'American Idol' runner-up Jessica Sanchez wants to branch out beyond pop music on her debut album, and she has her eye on a big-name potential collaborator -- rap superstar Eminem.

"This is going to seem odd, but I love Eminem, because he has so much conviction and emotion in the way he raps," Sanchez told MTV. "Every word that he raps, you feel it. And I think our talents would mesh. So, hopefully, it could happen, and I would just die if he'd collaborate with me!"

Would Slim Shady ever work with Jessica Sanchez? That's questionable, since he only tends to collaborate with established artists like Rihanna and Bruno Mars, at least when it comes his pop music partners. But convincing Eminem to give her a hook-up would be a huge coup for the 16 year old, who was only 3 years old when Eminem first charted with 'My Name Is.'

Sanchez is not guaranteed as much money as previous 'Idol' runners-up, so she'll have to earn it by releasing outstanding music. She has already decided to assert herself by insisting that she have control over the material on the record: "I don't want people to just hand me music and be like, 'Here, you sound good on this. Sing it.' I want to be able to say 'This is me.'"

Sanchez finished second behind Phillip Phillips in Season 11 of 'Idol,' which wrapped up last week. Surprisingly, Sanchez said, "I never thought I was going to win. And I think at that moment, during the finale, I knew I wasn't going to win, and I was like, 'Let me just sing my songs, let me have fun, let me be in this moment.' Even making it to the finale surprised me. You saw my face!"

Watch Jessica Sanchez Discuss 'American Idol'

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