1. Her audition wowed the American Idol judges. Catie Turner, 17, stepped out in front of the Idol judges and took a huge risk by singing an original song. With her guitar in hand, she sang “21st Century Machine.” The performance was perfect. The judges fell for Catie’s voice and her infectious personality. When the judges told her she was going to Hollywood, she burst into tears. From then on, Catie has continued to be a standout.
2. She fell in love with music pretty late. Catie’s journey to music isn’t like most artists. “Everybody has that story where they’ve been singing since they were two. That didn’t happen for me,” she said, according to Metro. “It happened pretty late. [I was like], ‘ I can’t play sports, I can’t act, I can’t draw — I need a talent. What is something I haven’t tried? Music! Wait — I’m actually kind of good at music — I think I’ll work with this.”
3. She’s inspired by two very well-known artists. Her biggest influences are Joni Mitchell and Ed Sheeran. “He’s managed to make fresh album after album,” she told Metro. “He’s one-upping his romantic songs. He keeps making wedding dance song after wedding dance song.”
4. She’s released original music already! She debuted six original songs on her album Teen Angst in 2015. She’s clearly a star in the making.
5. Her Twitter account is GOALS! Catie’s tweets are so funny and quirky. She interacts a lot with her fans, so that takes her coolness factor to a whole new level. She already has over 29,000 followers! “My name’s Catie and I’m here to be America’s next best friend or potentially Idol or both whatever it’s up to you – tune in to watch my journey!” her Twitter bio reads. So cute!