Quotes from Diana DeGarmo

My day look is usually a good pair of jeans, my boots, and a cute T-shirt, but I love to get all dolled up in a dress and heels to go out.

I grew up listening to Patsy Cline. I was a huge Patsy Cline fan. I still am. Even though she's considered country, I think of her more as a blues singer. She's got a great blues voice, and she has such an amazing story, which I always loved.

Acting while I'm singing just kind of happened because I'm a hambone at heart, I guess. And I'm a Gemini - I've got several personalities to access as an actor.

My mom did a good job exposing me to different types of music.

Working with Dolly Parton was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

I really truly believe I found my identity with country music.

My mom had a tape of Patsy Cline's greatest hits, and whenever we were in the car, she would put it on, and it got to the point where I knew all the words to every one of the songs, and I knew what order they came in on the tape.

I appreciate the level of professionalism and talent that I get to be around every night, eight times a week.

There was a perception that reality-show people are just mere personalities, that they don't have real talent, and I worked real hard to change peoples' minds, one show at a time, and proved a lot of people wrong. I'm proud I was the first to do that for 'Idol' on Broadway!

My mom played me all kinds of music, from Ella Fitzgerald to Celine Dion. I listened to everything growing up, old and new.

I've always wanted to be a recognized singer and just - just so people can hear my music - and thought, you know, look how many people watch 'American Idol.' Why not audition, you know?

It's been really cool to go to places I've never been to around the country and performing for people and bringing a fun show to entertain folks.

After 'American Idol,' I got a lot of 'stuck up' rumors that just fueled the never-ending flames of high school drama. Thankfully, my real friends always stood up for me and knew I wasn't like that.

I grew up doing certain little things in the musical theatre realm, but I didn't really understand that you could... make a career out of it.

The funny thing when you are with a man that has lots of fans - particularly female fans - it gets sensitive!

I believe that you should not be just raised on what the music is right then. You should be raised on what is from your past, what your parents have grown up with, because it's a really big piece of your culture that you need to know about, and I'm glad my mother has done that for me.

I like my food. I would rather be a little bit on the heavier side than too thin.

She's very active. My mom is my manager and handles day-to-day business to keep the DeGarmo machine up and running! She's a huge, huge part of my career and my life.

"American Idol" has done a lot for me. It's a stepping stone in my life.

Snellville is a great city. It's a great place to grow up and live. I love it. It's very full of southern charm and wonderful people. And they've supported me greatly throughout all of my endeavors.

The New York theater community didn't like being invaded by reality stars - they still don't - but I got in there and auditioned just like everybody else. They hired me for 'Hairspray' to help sell tickets for a few weeks, but I ended up being there much longer than originally planned and started to carve a niche for myself.

Good music is timeless, whether it's a country song, rock, or R&B.

With 'American Idol,' you are on your toes a lot. People don't realize the amount of work.

I love shopping for shoes. I'm a big shoe-lover. Shopping is definitely something that I do on a regular basis.