{"id":288307,"date":"2020-02-16T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b1122691"},"modified":"2020-02-16T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-16T13:00:00","slug":"how-american-idols-gabby-barrett-became-country-musics-rising-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/music-news\/how-american-idols-gabby-barrett-became-country-musics-rising-star\/","title":{"rendered":"How American Idol’s Gabby Barrett Became Country Music’s Rising Star"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Remember the name Gabby Barrett<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

It’s been less than two years since American Idol<\/em> viewers were first introduced to the Pittsburgh resident. While standing in front of Lionel Richie<\/strong>, Katy Perry<\/a><\/strong> and Luke Bryan<\/a><\/strong>, the country singer impressed us all with her versions<\/a> of Carrie Underwood<\/a><\/strong>‘s “Good Girl” and Mickey Newbury<\/strong>‘s “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”<\/p>\n

While she may have come in third place during her season, Gabby is proving that you don’t have to come in first to win big.<\/p>\n

Her single “I Hope<\/a>” has become a country music radio favorite and continues to climb the charts. And spoiler alert: She’s just getting started.<\/p>\n

“To see how far the song has come in a year has been crazy,” Gabby shared with E! News exclusively ahead of tonight’s Idol<\/em> premiere. “It’s really cool hearing it now and seeing everybody taking an interest into it. We’re heading towards the Top 10 and I’m just really grateful for everything.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

That everything also includes her American Idol<\/em> co-star Cade Foehner<\/strong> who became her husband in October 2019. After meeting on the ABC show as contestants, the pair developed a relationship that turned into something special.<\/p>\n

While they continue to enjoy the honeymoon phase, Gabby is the first to say her hubby inspires plenty of new music.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Gabby<\/p>\n

Jason Kempin\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

“‘I Hope’ is not about Cade,” she laughed before admitting her other song “Hall of Fame<\/a>” is definitely inspired by him. “I just think falling in love and being married completely changes your life in so many ways.”<\/p>\n

Gabby continued, “He has inspired a lot of my music. I can’t tell you how many songs I can write about him. They’re endless\u2026I’m very thankful to have someone who understands and supports this with me. I’m glad to be experiencing everything with him.”<\/p>\n

In the year ahead, Gabby plans to finish up her album that she has been writing for a year and a half. She will head to the California desert to perform at Stagecoach<\/a>. And yes, she’s hitting the road all summer to tour<\/a> with Brad Paisley<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Through all of her accomplishments, Gabby says she has received so much support from other country artists including Carly Pearce<\/strong>. There is one familiar face, however, that stands out above the rest.<\/p>\n

“Carrie Underwood came on as a mentor for us during the show and she helped me a lot and even helped me a lot after the show,” Gabby shared with us. “She actually gave me her phone number after the show.”<\/p>\n

As they like to say, American Idol<\/em> is just like one big musical family. Before the new season kicks off tonight, check in with some of your favorite contestants in our gallery below<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Phillip<\/div>\n

Manny Carabel\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Phillip Phillips <\/h3>\n
\n

After Idol<\/em>, the star rose to the top of the charts with his hit single, “Home,” which also served as a theme song for NBC’s coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics. And, more recently, the star married<\/a> his girlfriend, Hannah Blackwell, in a small ceremony while surrounded by his family and friends.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Lauren<\/div>\n

Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Lauren Alaina <\/h3>\n
\n

The country darling finished second to Scotty McCreery, but she got her record deal and released her studio debut, Wildflower<\/em>, in October 2011. Following her time on Idol<\/em>, the singer presented with Scotty at the 2011 CMT Music Awards, made her Grand Ole Opry debut and even performed with Martina McBride at the CMA Music Festival. In 2017, the star also got her first nod from the CMA’s when she was nominated for Best New Artist<\/a> at the 2017 CMA’s following her success with her album, Road Less Traveled<\/em>. She even made her move to the big screen when she starred in a film of the same name as her album, which goes back to her country girl roots. Her latest hit includes “Ladies in the 90s.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Casey<\/div>\n

