Carly Rae Jepsen

Updated Tue. Jan. 22 2008 11:39 AM ET

Age: 22
Hometown: Mission, B.C.
Audition City: Vancouver, B.C.

For Carly "Rae of Sunshine" Jepsen, as she has been christened by her Canadian Idol fans, being eliminated at Top 3 had a payoff almost as good as making it all the way to the top.

As part of the "Telus Presents" Top 3 concert tour, she had the chance to sing on stages across Canada -- including Toronto's illustrious Massey Hall -- and even got to perform a song she wrote herself backed by the professional tour band.

"Playing my song was amazing," Jepsen told Eye on Idol during a rare lull in a schedule that has been busy since she began her run on Canadian Idol. "The fact that Neil Young's name was there next to us outside Massey Hall... I never in my life would have imagined I'd be in the same sentence as him. That was pretty crazy for me."

While most members of the Top 10 had a few weeks to relax between their elimination and the beginning of preparations for the finale episode, being cut at Top 3 meant Jepsen had practically no downtime all summer. She managed to squish in a short stint at home right after the finale, but was soon back in Toronto getting ready to head on tour.

"When the tour started cooking up, I was off to the races again," she said. "It feels like I took my first breath of fresh air at Christmas... I'm in Vancouver right now and I love it. I spent the last month traveling all over Canada and still have to say this is my favourite place."

With a scheduled slot performing at a Sick Kids Hospital gala in February, Jepsen will be heading back to Toronto and back to the madness of life in Toronto. She hopes to record some songs while in town with hopes of releasing an album by summer and heading on tour shortly after that.

In the meantime, she's gathered a new band in Vancouver and is spending time working out a name and some new songs. She's also working on putting together a concert in Mission with fellow Lower Mainlander and Canadian Idol alum, Greg Neufeld, tentatively set for late March.

"Idol's given me a push and motivation because it feels like things are starting to happen for me," she said. "We'll see if anything actually happens. I'm definitely trying my best."