Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Riah Butler, a native of Ireland, auditioned for American Idol Season 18

Among those who have already announced that they auditioned if country singer Riah Butler.

Here’s more about Riah.

* She hails from Galway, Ireland, moved to Nashville and this won’t be her first singing competition.

* Back in 2014, she competed on Season 3 of The Voice Ireland. She auditioned with Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” was coached by Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries and made it all the way to the Top 10.

* Riah — short for her first name of Mariah — moved to Nashville after that competition and wound up in another called American Country Star. She won that competition.

* As a result, in 2016 she released a six-track EP of songs penned by Nashville songwriters called “On Sundays.” It immediately hit number one on the iTunes Ireland country albums chart. She shortened her stage name to Riah for that release. Check out the superb “River in Me” below.

* Riah said she grew up listening to wide range of U.S. artists. But the first concert her parents ever took her to was a Garth Brooks show, and she said she’s been in love with country music ever since. She also counts the Dixie Chicks as a major influence.

* Last January, in an interview with Belles and Gals, she said she’s been working on new original music that she was hoping to release in the not-too-distant future.

* As for that music, Riah described it this way: “For anyone who hasn’t listened to me before, I think if your a fan of Miranda (Lambert), Shania (Twain) or Carrie, you would enjoy my music. It’s quite vocally powerful, but some songs are fun with a little bit of sass.”

Keep checking back. Lots more Season 18 profiles to come.

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