Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mariah Faith of American Idol Season 21

American Idol returns to ABC on Sunday, Feb. 19 for its Season 21 premiere.

Here’s more about Mariah.

* Her full name is Mariah Faith Drocella and she’s in her 20s. She’s from Baltimore, Md., but now lives in Conway, S.C., near Myrtle Beach.

* She’s created a popular TikTok with more than 47,000 followers and more than 1.4 million likes. She’s been posting regularly there since 2020.

* Her musical experience stems back further than that. In 2018, for instance, she performed as part of the “Bringing Down the House” variety show at the Main Street Theatre in Conway.

* The show was billed as “a musical revue featuring pop, country, rock and Broadway favorites.”

* In 2019, she sang “All I Want” at her father’s funeral. She wrote in part: “I’m grateful that the time spent with my father was time captivated by never-ending love … No words can describe the heartbreak, the missing pieces from our souls, but I am so forever thankful that I got to be molded into the woman I am by not only my dad, but my best friend.”

* Mariah struggled with alcohol abuse following her father’s death, but has been celebrating her newfound sobriety on social media, last posting that she’d been 10 months alcohol free as of December.

* She addresses that struggle in another post from March 2022 writing: “Never in all my days thought I’d be making a post like this. Almost 3 years of using alcohol to self medicate, trying to heal that broken, hurting, girl missing her daddy with a lack of ability to see the sunshine in all the dark. Time can only fix so many things before you have to handle that sh–t yourself. Here’s to one month happy, healthy & sober.”

* Mariah’s been promoting her Idol audition since late November. She was accompanied by her mother and writes: “Blood, sweat and a lot of tears has brought us here! I’m elated to share this journey with our community, family and friends!”

* She has a strong, emotive and soulful sound, and you can check out her most recent covers — including “Give You Blue” and “Cover Me Up” — on her TikTok.

Mariah on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

@themariahfaith #duet with @lepulu #fyp singin in the sun🌞happy birthday to me 🥰 #americanidol ♬ original sound – Josh Lepulu