Kevin Winter\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Casey Abrams <\/h3>\n
\n

The season-10 contestant only finished sixth\u2014and that was partly because the judges used their one save of the season five weeks beforehand\u2014but he was a cult fave. He performed on the Idols<\/em> Live tour, cut a cover of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with fellow finalist (and rumored flame) Haley Reinhart, and ultimately signed with jazz label Concord. His self-titled debut album was released in 2012, and most recently, the star released an album<\/a> named I Put A Spell On You<\/em>, in which he delivers a soulful renditions of popular hits.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Scotty<\/div>\n

EB Media<\/p>\n

Scotty McCreery <\/h3>\n
\n

The season 10 winner was the first Idol <\/em>champ since Ruben Studdard to have his first album, Clear as Day<\/em>, debut at No. 1<\/a> on the Billboard 200. He was named New Artist of the Year at the 2011 American Country Awards and sang the national anthem before Game 1 of the World Series that same year. In June 2018, the “This Is It” and “Five More Minutes” singer married<\/a> longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal. He’s set to travel the country this summer with Chris Young. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Adam<\/div>\n

Rachel Murray\/Getty Images for GLAAD<\/p>\n

Adam Lambert <\/h3>\n
\n

If publicity were a prize, the eighth-season’s controversial runner-up is a grand-slam winner. Since his time on the reality show, he’s released two albums, headlined two tours, received countless nominations (including a Grammy nod), followed in Freddie Mercury’s footsteps touring as the frontman for Queen, and has even starred in Fox’s remake<\/a> of The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/em>. Not to forget that he briefly filled in as a guest judge<\/a> on Idol<\/em>. Most recently, the singer helped open up the 2019 Oscars<\/a> with a performance of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” 
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Bo<\/div>\n

John Salangsang\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Bo Bice <\/h3>\n
\n

The season four runner-up (to Carrie Underwood) is now married with three boys and a girl<\/a>. Despite suffering serious health problems<\/a> in 2006, the Southern rocker has released three hit albums since his stint on Idol. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Gabby<\/div>\n

John Shearer\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Gabby Barrett <\/h3>\n
\n

After coming in third on season 16 of Idol<\/em>, the “I Hope” country singer is finishing up an album and hitting the road in 2020. “I’m excited to play Stagecoach. And touring with Brad Paisley is the cherry on top to everything,” she told E! News. “It’s crazy to go on tour with him.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Lee<\/div>\n

Cindy Ord\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Lee DeWyze <\/h3>\n
\n

After joining the top 10 finalists’ summer tour<\/a>, the show’s incumbent<\/a> is now concentrating on his solo music career<\/a>. DeWyze married model-actress<\/a> Jonna Walsh, who he met on the set of his first music video following Idol<\/em>. Nowadays, the star is a well-established singer-songwriter<\/a>, with his tracks making it onto shows like The Walking Dead<\/em>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Kris<\/div>\n

John Salangsang\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Kris Allen <\/h3>\n
\n

Nearly eclipsed in the media spotlight by his flamboyant runner-up, Adam Lambert, the eighth-season champ has enjoyed quiet success with his self-titled second album. Released in November 2009, it debuted at no. 11 on the Billboard 200, and one of its singles, “I Need to Know,” was recently featured on an episode of The Vampire Diaries. <\/em>In the meantime, the star has been growing his family, having welcomed a daughter<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Taylor<\/div>\n

Jesse Grant\/Getty Images for Global Genes<\/p>\n

Taylor Hicks <\/h3>\n
\n

After his season-five victory, the silver fox’s eponymous album went platinum and he starred in a Broadway production of Grease<\/em>. In more recent years, the singer has made the switch from music to TV as a host of a show<\/a> called State-Plate<\/em>, which focuses on the premise of farm-to-table eating. There was rumors of him joining the reboot of the show last year, with him saying<\/a>, “I’m just gonna be tight lipped about everything. I’m not confirming or denying it.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Crystal<\/div>\n

