Abi Carter left American Idol viewers with no questions after she auditioned with a haunting cover of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” The 21-year-old Indio, California native had it. Carter earned a Platinum ticket, allowing her to skip the first round of Hollywood Week. Since then, she has consistently lit up the stage with covers like Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” and Adele’s “Hello.” Many social media viewers long ago declared Carter the season 22 winner. However, she still had to show up on finale night — and that’s exactly what she did.
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Abi Carter Gives Dazzling Final Performance on ‘American Idol’
After outlasting the rest of her competition, Carter faced off against Jack Blocker and Will Moseley for the season 22 crown. It was perhaps the most important performance of her life to date, with a $125,000 check and a recording contract with Hollywood Records at stake.
Carter once again gave it her all with a heartfelt rendition of Bon Jovi’s 1992 hit “Bed of Roses,” from their fifth album Keep the Faith.
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“Abi Carter has blown away the field. Wow!” one viewer wrote on X/Twitter. “And the other finalists are amazing.”
Another viewer noted, “She seems to have an unending well to pull from. Always so beautiful. Perfection.”
The California girl again blew viewers away with her second performance of the night, “Somewhere” from West Side Story. She took the stage in a flowing blue silk gown and dedicated the 1957 showtune to her desert hometown.
A Return to the Coachella Valley
Even after visiting Hollywood, Carter still knows there’s no place like home. The Top 3 finalist took the Idol crew on a trip down memory lane for her hometown visit to Indio, California.
In an interview, Carter likened the southern California desert to “a blanket wrapped around me.”
“Indio is home to me,” she said. “As directionally challenged as I am, the mountains have always brought me such support around here.”
Carter performed a free concert at Indio’s newest entertainment venue, Center Stage! At one point, Andrea Carter joined her daughter onstage for a soaring performance of “Dream a Dream,” from the musical Les Miserables. Instagram user @529edwin captured the sweet moment on film and posted the video to Instagram. “See where she gets it,” one fan commented.
Featured photo via Instagram
