STILLWATER -- Kyle Ensley gained national attention when he appeared on the most-watched show on American television.
But the Oklahoma State University senior says there is a lot more to him than his ability to sing, which landed him a Top 50 spot on American Idol.
The Valliant native is majoring in political science and international business. At 22, Ensley still has six years to try out for the show again, but he is unsure if he will do so.
"I have this (Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs) fellowship through the Department of State," Ensley said. "It pays for grad school and it also guarantees a four-year job in the Department of State working as a foreign service officer. After grad school I will be working in an embassy somewhere as a diplomat."
The show would interfere with his academic pursuits, so it likely will wait.
If Ensley never gets back in front of judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, he still has lofty goals.
For starters, he said he had never considered a career in music.
He has stated he would like to become governor. His 15 minutes of fame may give him a leg up with name recognition.
"Some people know who I am already," Ensley said. "I guess they know to watch out for me later. I hope it helps more than it hurts."
For now he is building a resume. He is the chair of the Student Government Association's Speaker's Board, external vice president of the Interfraternity Council, a member of FarmHouse Fraternity, Business Student Council, Student Alumni Board, Freshman Follies Steering Committee and Varsity Revue Steering Committee.
"They keep me pretty busy," Ensley said. I have a normal life going on. It's not like I'm always singing. I have other interests too. I don't want people to think all I can do is just sing. There's more to me than that."
Still, he had an American Idol experience he will never forget.
"I made it farther than I ever thought I would," Ensley said. "I really just tried out for fun. I wasn't like just set on pursuing a career as a singer. That really wasn't anything I ever thought about. I just really liked to sing and I loved the show so I thought I'd try out to see what it was like. I wasn't ever disappointed. I was just happy I made it that far."
He nearly made the Top 24. The way it was portrayed on television, it seemed he was the last cut. That is also his understanding.
Ensley's biggest fan on the show was Cowell, who is notorious for being the no-nonsense judge that will put politeness aside and tell the contestants the truth.
He lobbied for Ensley to advance but couldn't convince the other judges. Ensley said Cowell later told him off-camera he had meant what he said and thought he did well.
"That kind of made it worth it," Ensley said. "Even though I knew I was leaving, I left on a good note with him. At least I was never really that embarrassed by him or he never really said anything that mean. As long as I had his approval, that meant a lot to me. I knew I still could make it."
He made the Top 50 but had to wait about two months to learn if he survived the next cut. He was contractually obligated not to talk about how he had done.
During his time competing, he got to know the rest of the Top 50. He said his best friend in the group was David Cook, a Tulsan who went on to win the competition.
"We flew out of Tulsa together, like every time we were on the same flight," Ensley said. "When they did the Top 10 concert in Tulsa a few weeks ago I got free tickets. I just called David and he got me tickets. I still talk to him."
Local news
College American Idol from state not staying idle
OSU senior isn't sure whether he will try again to make show
- Local news
-
-
Seed exchange planned
Every day brings spring a day closer, meaning it’s time to start thinking about and planting spring vegetable and flower gardens....
-
Newest library branch expected to open by month’s end
The city of Oklahoma City is currently working with equipment manufacturers to remedy last-minute obstacles that are keeping Pioneer Library System’s 10th branch closed to the public....
-
TEAM having positive results
The Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee elected Don Holyfield as the new chair and approved the annual report at its monthly meeting Thursday....
-
Union members protest GCI at new OU dorm site
Members of Carpenters Local Union No. 329 conducted a protest Thursday morning in front of the construction site of a new dormitory on the University of Oklahoma campus....
-
OK-FIRE workshop coming to Norman
A full-day OK-FIRE computer training workshop will be March 16 at the National Weather Center in Norman. Dr. J.D. Carlson, OSU fire meteorologist and OK-FIRE program director, will direct the workshop. Training will begin at 9:30 a.m. and ...
-
Wheelock receives Girl Scouts award
Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma presented Brenda Wheelock of Norman with the Frances Hesselbein Award at the organization’s recent annual meeting. The award is named for a woman who changed Girl Scouts of the United States of America when ...
-
Weed control is important in lawns
Did your lawn fall under attack from weeds last year? Do you want to get a head start on controlling them this year? Or maybe you are thinking about doing your own lawn care instead of hiring out? It seems that weed control is on ...
-
IRS launches outreach campaign to help workers
The Internal Revenue Service and community partners nationwide launched an annual outreach campaign this week. The campaign is aimed at helping millions of Americans who earned $49,078 or less take advantage of the Earned Income Tax ...
-
Men face counts including bribery
The Multi-County Grand Jury handed up indictments today against two former Blanchard city administrators. Former Blanchard city manager Bill D. Edwards and former police chief Tom M. Linn were indicted on two felony counts, including ...
-
Norman named best school district
Oklahoma Technology Association named Norman Public Schools as Best District of The Year for the 2011-2012 school year Wednesday morning at its annual conference in the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City....
- More Local news Headlines
-
Seed exchange planned