Larry Busacca\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Crystal Bowersox <\/h3>\n
\n

Runner-up to Lee DeWyze in season nine, the Janis Joplin-esque rocker married musician Brian Walker and released her first album, Farmer’s Daughter<\/em>, in December 2010. She lost her label deal when RCA disbanded Arista, J Records and Jive Records, but she made her acting debut on the second season of ABC’s Body of Proof<\/em>. In May 2013, the singer split from her husband. After her divorce she told The Boot<\/a> <\/em>that her second album was “the next chapter of my life.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Ruben<\/div>\n

George Pimentel\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Ruben Studdard <\/h3>\n
\n

Before being dumped by his record label (along with Taylor Hicks) in early 2008, the Velvet Teddy Bear scored a Grammy nomination and released a couple of successful albums. Then, in 2013, the singer starred as one of the contestants on The Biggest Loser <\/em>and quickly became a fan-favorite. He was eliminated twice<\/a>, but took away valuable lessons from the show. Most recently, the star reunited with Clay Aiken for a Broadway holiday show. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Fantasia<\/div>\n

Astrid Stawiarz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Fantasia Barrino <\/h3>\n
\n

This artist has had her fair share of drama<\/a>, but she has also had her fair share of success in the years following her time on Idol<\/em>. The singer says she was able to find happiness by marrying herself<\/a>, before she committed to marrying her husband Kendall Taylor in 2015. While on the talk show Harry<\/em>, the star said, “I married myself because I felt like before true love could come I needed to learn how to love myself again, and so for me I forgot about myself.” Most recently, she delivered a musical tribute to Aretha Franklin at the 2019 Grammys alongside Yolanda Adams and Andra Day. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Kelly<\/div>\n

NBC<\/p>\n

Kelly Clarkson <\/h3>\n
\n

Much like a kiss, you never forget the first one. So it is with the winner of Idol<\/em>‘s inaugural season. The mom-of-four<\/a> has come a long way since winning American Idol <\/em>in 2002, with many awards and number one hits under her belt. Nowadays, the star is featured on NBC’s The Voice<\/em> as a judge<\/a> and is loving every minute of it. “This show really does complement my desires for this industry,” the singer revealed<\/a>. Diving further into the TV world, she’ll host her own talk show for NBC in 2019!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Elliott<\/div>\n

Tara Ziemba\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Elliott Yamin <\/h3>\n
\n

After American Idol<\/em>, the season-five finalist, who had a hit with the song “Wait for You,” went to Angola where he worked alongside former Idol<\/em> judge Kara DioGuardi to raise awareness for Malaria No More. Elliott also made news in 2010 after experiencing Chile’s earthquake and living to tweet about it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Carrie<\/div>\n

Michael Loccisano\/Getty Images For CMT<\/p>\n

Carrie Underwood <\/h3>\n
\n

From the moment she stepped onto the Idol<\/em> stage, Underwood cemented her place in pop culture. Sure enough, not only did she win season four, but she’s also gone on to become country music’s reigning princess. The singer has gone on to co-host the CMA Awards<\/a> for more than 10 years with fellow artist, Brad Paisley. And between balancing her music career with her hosting duties, the “Jesus Take The Wheel Singer” is also a wife<\/a> and mother to two kids. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Clay<\/div>\n

Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Clay Aiken <\/h3>\n
\n

The season two runner-up famously announced he was gay in September 2008 after fathering a son<\/a> (via in vitro fertilization), Parker, with partner Jaymes Foster. Since then, the famous red-head switched from music to politics, even making a failed run for Congress<\/a> in 2016. After losing in the election, the singer released a documentary<\/a> on his journey. Other than his time in politics, he remains much the same with his sassy remarks<\/a> about people and things, including American Idol<\/em> and fellow contestants<\/a> like Adam Lambert. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Jennifer<\/div>\n

