The " American Idol [ tickets ]" judges told Alexis Grace to "dirty it up" during audition week, but now that she has been eliminated from the contest, she isn't planning to rush back to a clean-cut look.

"I might change the pink highlights a little bit, though, and turn them into something else," Grace said last week during teleconference with reporters. "I’m always into changing up hairstyles and trying new things, but yes, definitely keep the edgy look. I think that’s what got me here, besides singing, but I think it did help a lot, so definitely."

Now that she's headed home to Tennessee, Grace said she is going to spend time with her family, including her daughter and boyfriend.

"Then I'm going to get to work and start talking about recording some music and trying to get out there and just continue singing," said Grace, whose version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" didn't quite make the cut during country week at "American Idol."

"I learned that if you want to do anything in life, if you want to pursue a dream, that you have to work hard at it and believe in yourself, for one thing, and just have fun with whatever it is that you want to do."

Grace, who said she was disappointed that at one point judge Randy Jackson couldn't remember her name, explained she feels like she let her state down.

"I’m from the South and we're supposed to do country well--and I think I actually sing country pretty good--so it was a disappointment," she said. "I kind of let them down a little bit, but I can redeem myself. I think I'll be able to redeem myself from that."