When Didi Benami came to Los Angeles with the American Idols LIVE! 2010 Tour, she talked to AmericanIdol.com about life on the road, an album she’s working on, and her future plans.

As the tenth place finalist, Didi gets to kick off the tour each night with her set. “It’s very cool; it’s an honor,” Didi said about being the first finalist on stage. “I don’t like being stuck somewhere in the middle, so it’s nice to be at the opening of the show. The only thing that could be a downfall about it is that not everybody’s actually there yet, but it’s still a really amazing opportunity and I’m totally blessed to be here and I’m happy. I love doing it.”

Does Didi still get nervous before taking the stage? “I did the very first time I went out. I think I’m going to get a little nervous tonight because this is kind of like a homecoming. I mean Knoxville was too, but this is like where I’m currently stationed. But, I’m happy and I’m excited. I’m not nervous right now, but I might be when I get on stage… I have a lot of friends and family coming out tonight.”

With just a few weeks left on the tour, what will Didi miss when this is all over? “I’m gonna miss performing on that big stage every night and performing for all of those people. It’s really an amazing experience, and I don’t want it to end. I’m gonna miss the people here. Everyone here is really chill and I love being around them. That’s going to be hard. We’ve been around the same people for seven months so leaving that is like separation anxiety, yet I’m excited to work on my own stuff. I have so much that I want to do once this is over, but it will kind of suck to be away from everybody. I’m working on an album and I’d like to do an album for my friend Rebecca who passed away. I’d also like to get into acting and film and do some sitcoms. I think that could be really fun.”

Didi has received some special gifts from her fans. “I’ve gotten several scrapbooks that are phenomenal, that you just look at and are like, ‘I don’t even know how they did this and how they have the time to put this all together.’ And it’s like from day one to the end, and it’s unbelievable. I don’t have to make a scrapbook now, and I didn’t have time along the way to collect some of these things. It’s unbelievable. Also, I got a guitar strap that’s very cool from a fan in Dallas that has a bunch of suns on it and it is absolutely beautiful. I used to have a backpack that looked like that, so that was really cool. Anything that they’re trying to tell you that you touched their lives in some kind of way is just really special and amazing.”

I learned something new while interviewing Didi – she’s auditioned for American Idol three times. As someone who is familiar with the audition process, Didi offered up the following advice for the Season 10 hopefuls. “The best advice I can give them is just be yourself. Honestly, it kind of is the luck of the draw. This was my third year auditioning, so I finally got it. I never made it past the first round until this year, so don’t give up hope. If you don’t make it through this year, try out again next year. Do what you love and let it shine through.”

To all of Didi’s fans she’d like to say, “Thank you so much! I love you all. God bless you all. You are amazing and you’ve made this journey so incredible for me. Thank you for your support and I love you guys very much.”

View photos of Didi performing in her second hometown, Los Angeles!
Watch this video interview with the S9 finalists in L.A.

Read our exclusive tour interviews with:
Lee DeWyze
Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
Katie Stevens
Siobhan Magnus
Aaron Kelly