Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Chalk up Tessa Norman’s American Idol audition to a little friendly peer pressure.

Tessa, 19, of Linden, Utah, says her cousin tweeted that she should audition for the show.

Tessa Norman was among the American Idol contestants to earn a golden ticket at the Salt Lake City auditions. (FOX Photo)

“Hundreds of people started texting and calling and tweeting me and I was like, ‘What do I have to lose?'”

Nothing, as it turned out.

Tessa, a Pleasant Grove High School senior, entered the Idol audition room looking like a star. She sang Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best.”

Next thing you know, Jennifer Lopez was calling her “a star.”

“Coming from Jennifer Lopez, I was like, ‘OK, I’m on cloud nine now,” Tessa says in her Road to Hollywood video.

We didn’t get to hear much of the judges’ feedback for Tessa, but she says Keith Urban complimented her performance, too, and she admitted she “never screamed so loud in my life” as when she exited the audition room, ticket to Hollywood in hand.

Among her musical inspirations, Tessa points to Whitney Houston and Beyonce, adding “I wish I was her all the time.” She also credits a voice teacher named Jen for being a great role model in her life.

What will help set her apart on Idol?

Tessa thinks her personality might help.

“I’m just really happy all the time,” she says. “I laugh a lot and like to be silly and I’m just comfortable with who I am.”

If you’d like to follow Tessa, here’s a link to her Facebook page and her Twitter account (@Tessa_Kaye)

And if you’d like to hear more of her singing, check out the videos below. Her Youtube channel is here.

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

“Clown” (Emeli Sandé cover)

“Man in the Mirror” (Michael Jackson cover)

“Shadowland” (from The Lion King)

“Respect” (Aretha Franklin cover)