Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gabby Barrett is a contestant on Season 16 of American Idol.

Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan will again be on hand as the judges who determine which singers make it to Hollywood and which don’t.

Here’s more about Gabby Barrett.

* She’s a just-turned-18-year-old country pop artist based in Pittsburgh who’s got more experience than you might guess for someone so young.

* In 2014, she won the local Kean Quest Talent Search with her rendition of “Mercy.”

* She’s since released a series of singles — both originals and covers and including 12 in 2017 alone.

* The covers range from “Jolene” — her most popular on Spotify — to “Bibi Bibi Bom Bom” (Selena) to “Ave Marie.”

* Most impressive among released originals is a song called “Your Name on It.” You can check out several other originals on her YouTube channel, including the excellent “Something Good,” which I’ve embedded below.

* And in spite of her young age, her Facebook bio says she’s performed more than 100 shows and helped raise money for a host of regional charities including the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and the Ronald McDonald House.

* In a recent interview with her local ABC affiliate, Gabby says she grew up singing in gospel choir, which means “my roots are R&B. But I always liked Carrie Underwood. I always liked the country and soulfulness in her voice. So I kind of combine both of them, R&B and country. I want to kind of bring the Whitney Houston into country.”

* In fact, Gabby says she’s dreamed of being on American Idol since the moment Carrie Underwood won Season 4 and she’s a big cheerleader for the show, writing on Facebook: “Can’t tell you guys enough that if you want to try out for a singing show then American Idol is the 1!!!! Great judges but they actually make the show about the singers.”

* And her participation in Idol hasn’t prevented her from working on original music. She just released a fine, sassy new country single called “Jesus and My Momma.” And she’s working on a music video for a song called “Young Blood” that she says will be coming soon.

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