Country star “American Idol” finalist returns as mentor

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Gaby Barrett

For its 20th season, American Idol is pulling out all the stops for its guest mentors and appearances. The latest alumni to return is none other than season 16 third-place finisher Gabby Barrett.

Barrett returns for the Sunday April 24 episode

billboard reports that Barrett is returning to oversee the Top 14, which will be announced live on Monday, April 18. Barrett will guest mentor the following Sunday, April 24th.

Following her stint on American Idol, the 22-year-old singer released her debut album Goldmine in June 2020. It contained two songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Country Songs chart: “I Hope” and “Die Guten”. According to Hot Country Bull, “I Hope” set a new record for a solo artist in chart history at 20 weeks at No. 1.

Barrett tells billboard in an April 2022 interview that “I Hope” isn’t a song she could necessarily write in this day and age because she’s now happily married to Cade Foehner, another “American Idol” season 16 finalist, instead to write about finishing one.

“Definitely not, no. I don’t think I could write that now. I came from a high school perspective that happened a few years earlier. I’m in a very happy marriage now, so I think I’d write that a little differently [now]I couldn’t write that right now,” Barrett said.

She went on to say that “I Hope” is about a bad high school relationship and “The Good Ones” is about finding her husband, so her first singles are about getting to know her as a person.

“It means a lot to me to be able to write songs about my life. There are many women who have inspired me to do this, including Dolly Parton, who is always writing songs about her life and honest cases and hopes to connect with other people through these stories,” Barrett said, adding, “That’s it Amazing thing to be in the songwriting world.”

Barrett is the latest in a line of alumni returning for the 20th season of American Idol

In addition to Barrett, season 20 has welcomed several mentors who are former contestants, including season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, season 6 winner Jordin Sparks, season 7 winner David Cook, season 10 runner-up , Lauren Alaina, Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze and Season 10 third place winner Haley Reinhart as mentors during Hollywood Week, plus the new internal mentors for the Top 24 are Jimmie Allen and Bebe Rexha. Allen was in Season 10 of American Idol but was cut during Hollywood Week, while Rexha auditioned once for American Idol and never made it to the judges.

Also on May 2, the show will air the episode “The Great Idol Reunion,” which will feature 12 finalists in pairs — Studdard and Sparks, Alaina and Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery, Cook and Season 8 winner Kris Allen, Season 17 winner Laine Hardy and Season 17 top five finalist Laci Kaye Booth, Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe and Season 16 runner-up Caleb Lee Hutchinson as well as Season 19 runner-up Willie Spence and Season 19 runner-up Grace Kinstler.

“American Idol” airs Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time on ABC.

CONTINUE READING: The judges and presenter reveal the songs they would sing when auditioning for “American Idol.”