Whether it was song choice, over-singing or criticism for lack of emotion that repeatedly sent “American Idol” contestant Hollie Cavanagh  to the bottom-two, she still managed to come in fourth place. And it’s a pretty sweet standing in her opinion.

Receiving harsh criticism from the judges and faced with the possibility of elimination five weeks in a row, Hollie Cavanagh  says her “Idol” journey wasn’t’ completely frustrating. She used their comments to grow as an artist, and even managed to track her vocal development on the show.

“I think probably when I sang ‘Rolling in the Deep’ and ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ I think that was definitely my moment - my turning point on the show,” she recalls. “But also ‘The Climb’ because that was my first standing ovation on the show.”

However, her most recent performance of Bonnie Raitt’s  “I Can’t Make You Love Me” drew negative comments once again, both from the judges, and Jimmy Iovine (chairman of Interscope Records and in-house “Idol” mentor). Iovine felt Cavanagh didn’t understand the song and lacked the emotional maturity to match the lyrics.

“I definitely stand by that song – I love that song,” Hollie says when asked about Iovine’s comments. “I think the lyrics in that song are so beautiful and I’ve loved that song for so long and I’m really glad I got to perform it.”

“As far as what Jimmy said, I mean I definitely felt that song, and I understood the meaning of it,” she continued. “But it didn’t come across the way Jimmy wanted it to. And that’s fine. I re-watched it and I agree there were some parts I could have done more with I guess. But I stand by it and I really enjoyed performing that song.”

When it came time to say goodbye to Cavanagh , all the judges agreed that she had definitely grown as a singer.  Lopez also admitted the judges had been hard on her when it came to critiquing her performances. But the judges believed in Cavanagh , and wished her well on her future.

And that future includes making an album, according toCavanagh.  She’s already thinking about her post-“Idol” career and teased what her fans can expect from her next.

“I’d like my album to be kind of on the pop side, but with a little bit of soul,” she said. “I’d like to make music that’s on the top of the charts right now, so something along those lines.”

But before Cavanagh  can work on her album, she’ll have to wait until the finale of “Idol,” and then the “Idol” tour. When asked about who she’d like to see win the competition, she had nothing but praise for the remaining three contestants.

“Phillip (Phillips) is very unique. The way he performs, you don’t see a lot of people perform like that. He has his very own style and his voice is amazing,” she says. “Josh (Ledet) takes you to a whole other place when he sings and I mean if you watch the show he amazes everybody each week.”

And on contestant Jessica Sanchez, she adds, “Jessica’s only sixteen and the way she sings she sounds like she’s in her twenties.”

American Idol airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET on CTV and the results show airs Thursdays at 8pm ET on CTV two.