Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Athena Williford was part of a montage with two other singers during the San Francisco auditions on American Idol.

Turns out this isn’t her first time trying out for the show.

Athena Williford during her American Idol audition in San Francisco. (FOX Photo)

In her Road to Hollywood video, Athena says she tried out unsuccessfully twice before and was so discouraged by that, it took a lot of convincing on the part of her dad to get her to audition again for Season 13.

But she sang “I Have Nothing” and says she was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reactive from the judges this time around.

Athena says she thinks her personality and delivery make her unique, saying she’s confident and humble at the same time.

For musical inspirations, the 20-year-old from Stockton, Calif., points to Aaliyah and old-school artists.

“My parents always played old-school music, like The Temptations, The Dramatics,” she explains.

On Twitter, Athena describes herself as a singer, actress and songwriter and you can follow her @Athena_LOVELY.

On Facebook, you’ll learn she’s studying criminal justice at San Joaquin Delta College.

I’ve embedded a couple of videos of Athena singing below. You can hear more on her YouTube channel.

“Diamonds”

“Drunk in Love”

“Royals”