Idol Chatter & Voice Views

If you have a good memory, you might remember Melinda Ademi from American Idol Season 10.

We were introduced to the teenager and her family in the New Jersey audition episode.

Her father was a war refugee from Kosovo who applied for the green card lottery to come to the United States.

When that green card arrived, it was the family’s equivalent of an Idol ticket to Hollywood, even though moving to the U.S. meant they had to start from scratch, Melinda’s mom explained.

Melinda impressed the Idol judges that year with a rendition of “If I Ain’t Got You” and advanced all the way to the Vegas round.

Now she’s back. And judging from her numerous covers on YouTube, it sounds like she’s made major strides vocally in the two years since she last appeared on the show.

She’s also developed a pretty sizable following, with more than 11,000 likes on a Facebook page, where the 19-year-old from Yonkers describes herself as a pop singer/performer/artist.

“I am fascinated with music, movement and high energy,” she writes in her Facebook bio.

In a recent interview on MyFoxNewYork, Melinda said she attends Hunter College and works in retail.

And in her Road to Hollywood video, she said she was pleased with the way her Season 12 audition went, felt she did her personal best and was pleased with the feedback from the judges.

“I never give up,” she says. “When you think positive, positive things come to you. And I think everybody should take that advice. If you think negative, nothing good’s going to come out of it.”

Here are three of Melinda’s covers. For many more, head here.

“Moves Like Jagger”

“The Scientist”

“Love You Like a Love Song”