Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Lots of teenagers are auditioning for American Idol this year hoping to achieve what Paisley Van Patten once had.

The 25-year-old waitress from Salt Lake City told the show she landed a record contract at a young age and appeared on her way to stardom.

Paisley Van Patten earned a ticket to Hollywood at the American Idol auditions in Salt Lake City. (FOX Photo)

“Then, within a year, everything was gone,” she recalled. “I had to come to grips with … that I was an alcoholic. It took over my life.”

So she headed back home to Salt Lake City to get help. She’s now been sober for more than two and a half years.

And she showed up at the Idol auditions in Salt Lake looking for a second chance.

She auditioned with a very rich version of Faith Hill’s “When the Lights Go Down.”

Keith Urban said he loved her voice and the subdued performance. And Harry Connick Jr. said she seems “like a gentle person who has found happiness.”

In her Road to Hollywood video, Paisley said she couldn’t not audition for Idol when the show brought auditions to her hometown.

Plus, she views the show as one of her last chances to restart her music career.

As for her musical inspiration …

“From day one, I’ve said I want to be the female Keith Urban,” he says. “I’m not kidding. I know that sounds crazy. But I mean, Keith Urban is all around — his song-writing ability, his stage presence. He’s just an artist.”

She also thinks she can help others through music by sharing the story of the struggles she’s overcome.

If you’d like to follow Paisley, here are links to her Facebook page and her Twitter account (@PaisleyVP).

On YouTube, there’s talk of a single called “My Sanity.” I’ve embedded the song below, but can’t find it on iTunes. Paisley does have a very good song called “Angel Heading Home” that you can find there from an album called “Songs of Hope; Stories of Courage.”

I’ve embedded a couple of other Paisley performances below as well. If you’d like to hear more, head to this YouTube channel.

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

“My Sanity” (an original)

“Sparks Fly” (Taylor Swift cover)

“To Make You Feel My Love” (cover)