Gabby Barrett prepping for crowds

small problems don’t matter — all that matters is that the Lord and her mom love her, and my dad, too.”

When she first got to “Idol,” there was some backand-forthon what genre best fit her vocal style.

“If you watch from my first audition, I auditioned with country, but they were iffy on that. They liked my R&B. That’s what I passed my Hollywood round with. I went into Hollywood week doing some R&B-type stuff, and then I said, ‘No, I want to transfer back over to country,’ but I also wanted to show people that I sing multiple things.”

In fact, during the “Idol” run, she was hoping to do Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City,” but the band’s music wasn’t cleared for the show.

“I’ve always loved ’80s hairbands,” she says. “I grew up listening to that in the car withmy dad. I liked how Van Halen performed and jumpedaround on stage. I try to channel that energy and putit into my performance.”

In an interview this week, Luke Bryan told the PG, “I think Gabby is a super gifted singer, very talented, huge range ... so as long as she’s willing to do the work, the sky’sthe limit.”

She’s in Nashville now writing with Bebe Rexha, whose credits include Florida Georgia Line, Eminem and Rihanna (“The Monster”) and G-Eazy, as well as a few of Carrie Underwood’s writers.

She promises that there’s going to be a lot of music coming soon, but she’s not clear yet on what label will release it.

Once the “Idol” tour wraps in September, she and her family are going to settle in Nashville.

“I think if you want to be big in country,” she says, “you have to move down there.”