Maddie Zahm auditioned for American Idol Season 16.
Sunday marks the third round of auditions on the show, with Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie deciding which singers get a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Here’s more about Maddie.
* She’s 19, and from Boise, Idaho.
* As a child, she loved singing and used to have American Idol birthday parties.
* In high school, she was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which caused rapid weight gain and robbed Maddie of her confidence to sing in front of people.
* “Music was something that I hid because I was fearful that they were going to overlook that and just focus on me being plus-sized,” Maddie told the Idaho Statesman.
* Nevertheless, she’s found a wonderful outlet for her talent — she’s a musical therapist for children with autism.
* During a brief American Idol promo package, she says that experience has helped her regain her confidence. “I’m ready to sing,” she says.
* In the interview with the Idaho Statesman, she elaborates. “I would always tell myself, I will audition for American Idol when I lose the weight or when I am tiny or when I am pretty. And I remember sitting in class and just thinking, ‘I’m not going to do that anymore.'”
* When we meet Maddie, she’ll be sharing the spotlight with her best friend, Marcus. They met when Maddie got mixed up and took a seat in a special education class in eighth grade.
* “I kind of have anxiety and I didn’t want to leave midway, so I kind of just hung out,” Maddie told her local TV station. They’ve been friends ever since.
On social media:
Instagram
Twitter: @maddiezahm
Facebook
YouTube
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3 Comments
You are beautiful! I love your heart. Great voice. The world needs more people like you! #gomaddieyougotthis🎼
I love your voice and you have a beautiful heart, such an inspiration for young people, way better than those role models media shoves down our throat. They’re nothing but trash (dashisns.
You are AMAZING. I am not a die hard fan of American Idol. BUT after I heard you..I stayed tuned. I am 56 yrs old.A Christian and a music lover all of my life…and trust me when I say this…YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION.Cant wait to hear you on the radio.God direct your steps. God Bless you.