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Monday's episode of American Idol was a musical treat for fans. They got to witness fan-favorite season 19 contestant Grace Kinstler crooning to the cover of Rather Be along with Willie Spence on May 2, 2022, on ABC.
The two singers performed on the track by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne on American Idol’s The Great Idol Reunion, impressing the judges and the audience.
All about Grace Kinstler on American Idol
The Illinois native and Season 19 American Idol finalist Grace Kinstler, who placed third during the finale, followed her passion post the singing competition.
After the competition, she was “working” on her “own projects, getting ready to record some stuff, release some stuff, and then work on other people’s projects.”
Last week, she finally released her debut single, Breaking Myself, to tribute her late father and carved her way into the music industry.
The 20-year-old singer started her American Idol season 19 journey by singing Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight & The Pips and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin.
Her melodious voice and performance impressed judge Luke Bryan and made him emotional. During the audition, a passionate Bryan said:
"I get brought to tears by stories and backgrounds of people and their struggles, but this is the first time in four years that someone just singing made me cry.”
She also revealed that her father passed away when she was 19 during the audition. She told the judges:
“My biggest supporter was definitely my dad. He passed away last February very unexpectedly, so that was really hard. I know that he would be here right now with me if he were still here, so I’m going to do this for him today…”
Kinstler’s musical journey started with singing “Jingle Bells on the karaoke machine” in her “family room.” She made her “entire family” watch her performance. She gave her first stage performance when she was 10. Speaking about her first performance at Music Mayhem, she said:
“So my first performance, I would say, where I was singing, was when I was 10 and it was a local musical theater thing. But before that I did dance from age, I want to say 4 to 12 years old.”
She was heavily influenced by “Miley Cyrus, just because of that whole Hannah Montana vibe during her early years.”
In the season 19 music competition finale, she sang All By Myself by Celine Dion and I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston. Despite the power-packed performance, she received fewer votes than Willie Spence and Chayce Beckham, resulting in her elimination.
Now a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Kinstler was back on stage for American Idol Season 20 after a year with her fellow contestant, mesmerizing everyone with her voice. Tune in on ABC on May 8, 2022, to catch the show's next episode.
