(NBC Photo by John Russell) Shawn Mayer hopes votes helped her secure a spot in the final four on the NBC show "Nashville Star." The country music singing competition airs on Monday nights.

Daily Reporter Staff

For the first time since the "Nashville Star" country music competition began, Shawn Mayer wants the show to send her back to northwest Iowa -- but only for a hometown concert.

The NBC show will narrow its field of remaining finalists from five to four at the end of its 8 p.m. telecast Monday Night. The survivors get to return home for a rally, then it's back to the Nashville stage for the next Monday night of cuts.

Mayer would bring her concert back to May City. With no city council or post office, the O'Brien County town of 45 technically isn't even a town anymore. But it does have roads and the show will find a flat-bed trailer. Where Mayer is from, that's all you need for a street dance.

But first things first -- Mayer is coming off her most critically-acclaimed performance of the series.

The judges -- industry insiders Jewel, John Rich and Jeffrey Steele -- were wowed by her performance of "Before He Cheats" in the most recent episode. But, as host Billy Ray Cyrus so often reminds viewers on the show, it's America's votes that count. Mayer stayed alive only after escaping the bottom two. It's the dubious spot at the end of the show when one act stays and one act leaves for good.

In a Daily Reporter interview, Mayer talked about her journey as the field was narrowed from 12 to five. She addressed a fallout with Rich, the judge-mentor assigned to her near the start of the series. She spent an emotional week working with Steele on her original song "I'm Not Looking Back." and she talks about the significance behind it:

Q: The last time we talked to you, the season was just about ready to begin. So, did you think you'd still be going with just five contestants left?

A: You know, looking at the competition, you always want to believe that you're going to be moving on to the next round, but I really didn't know. Honestly, I didn't know that I would make it to the top five. Now that I have, every week that I hear my name called, it gives me that much more strength to go out there and fight to make it to the next show, and the next one.

In all reality, starting this competition, I didn't know. I didn't know how to be completely confident every single week and fight to stay here. America has really given me the strength to go out there and really believe in myself.

Q: I'm hearing that maybe the performers who survive this next week will get to come home to their towns for some footage.

A: They do. Whoever doesn't get eliminated, that is the top four, are all going to be leaving and flying home on Tuesday to perform Wednesday night in their hometown and put on a concert. I'm excited. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I get the opportunity to do that.

Q: Are you going to borrow Hartley or Spencer or are you actually going to try to do May City if you come back?

A: They actually have to make the arrangements for all the hometowns because they don't know who is leaving the show… I promised May City and Melvin when I left that if I was coming back home that I would do it (there)… That's what they're going to let me do on Main Street in May City. I'm excited.

Q: I've been following the show and the performers aren't getting voted off in the order that I thought they would. Do you have a better grasp of that, knowing the process and seeing the performances live?

A: No. Actually, I was so scared last week -- you know, bottom two -- you never know who is going home. So it's always very nerve-racking on the night of the performance. You're sitting there and you're hoping you hear your name. Then when you don't and you find out you're in the bottom two, you're sweating pretty bad. It's great.

It really gave me an opportunity to step up my game, step up and walk out there and perform. George Jones was sitting in the audience and that was one of the greatest moments that I've had, to be able to sing for him, because I love George Jones. It was a great moment.

Q: The judges' comments for you after your performances on live TV have been been fairly positive (regarding her potential). They always seem to throw in a "but" (about the actual performance). With this last episode there was no "but." Do you take that as a sign that you're really hitting your peak in the show?

A: Actually, in most of the performances, I haven't really gotten a lot of good (comments) straight across the board. I usually get one judge that has pretty good things to say. Then the rest of them usually tear me up pretty good -- rip me one.

You know what? It happened to be my night. It felt really great to have great complements straight across the board, with no "buts." It's really what I needed and it really helped me so that I didn't let the bottom two get to me at all.

Q: We've got to talk about that mentor switch, too. How much of that was just a practical decision by the show and how much of that was more of an emotional decision for you to find someone who is a better fit?

A: I actually -- you know, I don't know, how should I say this? I rippled the water a little bit. I stirred things up a little bit. I actually brought it up. It was one of those things.

I wanted to be the person who deals with what's been dealt to me, but it was another situation where I had to do what's best for me in the competition. I really felt like I just wasn't getting anything.

It was handled really well with both John (Rich) and I. We both handled it like adults. We handled it very professionally. I could have walked in and pretty much said "I'm done, I'm sick of you, screw off" and walked away. But that's not who I am.

I sat in there and it mainly was just a situation where I sat down and told him "John, no offense to you because the way you carry yourself and the way you communicate with people is what makes you John Rich."

It really is true. The way he carries himself and the way he talks is what makes him who he is. But it's just the way that I carry myself and the way that I talk is what makes me Shawn Mayer. At the time, it's just not the same as John.

It was just a moment in time where I needed to take my space, step away and get my head back in the game. I think he'd be great to work with. It just wasn't the right time and I needed to do this for me. That's what I did. I stood up for myself.

Q: This is original song week coming up and I remember a few weeks ago that Jewel told you that she wanted to see you reach this point in the competition. Is this an area of the competition where you think you might have an edge over some of the other folks that are left?

A: Actually during rehearsals all week this week -- everybody has great originals. Everyone is a really good songwriter. That's what's so neat. The top five are really good songwriters. They have great songs. I would go out and buy everybody's song whose playing on the upcoming show.

