NATCHEZ &8212; Now that the competition is over and he can talk about it, Kyle Craft said his experience in the Cenla Idol competition was truly an awesome one.

Craft, 17, placed third in the competition against 12 others in July in the hopes of being able to perform of FOX&8217;s television show &8220;American Idol&8221;.

&8220;Just being placed in the top five was really something,&8221; Craft said. &8220;I didn&8217;t expect to even get that far.&8221;

Craft said he felt the reason he did not receive the top spot was because of his musical style and performance.

&8220;I&8217;m really into rock and roll and I think the judges were really looking for more of a pop artist,&8221; Craft said.

During his final performances, Craft sang the songs &8220;Paradise City&8221; by Guns n Roses and &8220;Dream On&8221; by Aerosmith.

&8220;The judges said it was the first time anyone had performed rock at the competition,&8221; Craft said. &8220;And I think that&8217;s why they allowed me to make it that far.&8221;

Kyle&8217;s mother, Torri Webber, thinks that it was his passion for performing that made him qualify so high.

&8220;He really had the crowd getting into the music and his performance,&8221; Webber said.

Webber said she is trying to convince Craft to keep competing.

&8220;He just has a gift for it and I really think if he keeps competing in these type of events he&8217;ll get his name out there,&8221; Webber said. &8220;But whether he does or not, I&8217;m real proud of him.&8221;

Craft said he doesn&8217;t see himself competing anytime soon.

&8220;I&8217;m only 17 years old and I really just want to be known as Kyle Craft right now and not the American Idol,&8221; Craft said.

Craft said another reason why he is not considering competition is because he wants to be free to develop his talent his way.

&8220;I really want to pursue a career in music but I want to do it on my terms,&8221; Craft said. &8220;I would rather be a traveling musician than creating albums in studio because I really enjoy the adrenaline rush I get when I perform in front of a crowd.&8221;

Craft said he hopes to form a band when he goes to college and work on his musical style.

Craft said his idol and the person he most identifies with musically is Aerosmith&8217;s Steven Tyler.

&8220;He is my inspiration, at least musically and I&8217;m dedicated like he is to his music,&8221; Craft said. &8220;It would be really awesome to meet and maybe sing with him one day.&8221;