'American Idol's' Joshua Ledet Amps Up the Drama for Final Top 3 Performance: 'I Let Everything Go'

Michael Becker / FOX

We lost track of how many standing ovations Joshua Ledet has had since the start of season 11 but it’s somewhere between 15 and 20. And Wednesday’s Top 3 performance show was no different. Starting with Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind,” chosen by Randy Jackson, Ledet went for message in song two, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” then pushed the showmanship to the max with Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.” In the end, there was plenty, but Ledet left it all on the stage, then talked to THR about how the night played out.

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The Hollywood Reporter: How do you come up with your vocal runs?

Joshua Ledet: Most of them I've done in church all my life. And I practice everywhere I go because I sing all the time. But there is a lot more that I haven't brought to the show yet because I don't want to be too over-the-top.

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THR: You kind of laid it all out on the stage for Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama…”

Ledet: I let everything go and was just myself in that last performance.

THR: Were you planning to rip off the jacket and amp up the drama at the end?

Ledet: I was not planning to do that. It just happened. It was crazy.

THR: Randy said R&B is “ailing and aching right now,” do you know what he meant by that?

Ledet: I don’t know what he meant -- I love the music today and I'm just ready to get in it to show what I have to offer.

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THR: How was it to watch your hometown video?

Ledet: It was the most amazing thing ever. I didn't really realize how many people came out to support me until I saw it on television. It's crazy. I knew how big the crowds were, but watching it on TV it was another story.

THR: And the private plane? 

Ledet: I was so nervous, I'm glad they didn't show the anxiety that I had, it was very scary. The best thing about it was when we landed and I walked off the plane.