Rick Rowell via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jennifer Hudson <\/h3>\n
\n

She may not have won season three, but boy did J-Hud make up for it. Let’s see: First an Oscar, then a Grammy<\/a> for her performance in The Color Purple<\/em> and a stint as a judge<\/a> on The Voice<\/em>. Not only did the performer showcase her strength and resilience in her career, but more recently she persevered when she divorced<\/a> her husband of 10-years. This year, the star will wow once again when she stars as Aretha Franklin in a biopic on the legendary singer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Tinsley<\/div>\n

Michael Buckner\/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz<\/p>\n

Constantine Maroulis <\/h3>\n
\n

With his big hair and even bigger voice (who can forget his rousing rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” during season four?), Constantine was a perfect fit for Broadway’s Rock of Ages<\/em>, for which he earned a Tony nom.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"David<\/div>\n

Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n

David Cook <\/h3>\n
\n

The season-seven winner’s big hit “Time of My Life” may reflect his singing success, but the title could just as easily apply to his endeavors offstage. David visited Ethiopia<\/a> in 2010 on behalf of the United Nations’ efforts to empower women in that country. He also ran in the Race for Hope in D.C. to raise money for brain cancer research in honor of his brother Adam, who lost his brave fight with the disease in 2009.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Jordin<\/div>\n

David Livingston\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jordin Sparks <\/h3>\n
\n

The season-six champ set off some serious, well, sparks in 2007. Her Battlefield<\/em> tour took her to 35 cities around the U.S., and (if that wasn’t enough), she made her Broadway debut in 2010, starring in the musical In the Heights<\/em>. Her success and good fortune has continued, with the star giving birth<\/a> to her first son with husband Dana Isaiah in May of 2018. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Katharine<\/div>\n

Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images for EJAF<\/p>\n

Katharine McPhee <\/h3>\n
\n

Long before Bieber fever, there was McPheever, which has helped Katharine land both singing and acting work, at first most notably in the movie House Bunny<\/em>, then the Broadway-inspired show Smash<\/em> and most recently, the show<\/a> Scorpion<\/em>. In terms of her personal life, the star was married for six-years to Nick Cokas before calling it quits<\/a>. The star seems to be doing just fine now that she’s married to David Foster, and his daughters totally approve<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"David<\/div>\n

Youtube<\/p>\n

David Archuleta <\/h3>\n
\n

This teenage heartthrob won the affection of America when he starred on the reality show. And now he’s giving the love back. In 2012, the star embarked on a two-year mission<\/a> for the Church of the Latter Day Saint’s in Chile. Since his return in 2014<\/a> he has continued performing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Maddie<\/div>\n

Courtesy of GBK Productions <\/p>\n

Maddie Poppe <\/h3>\n
\n

After winning season 16, the “Little Things” singer released her first album. “There is a lot of different sounding songs on the album,” she teased to E! News. “I can’t pick just one [sound] to stick with because I really love them all so much and it’s hard to stay in one vein.” <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Caleb<\/div>\n

Mireya Acierto\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Caleb Lee Hutchinson <\/h3>\n
\n

Since becoming the runner-up of season 16, the singer is focused on releasing new music and enjoying life’s opportunities that come with appearing on the ABC series. “I’ve always loved music and I’ve always wanted to be an artist,” Caleb Lee shared with E! News .”But I learned so much about entertainment. I got to go to Luke Bryan’s last show for his tour and I got to come out and sing a song with him.” <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

American Idol<\/em> kicks off a brand-new season Sunday night at 8 p.m. only on ABC.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Watch Daily Pop<\/i> weekdays on E! at 12 p.m.!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

via:: E! Online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remember the name Gabby Barrett! It’s been less than two years since American Idol viewers were first introduced to the Pittsburgh resident. While standing in front of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, the country singer impressed us all with her versions of Carrie Underwood‘s “Good Girl” and Mickey Newbury‘s “His Eye Is on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-288307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-music-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-28 22:45:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KIDN - The Lift FM","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}