It's great to hear that from another great songwriter like Jewel and Jeff and John -- that they wanted to see me make it to song-writing night, or original song night…

It is something that I really take pride in. I really want to try to continue to make myself be a better songwriter. I think they remembered that I tried out on an original. I did the song "I'm Not Looking Back" in tryouts and I think they remembered that. They were looking forward to me making it to this night so I could perform that song.

Q: Can you tell me a little about the concept behind that song?

A: Most of the time you have guidelines to follow when you write a song. You write a good hook -- make sure it's catchy and make sure it's radio. Make sure it's the right time limit.

This song in particular was a point in time when I didn't have an idea. I didn't have anything. When it came around it was a situation: I was down in here, Nashville, completely by myself -- nobody here. I went through a bad breakup.

It wasn't my ex-boyfriend's fault. By all means, he was the greatest guy you could possibly ever imagine. It was just a situation that the distance was taking its toll and I felt that, throughout the fights that I was making -- I loved him so much that I hated to see him upset and not happy, so I let him go.

It was one of those moments where: This is why music is so important. to me. It's heartfelt. It helps me through times in my life where I don't know where I'm going to turn to. It was a moment where I literally peeled myself off the floor, picked myself up off the ground, grabbed my guitar and sat down.

The song just came from it at about 4:30 in the morning. I realized that I had written a really great song.

Q: That must be an incredible feeling.

A: It's very overwhelming though. I know this week -- I love hanging out with the rest of the cast. We all have fun. We're all great friends, but I know this week has been a really, really hard week. It's a song really close to my heart and it's a song that talks about a hard, hard time in my life. It's like reliving it.

Then hearing the full production behind it with the band, is really moving. It's overwhelming. I know there was one night where I had to pretty much pull myself away from everybody, go into my room and deal with it so that I don't let it affect my performance.

Q: Tell me a little bit about Jeffrey Steele and how his input affects how that song is performed. Did it get you to look at your song in a little bit different way?

A: I thought I was going to play my song and he was going to tell me to change this and give me critiques because it wasn't quite up to par. The neatest moment was sitting there and playing that song and him turning to me and going "that's a great song. You don't need to change anything. That's a great song. Just get the arrangement right."

Because, you know, we have to cut our songs down to fit in the show. We had to cut them down to about a minute and 15 seconds instead of playing the full song. That was the hardest part. He came in and helped me arrange the song, which helped me so much because it's hard to take something you're really close to, a song that you wrote and try to pick out the best parts.

To me, country music is all about storytelling. When you cut out the guts of the song, it's hard to get the story across. He's been really great. He's been a really great help.

It was really neat to have him sit there and have him be a great songwriter I really look up to and sit there and tell me I had a great song -- and he's not one to just go and tell someone they have a great song. For him to tell me that was really, really moving.

Q: Could you do a little bit of myth-busting for us? What are some of those behind-the-scenes tidbits that would surprise the viewers at home?

A: We all get along. We're not killing each other. There's no pulling each other's hair out or sabotaging each other's performances -- none of that. We actually all get along. We joke around.

Gabe (Garcia, another finalist) is a huge prankster. He reminds me a lot of what Brad Paisley does -- randomly playing pranks, always telling jokes. He seems to be quite the comedian. We all try to keep up with him and give him a run for his money. It's fun.

A lot of people wouldn't believe us. I know a lot of people have been questioning: "You can't all get along." But we really do. We're all just happy to be here.

Every week, and I think people would find this fascinating: You would think, by now, we'd be used to the TV thing and it would have sunk in. We, every week, after the show during the week… We all make sure we're all in the room and we all sit down and we'll watch the show together…

We're like: "Hey, we were just on national television" and we all have to pinch each other. That's our way of telling each other we can't believe we're here. It's a way of opening our eyes for each other to see that we're actually doing this and every week, we're like, "we get to perform next week." We're constantly reminding each other that it's real and that we're here. It's a great opportunity.

Q: Shawn, how do you see the rest of this season playing out?

A: I think the rest of the season is going to be definitely unpredictable. The talent that's left and the talent that has been on the show has been remarkable… I think, right now, nobody's safe and I think it is going to be very unpredictable about who's going home.

Everybody is performing flawless performances. I'm really trying to fight to make myself stand out. We're all trying to fight to make sure that we're heard. We're just all kind of sitting and praying and hoping that America loves us and keeps us here.

Q: Do you think we'll see you at the Clay County Fair sometime down the road?

A: Oh, gosh yes. Even if I have to set up my own tent, I will be there performing. I always say it -- even when I was a little girl when I was signing the national anthem for (the group Lynyrd) Skynyrd and Martina (McBride) for the grandstand. I said to myself: "Someday, how cool would it be to be the main entertainment… and have somebody come out on stage and sing the national anthem for me…

I never understood why none of the artists yet have stepped out on stage and done it (the anthem) themselves. I always said that if I got the opportunity to be the entertainment for the grandstand, I thought it would be really neat to come out, just as another person, and sing the national anthem, then come out and do my show.

Q: Do have any special message that you would like to say for the northwest Iowans who have supported you so far?

A: I'm really fighting. I'm really fighting for everybody. I'm not just fighting for myself. I'm fighting for everybody who has ever taken time out of their schedule to come watch a little small-town girl-nobody play the tracks and try to entertain a crowd -- and just to say thank you to everybody who supported me along the way.

Without them, I would have never had the strength to move out to Nashville on my own and try to take a stab at this. It's happening. I'm living this and I wish everybody who supported me could live this with me. That's why I'm trying to embrace every moment.