Pittsburgh’s Gabby Barrett determined to win ‘American Idol’
Eight months can seem a lifetime in the life of a teenager. Munhall’s Gabby Barrett said it’s been more like, forever.
Although she’s been on live national television each week for the past two months, had her look styled by experts on “American Idol” and met her, well, idol, she said her experiences still surprise her.
“If you were to go back eight months to my audition and think, ‘Oh, you’re going to meet Carrie Underwood and sing with her,’ I would never have expected that.
“I’ve looked up to her my entire life, in every way possible, as an artist, a person ... how she carries herself.
“Everything about her I truly love, so getting to meet her and sing with her was a dream … come … true.”
The singers have much in common, including their blond country stylings. By Monday night, Ms. Barrett hopes to add yet another similarity: Both will have won “American Idol.”
There is one difference: Ms. Underwood does not have a sandwich at Primanti Bros. named after her.
The final performance show of ABC’s reboot begins Sunday at 8 p.m. Ms. Barrett and the other finalists — Caleb Lee Hutchinson of Dallas, Ga., and Maddie Poppe of Clarksville, Iowa — will sing at least twice. During a mini-concert last week at the Rivers Casino on the North Shore, Ms. Barrett’s father, Blase, hinted there will be duets with some very big-name guests.
That’s been an “Idol” staple, going back to the first 15 seasons on Fox. (The pairing of Adam Lambert and Kiss was a particularly memorable moment in 2009.)