Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Julia Gagnon of American Idol Season 22

Idol returns to ABC on Sunday, Feb. 18 with the coaching trio of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan back intact.

Here’s more about Julia:

* In August, the 21-year-old won the third annual Central Maine Idol competition and the $10,000 prize that goes to the winner.

* During the three-singer finale, Julia performed three songs – “Stand Up,” by Cynthia Erivo; “Can’t Hold Us,” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis; and “Show Yourself,” by Idina Menzel and Evan Rachel Wood.

* She’s also released music recently, as part of a duet. Julia and Nate Haven, using the name Chocolate Milk, released a three-track EP in October. You can check out “August,” the single off that EP, below. It features a really impressive vocal from Julia.

* Julia and Nate are also a couple, having gotten engaged in December.

* Julia has been promoting her Idol audition on Facebook. Nate clearly accompanied her. No word on whether he auditioned as well.

* In September, Julia also participated in a fundraiser for the Civil War-era Johnson Hall Opera House, which is being renovated in Gardiner, Maine. Be sure to check out her amazing cover of The Beatles “Golden Slumbers” on her Facebook page.

* Writes Julia in the caption under one of those covers: “I support the performing arts because music absolutely gave me my voice, and I would be silent without it.”

* Julia attended Skidmore College for three years and is now a pre-law student at the University of Southern Maine.

* American Idol has released a snippet of her audition. In it, Julia explains she was born in Guatemala, adopted and raised in Maine.

* “My birth mother had an accident,” Julia tells the judges. “She’s not doing great. That’s why I’m here. She wanted to see me do something big, so I did the biggest thing I thought I could do and auditioned for American Idol.” Her audition ends with a standing ovation.

* Meanwhile, Julia posted an appeal to social media in late January to assist her birth family, which is struggling with multiple issues back home in Guatemala.

Julia on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube