On the second night of American Idol Season 16 auditions (March 12), 20-year-old Gabbii Jones from St. Louis, Missouri performs. The Central Visual and Performing Arts High School graduate (class of 2015) told her local newspaper that her American Idol audition was surreal. “I couldn’t believe I was there, actually looking at legends of the industry (Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan). They looked fake. But I knew they were real because they started talking.” After she sang the Ariana Grande song “Dangerous Woman,” Bryan called her “a rock star.” Jones was flattered. She considers herself “a rock-soul artist” similar to American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia.
Right before Gabbii’s audition, her father Keith Jones gave Gabbii some fruit so she wouldn’t sing on an empty stomach — but Gabbii had an allergic reaction to the pineapple. While her tongue was itching her father told her “You’re here now — you gotta sing. I can’t do anything for you.” Gabbii admits that her father is “really strict” and that “My prep was insane.” Her voice coach had her running through a park singing with a parachute on her back! American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8pm on ABC.
