HOLLYWOOD — Perhaps the biggest surprise — and, some would say, greatest injustice — of the first "American Idol" came when Tamyra Gray was voted out by viewers. Not that losing turned out to be such a bad thing.
"Yeah, it didn't hurt," Gray said with a laugh.
The 23-year-old knew immediately after she lost that that wouldn't be the end for her. "Idol" executive producer Simon Fuller approached her as soon as her final episode of that show ended.
"Simon pretty much just told me, 'Don't worry about anything,' " Gray said with a laugh.
As it turns out, she hasn't had a whole lot to worry about. For one thing, she's in the midst of producing her first album, which is scheduled to be released in late spring or early summer. Which certainly eased the pain of losing on "American Idol."
"I was fine because the way I looked at it was that that's the way it was meant to be," Gray said. "I set out there to do my best and get recognized (by) a record label and to get a deal. I didn't set out to win. And I got the deal from it, so everything worked out."
And she's got another TV gig, too. "Boston Public" creator/executive producer David E. Kelley caught her on "American Idol," called her in and cast her as a high-schooler in the Fox series. Beginning Monday (7 p.m., Ch. 13), she'll play a shy girl with — you guessed it! — an amazing singing voice who is cast in the lead in the school musical.
"The fact that I'm on 'Boston Public' is simply because David Kelley watched the show and he thought that, without makeup, I might be able to fit a high-school character," Gray said.
Gray had done a bit of acting — some theater and a few commercials. "But never really to this extent." And she admits that she was "very nervous" her first day on the "Boston Public" set.
"It was very heart wrenching because I didn't know what to expect. It's not the same as music. And having never really done any amount of lessons for acting, I didn't really know what to do. But they were all warm and everybody was willing to help me. So it was OK."
And, she said, the character she plays isn't that much of a stretch for her.
"Well, funny enough, that character represents me in high school," Gray said. "I was a shy kid in the ninth grade. It wasn't until the 10th grade when I became a cheerleader that I opened up a little bit more. But high school for any teenager walking into it is a scary situation."
She's currently contracted to appear in four episodes of "Boston Public," and she's open to doing more if she's asked. But Gray has no intention of giving up singing for acting.
"I had been trying to do it for 10 years. I had been pursuing it since I was 13," she said.
Gray sang in a group, and her parents would take them to different studios to audition. But nothing came of it.
Then she "got into the pageant world," eventually becoming Miss Atlanta and setting her sights (unsuccessfully) on Miss America. "I was, like, well, if I can make it to Miss America then I'll have an opportunity to, hopefully, let somebody hear me. And then I did theater for the same purpose. I was, like, well, I can sing so maybe somebody will be in the audience one day, and they'll hear me singing.
"But, yeah, I had gone on a long journey of trying to get here."
And she's planning on staying a part of the music scene for some time to come — although she knows there's no such thing as a sure thing in that business.
"I'm only 23, and I'm looking to be in this industry for a long time," Gray said. "So I have to keep the things that got me here. First and foremost, being centered and keeping God in my life and staying grounded and appreciative and humble throughout the whole thing. Because just as simply as it came, it can be taken away."
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com