Former 'American Idol' Kimberly Locke Wants to Be Idol Judge

Kimberley Locke

Kimberley Locke Hoping to Get 'American Idol' Judge Gig

Of all the celeb names being thrown about to fill the American Idol judge vacancies, here's a new (lesser known) one -- Kimberley Locke.

Is the name ringing any bells?

Idol fans may recall Locke from her time as a season two finalist (she came in third, following Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken). Then again, even if you've watched the show from the beginning, Locke may not be a name you recall.

Read: Mariah Carey Lands 'American Idol' Judge Gig

She also landed a spot on Celebrity Fit Club and has a new album coming out soon, but when it comes to star power, something tells me American Idol is looking to aim a little bigger.

Locke said in an interview with the Associated Press, "I would love to sit in that chair and, you know, give some advice from the contestant's standpoint because I've been on that stage and I know what it's like."

She added that she would be honest and fair, giving critiques with "no fluff."

Locke feels that her experience as an Idol contestant gives her a different perspective, sharing, "When you're a contestant on that show you do need that hard truth sometimes. I'm not quite as nice as Paula [Abdul]. Paula's super, super nice but I don't think I'm quite as mean as Simon [Cowell] either."

Again, I don't think there's even the tiniest chance that we'll see Locke sitting next to Mariah Carey on the show's 12th season judges' panel, but there's no harm in dreaming.

There's been plenty of buzz about who will fill the vacancies left by Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez (and possibly Randy Jackson, who reportedly will take on a mentoring role).

Read: Adam Lambert in Talks to be 'American Idol' Judge?

Most recently, Nick Jonas, Pharrell Williams, and Brad Paisley have been rumored to be Idol judge contenders.

Of course, Locke being vocal about wanting to be an Idol judge coincides nicely with her new single, Finally Free, which came out today. She expects to release a full album early next year.