One of the songs I did in the Top 10, I had to go first and I sang 'Heat Wave,' which Simon (Cowell) hated. I thought I was going home that night. That was one of the songs I remember I sang that they did not like."

"Audition for anything and everything"

After her experience on "American Idol," Kimberly Locke has some words of wisdom for those who want to try out for the show.

"I'm a firm believer, and I tell aspiring singers this, that they should audition for anything and everything because you never know what it's going to turn out to be. You never know who is going to be there, and one thing leads to another," she said. "For me, that's why I auditioned for 'American Idol.' "

"Strobe Light," Kimberley Locke's latest single, is available on iTunes.