For those who dream of stardom, American Idol is the primo place to be on reality TV. Shortly after joining the show, finalist LaToya London went from obscure songbird to TV Guide cover girl (in the March 13 issue). "It's a dream come true, yet it's surreal," she says now. "Man! Thank you so much, TV Guide." No doubt London's glad she wore that spiffy shoulderless white pantsuit to sing on the air — making her performance of "All by Myself" that much more memorable.

"Yeah, I am," the Oakland, Calif., native says, chuckling. "It went really well with the song. I was the only one in white, so I was all by myself! Hey, what can I say?"

But enough about fashion — she's already won that contest hands down. Who does Ms. London see as her biggest musical competition? "I definitely admire Jennifer, Fantasia, Leah and Camile. They're all so good. We all shine in our own ways. No one's really better than the others... Heck, everyone has their own opinions of who they like. I just constantly have to compete with myself to step my game up and make myself tighter."

At 25, London appears to handle insta-fame easier than her teenage counterparts on Idol. "Even when you're older, it depends on where you are and how grounded you are in the mind," she points out. "We'll see whose head blows up! I'm gonna stay nice, grounded and humble. You got to. You never know what's gonna happen to you next in life, so you want to stay on solid ground. You don't wanna get too high."

On the other hand, London may have better chances than some for a professional life beyond Idol, even if she doesn't win. "If I don't [end up] the American Idol, I'm almost sure something great will happen for me," she agrees hesitantly. "I feel like it's my time. My career will go on."