Ashley Leitao | ms

Ashley Leitao was considered one of the most shocking idol eliminations ever - recieving 9th [of 10] on 2005's Canadian Idol 3.

Leitao, 19 from Burnaby, British Columbia, states her musical background is pop, but showed on Idol that she was able to do more than pop. Her Top 32 performance - "Colours of the Wind" - hailed her as "money in the pot" by judge Zack Werner for a career, and her Top 10 Canadian Hits performance of Amanda Marshall's "Let It Rain" gave her even more praise. After what many gave the title of "a championship performance," Leitao was suddenly - and sadly - removed from the competition come Stevie Wonder night. Her rendition of "Sir Duke" was considered "fun and enjoyable" by the judges, but the public did not agree, thus giving Leitao the position of 9th place.

After the competition had ended and the Top 10 Finalists had recorded their solos for the album, "High Notes," Canadian Idol's pianist Mark Lalama formed the suggestion of a "supergroup." Lalama had worked with other contestants Casey LeBlanc (5th) and Amber Fleury (8th), and brought the trio to a studio in Ontario. Shortly, they produced a series of songs for the new group - Braided.

Leitao's solo tracks on the album include "Butterfly Girl," which can be heard on Braided's music MySpace, and "Before You," a powerful and emotional duet with figure skater Elvis Stojko.

Through her Idol journey, Leitao is proving she truly is an artist with an exceptionally stunning voice. No matter what happens, Leitao always be a popular figure in many hearts. .