Tamyra Says "I Believe"
Not all American Idol eliminees fade into obscurity. Of course, most of 'em go out promising to make an album — no matter what that nasty Simon says — and then end up like Justin Guarini instead. Tamyra Gray is the exception to the rule. Just look at all this 24-year-old junior diva has accomplished...
Formerly Miss Atlanta 1998, she made the final four in AI 2. Later, she scored TV guest-starring gigs, including Tru Calling, Half & Half and a memorable seven-episode stint on Boston Public. Her album The Dreamer recently debuted at No. 16 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart. Plus, AI winner Fantasia Barrino can be heard singing "I Believe" — her victory song co-written by Gray — in constant radio rotation. Not bad, huh?
"I'm so proud of Fantasia," Gray says. "She's so great and did it so beautifully. I was rooting for both [her and Diana DeGarmo] but I was really rooting for Fantasia."
Still, Gray insists she wrote "I Believe" for "whoever was winning. They have two different styles, but I've heard both mixes, and they're both phenomenal. So even if Diana would've won and sung the song, it would've been great."
It's definitely catchier than "A Moment like This," the triumph anthem even Kelly Clarkson admits was annoying. "Since I've gone through American Idol, I know what it feels like to go onstage and go through the whole process," Gray notes. "It's just a surreal feeling, so I wrote a song that would capture all of it, and kept it hopeful and uplifting."
Those keywords basically sum up Tamyra Gray's attitude these days. "I'm so happy and feel so blessed," she gushes. "There are no words for what I'm feeling right now. I'm excited to have an album out and to finally be doing what I set out to do right from the beginning."
So far, Gray's immediate plans don't include a full-scale concert tour, but "maybe more acting, after we finish focusing on [promoting] the Dreamer album."
