"I've been singing ever since I was a really young girl" - American Idol star Amanda Barise opens up about her past

American Idol star Amanda Barise has won over fans and judges ever since her rehearsal performance. She even went on to enter the Top 14 contestants and is now competing to enter the Top 12 and eventually advance to the finale to win the coveted title and take home the grand prize money.

Amanda opened up about her past in a conversation with Terrell Grice, during a video published on his YouTube channel on April 25. She shared that she has been singing since she was five to six years old, and the first time she performed was for a "little local competition," where she sang Frank Sinatra's I Get a Kick Out of You.

"I've been singing ever since a really young girl. I started at like 5 or 6. The first time was in a little local competition. I sang a Frank Sinatra song. I think it was "I get a kick out of you," she shared.

Further in the video, Amanda talked about how she gained a passion for singing and the challenges she faces as a professional singer.

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American Idol star Amanda Barise reflects on her musical beginnings and career struggles

In the video conversation with Terrell Grice, American Idol star Amanda Barise shared that she grew up in New Jersey and started singing ever since she was a really young girl.

After mentioning that she started her journey by participating in local competitions, Amanda shared that her dad, a singer and a drummer, helped her as much as he could teach, and she carried that teaching with her into her professional career.

Terrell then asked her if her family used to sing a lot when she was a kid, and who she first heard singing. In response, the American Idol season 23 contestant noted that technically, she heard it from her when she was pregnant with her.

However, he playfully said that her mom wasn't good at singing, and she heard and learned it from her father and grandmother, who used to sing to her.

"I guess technically my mom, cause, I was in her stomach and she's singing but she can't sing well, so I didn't get it from her. Actually got it from my dad and my grandma," she answered.

Later in the video, as Terrell presented Amanda with various singing challenges, he noticed that she instinctively closed her eyes and reached out her hand, as if searching for something while performing.

When he asked the American Idol singer for an explanation, she shared that when she was a little kid, everyone used to tell her to keep her eyes open while singing. However, she found it hard to do so and realised she was comfortable with her eyes closed as it made her feel "free" and made her forget about the outside world and their hurtful opinion.

"Everybody in the music industry is gonna tell you what you can't be. They're gonna tell you 'Well, you gotta change this because they don't wanna see you a big girl'. 'Can you straighten your hair? Looks a little messy'. Can you dress a little more feminine?'" she added.

After noting that everyone has something to say about someone, Amanda shared that learning to love who she is and what her art means to her has been the hardest part for her.

While she noted that she isn't quite fully there yet and she believes that if she can dream and imagine it, she can make it a possibility.

"But if I can see it, cause I dream. I have these dreams of like what I can be and what I can do. If I can imagine it, I know it's a possibility. And like I am who I am, it's not going to change. My dreams aren't changing. So, that's, that's where I am. 'My dream is my dream, nobody's gonna tell me different'," the American Idol star concluded.

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Watch new episodes of American Idol season 23 every Sunday-Monday on ABC. Stream them on Hulu a day later.