Supernova Says Nay to Z

Last Wednesday's edition of CBS' Rock Star: Supernova featured a first  Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke and Jason Newsted in the nascent band's first live performance ever, fronted, in at least this one instance, by Dilana as well as a last, in a swan song from Zayra Alvarez, who has been sent packing. TVGuide.com spoke to Zayra the day after her dismissal to see if she had any second thoughts about her dare-to-be-different strategy.

TVGuide.com: First of all, can you set the record straight on how to pronounce your name, since we heard it so many ways on TV.
Zayra Alvarez: Zy-EER-a.

TVGuide.com: There we go. Now, you seemed to know weeks ago that you weren't the person who was going to front the band; you actually said that yourself at one point. What kept you motivated to keep giving it 100 percent each week?
Zayra: Because I'm a fighter, and I wanted to convince those guys they needed somebody like me in order to be cool! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: In the last few weeks it was all about, "What's Zayra going to do next?" How calculated were your last few performances, and how much was just onstage improvising?
Zayra: There is no time for calculating anything! So a lot of it is just improvised. It's about gut feeling and taking risks, and that's what I've been doing every week. Taking big risks.

TVGuide.com: Your wardrobe was talked about almost as much as your singing. Did you pick out all the costumes yourself?
Zayra: Yes, of course. I always choose whatever I want to wear and how I want to wear it. That's a fun part for me.

TVGuide.com: Last night, I felt you were totally channeling Superman 2's Ursa. Do you know who I'm talking about?
Zayra: No, but it sounds fun!

TVGuide.com: She was this bad-ass villainess from planet Krypton.
Zayra: I had no idea, but I love it!

TVGuide.com: There seem to be more blogs and discussion groups about you than any other contestant....
Zayra: That's news for me. I had no idea.

TVGuide.com: Why do you think you achieved this almost "cult" status?
Zayra: If I had to make a guess, maybe it's because I was more unpredictable by the week. For my own entertainment, I always try to be different from one week to the other, not in a calculated way, but just because I get bored very easily. It's a challenge that I put on myself. Obviously the world is catching on to the same feeling that I have, where I want to find out what I'm going to come up with next. Usually it happens the night before or the same day, and I loved it.

TVGuide.com: The other rockers in the house seemed to like to comment on how you didn't belong. Did it matter to you at all what they were saying?
Zayra: No, because I agree. That is what I was using as my forte. Why would you want what's predictable, what's been done? If I'm the one who'sdifferent, then you need me. If you want different, something that hasn't been done....

TVGuide.com: You were the first to select an original song, and you chose to sing a tune in Spanish ["Lluvia de Mar," from her solo record Ruleta]. Knowing that Supernova will not want their songs sung in Spanish, what was the thought process there?
Zayra: I knew it was going to be a big risk, but I can't go with fear. I go with my gut, and what I wanted to do with that song was to show them how my voice can [affect] you and your heart when I'm comfortable, when I'm in my element. Before that, every week I'd been learning a song in a day, singing a cover and trying to make it my own, but there was never enough time to show them my real voice.

TVGuide.com: What do you truly think about the future of Supernova?
Zayra: They'll be amazing. I'm really excited to find out who's going to win, how they're going to make it work, and what the music is going to be like.

TVGuide.com: Was it a rush to hear them play live for the very first time?
Zayra: Oh my god... for me, I'm heartbroken that I didn't get a chance to play with them. It's the one thing I regret missing out on.

TVGuide.com: Looking back on your Rock Star run, what do you feel was your best performance?
Zayra: Every single performance to me was very special, but obviously there was something about last night's elimination song that meant the most to me. It really reflected what I was feeling. I wanted to be proud, even if I was being let go. That was the message I was delivering, and I know I gave it my more than more, my all.

TVGuide.com: And which performance did you think wasn't your best, where you thought, "If I could do one song over... "?
Zayra: That happened, though  the one instance I had to redo a song was "You Really Got Me," which I knew I could have done a million times better. I decided to use it as an elimination song, and I did do it a million times better. That answers your question right there!

Send your comments on this Q&A to online_insider@tvguide.com. 

Additional reporting by David Steed, who writes the Rock Star: Supernova Watercooler blog for TVGuide.com