Idol Chatter & Voice Views

From what we saw on TV, Emily Rottler’s American Idol audition couldn’t have gone much better.

After all, after hearing her sing, Harry “The Hammer” Connick said he had the feeling this was going to be a special year on American Idol.

Emily Rottler earned a ticket to Hollywood at the American Idol auditions in Salt Lake City. (FOX Photo)

But the 17-year-old from Salt Lake City, a senior in high school, was being very level-headed about the experience by the time she sat down for her Road to Hollywood video.

“All three of the judges agreed I have a lot of growing to do,” says Emily. “They said yes, but they also said they’re excited to see me progress throughout the season.”

Emily sang Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” for her audition and could instead have been boasting about some of the wonderful feedback she received.

After all, Keith Urban told Emily her voice was “great,” and Jennifer Lopez called her “the real thing.”

And if you liked what you heard on the show, you should check out Emily’s 2013 EP on iTunes. The six-track effort is called “Girl with the Red Guitar”; the track called “Blind Man” is particularly good.

Emily also plays in a band called The House Guests with Matt Morrison, H.R. Clark, Ryan Osborn and Sarah Curtis.

Their music?

“We really don’t know for sure,” they write on Facebook. “It’s like a mix of acoustic-alternative with some indie-rock. Kind of like Imagine Dragons plus Taylor Swift.”

For musical inspirations, Emily points to John Mayer and The Lumineers in her Road to Holywood video.

If you’d like to follow Emily, here are links to her Facebook page and Twitter account (@emrott). The House Guests also have a Facebook page and a website.

I’ve embedded video of Emily performing below, including an original from that 2013 album. You can hear more on her YouTube channel.

For profiles of more than 90 other Season 13 contestants, head here.

“Toxic” (Britney Spears cover)

“Only Love” (Ben Howard cover)

“Mockingbird” (original)