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If she had it to do again, Mandisa probably still would have sung Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine" on "American Idol's" country-music night this week.
The 29-year-old Tennesseean, who on Wednesday became the fourth finalist sent packing by "Idol" viewers, is aware that people other than judge Simon Cowell questioned her song choice. But after hearing Twain sing it, "I absolutely fell in love with that song. I felt like it was a great song for me because it showed my personality, and I have such a fun time singing it."
The voters didn't agree, resulting in the most surprising elimination thus far this season. Mandisa, who dropped her last name, Hundley, for the competition, says she was somewhat surprised to hear the verdict Wednesday, but only "in a sense."
"Looking back I could see - just my actions that day. I was being very encouraging to everybody, I was telling people I loved them, I was so glad I met them," she says. "I didn't realize I was saying goodbye, but looking back, I was. So when I was on stage, I was surprised, but (later) I realized I was kind of preparing myself for it."
She also has no regrets about professing her faith to 30 million or so viewers. Last week, she prefaced her cover of Mary Mary's "Wanna Praise You" by dedicating the song to "everybody that wants to be free. Your addiction, your lifestyle or situation may be big, but God is bigger."
Those comments, as well as her listing of Christian author Beth Moore - whose Web site links to several "ex-gay" groups - as one of her heroes led to speculation that Mandisa was anti-gay.
"I just heard about that recently," she says. "It broke my heart because I really think I live my life by the value system that you treat others the way you want to be treated. So I live my life guided by love. I absolutely hate nobody."
Her comments before the song, she says, had to do with her own weight issues. "That song is a very personal testimony to me," she says. "I've been dealing with a food-related addiction for much of my life. ... I've been living a lifestyle where I've been giving in to every indulgence of food that I've had. So that was just me saying that God is freeing me of it."
Mandisa will miss next week's Queen theme (she was planning to sing "Who Wants to Live Forever," from the "Highlander" soundtrack) but won't be cutting ties with "American Idol" anytime soon. She's singing "I Am Every Woman" for the show's season five compilation album and says she's also looking forward to the top-10 contestants' tour later this year.
And she's OK with not quite attaining her personal goal of being among the top three. "I recognize that this is where I'm supposed to be now," she says, "and I can't wait for what's going to happen next."
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(c) 2006, Zap2it.com. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
