Meet the AmericanIdol top 21! 👏 Below, they share their favorite alums from the show, musical inspirations & more
"I remember watching as a kid with my family when Simon, Paula and Randy were judges. I loved watching the auditions to see if the contestants made it or not."knows that he has struggled with anxiety and confidence."I was such a nervous kid coming into the competition," he confirms to Billboard."I didn't believe in myself and I always put myself down. I lost a lot of my confidence and self-esteem in 2019.
Martin made up his mind to have a career in music while he was still in high school."Ever since I was a kid I wanted to have an audience that would listen ." Not knowing if he would have a successful music career, Martin enrolled in pre-law studies at college."It was Plan B. I thought if I had a degree and a steady job, music would always be on the side."just one night before the try-outs were to take place."I was so nervous and anxious I almost didn't audition.
Raised and adopted by her grandparents, Mascitti was driven to churches in her area so she could get up on stage and sing. When she was 12, she moved with her grandmother to Branson, Mo. and did six shows a week with a former member of the Oak Ridge Boys. After moving back to Ohio, Mascitti and her nana made many trips to Nashville. Lauren was 13 when she first told her grandparents she wanted to live in Music City."They said they would move with me but I had to get a degree first.
When he got a call from the production company asking if he would like to come back and audition for season 18, Merico's initial reaction was to say no."How do I make America not hate me," Merico asked. And when he auditioned for the judges, he elicited a rare admission from Lionel Richie, who told the returning contestant,"I don't like you."
More YouTube videos led to a record deal, but then Merico hit puberty."When my voice changed, they dropped me." His mother suggested he try acting. After a year of auditions, he was cast in a Nickelodeon series,, and put his music aside. After the series ended, his parents told him Miami was not the place for him. He moved to Los Angeles, got a job in a West L.A. restaurant and refocused on his music."It was a chance to start over," Merico says.
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