Antonella Barba has spoken for the first time since being booted off of ‘American Idol’. She claims she is conscious about her image and that she hasn’t officially heard from Playboy yet.

Here is the interview with People:

How hard was it to deal with all the controversy that was going on around you when you were on the show?
It was definitely difficult and it wasn’t how I intended things to go, but I tried to block it out as much as possible and stay focused on the competition. All that other stuff was completely irrelevant to the fact that I’m here to sing.

Visibility is important – does part of you feel that there’s no such thing as bad publicity?
Yes, it’s true that my name is more well-known because of it, but I’m not known for the things that I would like to be known for right now. I wanted to make a name for myself in singing. The pictures that have been released of me – the ones that actually are me – they were very personal and that is not how I intended to portray myself. I’d rather promote myself in a more classy way. And, again, that was private – that was not for the public eye.

Were you approached to pose in Playboy?
I heard about it but I was never approached.

Would you do it?
No. Right now I want to look at all the offers I get and sort out what’s best for me right now. I’m definitely not opposed to acting or modeling or something. I would definitely do pop music, but I would add my style to it – you know, a little R&B-ish pop music, maybe bluesy, jazzy.

More Antonella Barba pictures after the jump.

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Antonella Barba was voted off American Idol but I’m guessing that we’ll see more of her in the future. In fact, we may see much, much more.

According to The Post Chronicle, Hugh Hefner has expressed interest in having Antonella appear nude in Playboy magazine.

Antonella Barba nude in Playboy magazine? Could be. Laura Saltman of Access Hollywood was at the Playboy Mansion for the party celebrating the season three premiere of the E! channel’s ‘The Girls Next Door’, and asked for the Playboy boss’s take on the Antonella Barba racy photographs online controversy.

After showing Hugh Hefner the photos, he remarked, “She really looks sexy here.” Asked if he would consider making Antonella an offer to pose for Playboy should she be voted off ‘Idol’ early, Hef answered, “Very real possibility. Yes, absolutely.”

And if that doesn’t work out… Antonella has a job offer from Girls Gone Wild to be a celebrity host in one of their videos. TMZ reports the deal is worth $250,000.

Joe Francis tells TMZ, “We have reached out to Antonella Barba through her family and are trying to reach her directly in order to offer her a hosting job for one of our upcoming video projects. Just like the American Idol judges, we at Girls Gone Wild are looking for a girl next door, with sexiness, attitude, a carefree spirit and a presence that will command the attention of the Nation.”

More pictures of Antonella Barba in a wet t-shirt at the World War II memorial in Washington D.C. after the jump.

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