Acworth worship leader Camryn Leigh Smith received the honor of being the first singer on the 18th season debut of “American Idol” Sunday night on ABC.
(ABC is promoting this as season 3, which it is on that particular network after 15 on Fox.)
At age 16, she came across as sweet and collected. The audition itself went about as well as any audition could go. She performed a nuanced, confident take on “Big White Room,” by Jessie J.
“It’s been my song for eight years,” Camryn said in an interview. (She had back-up songs ready to go just in case including “A Million Reasons” by Pink and the Fugees version of “Killing Me Softy.”)
Smith said coming into the audition with the right attitude in Savannah made a difference.
“I was not freaking out because of my mindset. If I got a golden ticket, that’s amazing, a great opportunity. If I don’t, I know that’s not what I was supposed to do. It was fun. I was singing in front of famous people but they’re just people. And they were nice!”
There was a moment during an interview with the producers where they asked her if she had ever been to Hollywood and she looked flustered and said, “Is that in California? L.A.?”
In actuality, she said she went to Hollywood as a child during a two-week family trip that also included the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. She just blanked out.
Smith said she has been writing her own original songs, about a relationship gone bad, friendships, her faith.
She is from a church family and they attend Four Points Church in Acworth.
But like Katy Perry, she wants to sing secular music as well. She began taking voice lessons at age eight and discovered the likes of Tori Kelly, Christina Aguilera and Jessie J.
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Home-schooled since first grade, she is graduating in May a year early and planning to attend Hillsong College in Arizona while focusing on her music career.
Camryn previously tried out for “America’s Got Talent” and “The Voice” when she was much younger but she said now is just the right time in her development to succeed at a talent show of this caliber.
The judges were duly impressed with her audition and Perry gave her a standing ovation.
“When you dug into that note toward the end,” Perry said, “it gave me hope for the third season of ‘American Idol.’”
Luke Bryan added: “It’s so natural and easy for you at this age is just remarkable. So I’m a big time yes.”
WATCH Is Camryn Leigh Smith the Next Katy Perry? – American Idol 2020 VIDEO BELOW:
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Bless Your Heart!
