American Idol judge Simon Cowell publicly backed contestant Crystal Bowersox on last night’s Jay Leno show.

During a revealing interview in which he admitted that he is engaged and is considering having kids, Cowell was asked if any of this year’s AI contestants stood out for him. He replied:

“I’ll tell you who I like, I like this girl Crystal. I must admit that when I first saw her I described her as a busker and I like the way she handled that. She kind of admitted that that’s what she was but she’s got some confidence now. She was ill and she’s gotten over that. She’s got a great voice, she’s different, I like her!’