For Josh Palmer performing in front of an audience is as natural as breathing. The 22-year-old has not been without microphone and guitar since he was a young boy. Yet, while singing is second nature, Palmer is learning how to give his best -- all in just 90 seconds.

It's probably the shortest set the Saskatoon musician has ever played in his career but it's definitely one of the toughest. Like the rest of the Top 32 competitors, he had to deliver a strong performance to more than two million people in less than two minutes. That seems like barely enough time to tune a guitar but in the world of Canadian Idol, it's plenty.

"I don't know about you but I go to shows and I see bands and I play in bands that do four to five-hour sets. So, 90 seconds seem like a thought," Palmer says. "That's what I really learned. It was to grasp every second of it."

Mastering Idol's short-and-sweet style of performing is more crucial than ever, now that he is competing in the Top 10. Unlike the previous round, there are no second chances in the form of a Wild Card show. One missed opportunity could mean the end of the Idol journey.

Palmer, however, is learning quickly. After failing to make the Top 10 as a member of Group Two, he made it on his second try as a Wild Card by singing Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love."

He says that given the unpredictability of the results, it was important to stay true to his own musical style.

"In Group Two the predictions were Emily and Josh all around and that blew me away because I didn't know," Palmer recalls. "And when Vince was called and Casey was called and Emily was called, I was a little bit taken back because you really can't predict."

"The judges are there to influence but it's like staring into a cloud. If you're trying to foretell the future why don't you just stare into a cloud?"

Idol viewers may have needed two episodes to appreciate his style, but Palmer doesn't seem to mind.

"I'm not for everybody. That's just the way life is. Some people are going to like you. Some people are going to dislike you. Just as long as you're true to yourself and you're graceful," he says.

However, that also means he's had a full 180 seconds to show off his unique artistry, and that, it seems, might just work to Palmer's advantage.

Eye on Idol