Kaibrienne Richins fights for her place in the Top 24 on American Idol
20-year-old Utah native Kaibrienne Richins, known as KB, gave the American Idol judges chills when she originally auditioned with Zack Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.” KB tried out for the show with encouragement from her father who’s videos of his daughter singing have gone viral online.
The grit and raw emotion in her voice earned the young woman a unanimous “yes” from all three judges and secured her a spot in the next round of competition – Hollywood Week.
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KB Richins chooses an unexpected song to highlight a different side of her voice
During the showstopper round of Hollywood Week, KB Richins chose a song that she says “girls don’t really cover.” She sang the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic “Simple Man” to show off “so many parts” of her voice that the judges had not yet experienced.
The aspiring singer sang with passion and showed off the range of her unique voice. However, the judges seemed reserved after her performance and did not give her the standing ovation that several other contestant received. This left KB feeling anxious about her future in the competition.
Watch KB Richins’ performance of “Simple Man” below.
Contestants KB Richins and Alyssa Raghu face off in the showstopper round
During the final round of Hollywood Week, the judges must narrow down the contestant pool from 56 to 24. To accomplish this, they pair hopeful singers up for a high-stakes sing-off. KB Richins went head-to-head with vocalist Alyssa Raghu. Each contestant gave their rendition of “Shallow” from the hit movie A Star Is Born.
The song has a challenging vocal range and highlighted the skills of each contestant. Watch the sing-off below and see who came out on top!
KB Richins wins the sing-off and advances to the Top 24! Congrats, KB!