I thought, ‘I want that to be me one day.’” You’d watch how went from somebody who was just auditioning to somebody who is performing on a huge stage and having all of America love them. Musical Influences: Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Yebba, Drake, Childish Gambino.įirst Idol Experience: “I don’t remember an age when I didn’t know American Idol. 23, 1999 – Harlem, New York City, N.Y.įavorite Alums: Jordin Sparks, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson With the revelation of who made the current top 10 announced on the air on Sunday (April 30) on ABC, here are the Billboard interviews with the top 10 finalists of season 21.īorn: Jan. It’s something you can aspire to be a part of - young singers are born every day.” “I think American Idol is now like the NFL, where people train their lives to come on the show. This show has changed lives in so many different ways,” executive producer and showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick recently told Billboard. “If you come on the show, you’re part of the American Idol alumni. Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson – who currently hosts a hit daytime TV series on NBC - received the most mentions, with Carrie Underwood (season 4 winner) and Laine Hardy (season 17 winner) right behind her. Although each contestant was interviewed privately, they named many of the same series alumni as their favorite Idols of all time. One by one, the hopefuls filed into an office at Red Studios in Hollywood to be grilled about their lives, their hopes and dreams and their Idol journeys to date. Ranging in age from 17 to 25 and representing different genres, the top 10 finalists of season 21 sat down with Billboard for the first in-depth interviews of their Idol run.

For the 21st time, the long-running talent competition series American Idol has revealed the season’s top 10.

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