Dexter Roberts: Headed from 'Idol' to Nashville

With the elimination of Dexter Roberts, Nashville's going to get a new Idol finalist.

The Alabama native, ousted from the show Thursday night, says he plans to move to Music City as soon as this summer's tour wraps.

"Hopefully, after the tour, man, I'm ready to come up there," says Roberts, 22.

Keith Urban would seem to be the logical person to introduce the young singer around town, but Roberts said he didn't get much of a chance to talk with Urban after Thursday's show.

"It's so fast, man, they barely have time to talk to us that much," he says. "He told me to have fun and keep pushing forward."

During the course of the show, Roberts says he heard from members of Little Big Town and Florida Georgia Line, as well as Brett Eldredge and former Idol contestant Casey James. Carrie Underwood also sent gifts to this year's cast. But the conversations with Craig Morgan may prove to be the most productive.

"I like Craig," he says. "We're going to do some hunting together some time."

Roberts hails from Fayette, Ala., a town of fewer than 5,000 people, so Los Angeles and the world of television was a bit of a culture shock for him.

"I told my mom I've been in the city so much I'm ready to get back and get in the woods," he says. "I told her I'm about ready to go get a teepee and stay in the woods for a few months."

Throughout the show, the judges, and Harry Connick Jr. in particular, encouraged Roberts to get outside his comfort zone and approach songs different. Even on Thursday, mentor Randy Jackson said he hoped Roberts would "take some chances" and "put some Dexter spin" on his song choices.

"I tried to change up the melodies a bunch of times," Roberts says, "but sometimes the band didn't want to play it like that. I wanted to go out there and make each song more my own. I tried to do that each time."

Now, though, he's going to get that teepee — or at least take a good nap — and then "I'm going to go on the tour," he says. "I'm just going to have fun, interact with my fans, just have a blast and enjoy this time with the fellow contestants." After that, he's Nashville-bound.