Pia Toscano on Her ‘American Idol’ Elimination: ‘I Kind of Expected It’

Mouths were agape with gasps when power balladeer Pia Toscano was voted off 'American Idol' last night. Jennifer Lopez was reduced to tears and even Randy Jackson was mortified over Toscano's early exit.

While fans and judges were practically calling for the heads of the American voters for pushing darling Pia out of the running, the New York singer herself was not surprised, nor was she shocked by her ouster.

"I kind of expected it," Toscano tells E! Online. "I go a lot on feeling and what's in my gut. After my performance I felt something weird. I said to my parents, 'I kind of feel like I'm going to be in the bottom three tomorrow.' When it happened I kind of expected it. Usually when I feel something, it happens. I had a good time at my performance, I don't have any regrets so I don't know why I felt that way."

While many 'Idol' watchers and critics felt Toscano was too dependent on her beloved ballads, her talent is undeniable and she did step outside of her ballad box this week, taking on an uptempo Tina Turner tune, which was not her best performance.

Toscano also said she has to work on overcoming some of her shyness, a trait that can cripple someone seeking a career in performing arts. "It's really intimidating to go out there every week, so it's something I have to work on as a performer, and I'm going to do so and make sure for the tour that I really own that stage," the singer said.

Toscano appeared distraught as the episode ended but now that it's in the rear view, her grace and her class have taken center stage, as she wants viewers to know she doesn't wish fellow bottom dweller Stefano Langone had been sent home instead. "Stefano is a very good friend of mine and he's an incredible person," she says. "The whole time I was sitting down with him in the bottom three he was just saying, 'You're not going anywhere, I'm the one that's going.' He was so supportive of me. He was so upset last night with the outcome of the situation and he deserves to be in the top eight. He's an incredible talent and everything happens the way it's supposed to happen."

Toscano isn't bitter that Casey Abrams earned the season's sole save two weeks earlier, which had a hand in determining her fate, since the judges could not granted her a stay of execution even if they wanted to! "It was my time and Casey deserved that save. He wasn't ready to go and it wasn't his time to go," she says. "He's such an incredible musician and an incredible singer and beautiful person."

Toscano wouldn't offer her personal predictions on who will take the 'Idol' title this season, either. "It's anybody's game right now. All of the contestants are extremely strong," she adds. "You truly just don't know. I know each and every one of the contestants that are in it right now deserve to be there."

We will meet Pia Toscano again ... Just not on the 'American Idol' stage.