Cindy Jo Schloer auditions for Season 14 of American Idol. (FOX Photo)
In Season 14, she’s also one of very few contestants who managed to make it to Hollywood despite a “no” vote from Jennifer Lopez.
The 26-year-old country singer from North Branch, Minn., auditioned with Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.”
And if Jennifer wasn’t blown away, Keith Urban was quite impressed, by the range and power Cindy Jo displayed with her vocals and by the rasp in her voice.
But it was Harry Connick Jr.’s “yes” vote that ensured Cindy Jo would be Hollywood bound.
A pre-K teacher, Cindy Jo says she’s been hunting and fishing all her life.
She says she’s learned to transfer her confidence “shooting and being in the woods” to the stage and thinks having a little bit of “northern flair” might help set her apart on the show.
What the show didn’t show: Pre-Idol, Cindy Jo sang in at least two country groups.
In April 2013, she joined forces with Joleen Lamers to form a duo known as The Farmer’s Daughter. The two had previously competed against one another in singing competitions before realizing what a nice match their voices were.
More recently, Cindy Jo had been performing as part of Dirt Road Dixie, a four-piece country group that also included Andre DeSautel on guitar, Corey Yoder on drums and Trey Gust on bass. At the time Idol came along, the group was composing material for an album they hoped would be released this year.
In an interview with her hometown newspaper, Cindy Jo says DeSautel, the guitarist with her group, is the one who insisted she audition for Idol when the show stopped in Minneapolis.
And Harry questioned the authenticity of her look, from her headband to her boots.
“That’s my thing, my little niche,” she told the newspaper. “I feel everybody has a look …, but when I picture myself as a musician, I feel that I want a relaxed, fun and different look. Plus (the headband) keeps my hair out of the way.”
Here are a couple of Cindy Jo links, followed by samples of her music.
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