Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Brianna Collichio from American Idol Season 19

Here’s more about Brianna:

* She’s 15, from Spencerport, N.Y., and she’s another of the Season 19 auditioners who has already released music.

* Brianna was diagnosed at birth with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that affects the lungs and pancreas, but she has persevered as a singer nonetheless.

* In fact, a kidney stone landed Brianna in a hospital just before her American Idol audition and complications kept her returning to the hospital until she was forced to cancel that audition.

* Her sister Sentina, also a singer, posted a TikTok video about Brianna’s plight. It went viral, American Idol saw it and rescheduled her audition.

* In fact, further complications forced the audition to be rescheduled a second time, but the show was gracious, Brianna mom’s writes in an Instagram post. She adds: “I wanted to write this to encourage all of you when you are facing difficulties; sometimes there’s a blessing in disguise!”

* According to her web bio, Brianna’s been performing since a young age and began writing songs at age 7. One of her first, “On My Hands,” is about her disease and was released when she was just 9. She performed the song for the first time at the Waldorf Astoria in New York at the annual fundraiser for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which helps those struggling with cystic fibrosis.

* She’s continued to release music, including the upbeat “Never Let Me Down” in 2018 at age 13. That’s the first song she released that wasn’t a co-write.

* Brianna’s since followed up with a pair of holiday releases, the latest being a cover of “The Christmas Song” in 2019.

* In a recent interview with Rochester First, Brianna said of Cystic Fibrosis: “Maybe it’s something I deal with, but it’s not who I am.” Though she added: “It’s easy to spread my message through my voice and my music because I can use myself as an example of courage and overcoming.”

* As if to prove the point, Brianna recently posted a photo on social media of herself with other performers at the Golisano Children’s Hospital Boots and Bling event. “They invited me to sing as I have been a patient there many times. “Unfortunate, but so fortunate to be able to be cared for here! Amazing facility!!” she writes.

Brianna on social media:
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube