New Paltz’s Mach returns to ‘American Idol’ tonight

Laila Mach will be back on the “American Idol” stage Monday, March 22, in the second episode of the show’s two-night Holly wood Week event.

This time, the New Paltz High sophomore, who turned 16 on Monday, will perform Rhianna’s pop ballad “Stay,” as part of the show’s “Duets Challenge,” in which contestants are paired up to perform before the judges.

The show will air at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Mach, a self-described singer-songwriter, won her way to Hollywood with her performance of her original song “Drive off a Bridge,” which she said was inspired by “I Hope” by Gabby Barrett, who finished third in Season 16 of the show.

She made it past the first round of Hollywood Week cuts, with a rendition on Sunday’s episode of “Fix It To Break It,” a folk pop hit by Clinton Kane that Mach said got her through a “very, very tough spot” some months ago.

It was a performance, she said during a recent interview, that she was really proud of. And so she should have been. The show’s three celebrity judges were left wanting to hear more from the high school sophomore and moved her into the second phase of the Hollywood Week event.

Mach said that, as a solo performer, it was “interesting” to be performing as part of a duet, especially with someone she didn’t know.

“It was definitely an experience for me,” she said. “I’ve always felt better performing alone and it was also somebody I didn’t really know well, plus you get this small amount of time to learn the song and learn their vocal range.

It was kind of stressful,” Mach added.

Still, she is happy with the result.

“I feel like that was one of my best performances,” she said. “I feel like it brought a really different side of me out.”

New episodes of “American Idol” air Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Mach