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American Idol season 23 star Gabby Samone is a 23-year-old child care specialist from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her pass into the competition by presenting the judges with her rendition of A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin. She has now reached the Top 10 of the show, vying to walk away with the winner's title.
During her audition, Gabby shared that former American Idol contestant and EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award) winner, Jennifer Hudson, encouraged her to participate after contacting her when one of her music videos went viral. This raised the judges' expectations, and Gabby met them. The panelists complimented her stage presence but asked her to gain more confidence.
One by one, Gabby cleared the following rounds by securing enough votes from the public. As she moved on, she sang covers of songs by Whitney Houston, Mary J Blige, Nina Simone, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, and more. Although striving to establish herself, Gabby has had a noteworthy career with opportunities to sing for the Black Music Collective and open for artists like Kelly Price and Keke Wyatt.
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American Idol season fame Gabby Samone made her television debut on The Jennifer Hudson Show
1) 23-year-old Gabby has had a noteworthy start to her career
According to Gabby's official website (gabbysamone.com), she has always aspired to become a pop/R&B singer. She started singing as a member of the choir of her Baltimore church. She caught the attention of well-known personalities such as Jennifer Aniston and Mariah Carey with her singing videos uploaded on social media.
In 2021, the American Idol singer landed a major opportunity when she opened for renowned singers Keke Wyatt and Kelly Price. Gabby also received acknowledgements from other industry figures like Adam Blackstone. In 2022, she was featured on The Jennifer Hudson Show and sang Aretha Franklin's A Natural Woman.
She then joined Jennifer on the couch and shared her goal to become an inspiration for her generation. Gabby also had the opportunity to sing Nina Simone's Four Women alongside other popular singers to honor Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz at the third annual Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective.
The American Idol contestant was tapped by Disney to cover Go the Distance from the 1997 film Hercules as part of Disney's Recital of Remixes.
2) Gabby Samone's journey on American Idol
During the Showstopper round of Hollywood Week, Gabby wowed the panelists when she sang Nina Simone's Four Women. Her act earned her a standing ovation from the judges and the audience. She then performed at the Disney Aulani resort and took on It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion.
"I felt all the things. Your voice is so powerful, but you have so many nuances in it that it's like just when I think you're going to, like, wallop us over the head with some giant, full, belting note, you pull back and flip up into your head voice and it's-- there's something so sweet and tender about it," Carrie Underwood said.
Gabby then moved on to the Top 20 and sang her idol Jennifer Hudson's melody, I Am Changing. While Luke Bryan called her "a star," Lionel Richie encouraged America to vote for her. For her Top 14 performance on American Idol, Gabby sang Barbra Streisand's Don't Rain On My Parade.
For her Top 12 and Top 10 acts, she delivered renditions of Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love for You and Donna Hathaway's A Song for You, respectively.
3) Gabby Samone's Instagram explored
At the time of writing, Gabby has over 190K followers on her official Instagram account with 260 posts. She mostly uses the platform to post videos of her singing and update her followers about her gigs.
Her Instagram bio provides the link to her merchandise store, where fans can purchase the Team Gabby Samone Unisex T-Shirt for $25, available in white and black. The website also sells Team Gabby Samone Kids Tee for $14, Team Gabby Samone Cropped Sweatshirt for $44.77, a quarter-zip pullover for $94.33, and a unisex hoodie for $45.
One of her pinned posts contains her voting details that American Idol fans can use to help her advance in the competition.
American Idol fans can vote for the Top 10 contestants via SMS or by going to AmericanIdol.com/Vote or the American Idol app.
