American Idol Season 16 finalist Gabby Barrett recently opened up about her life before the show, sharing that there were times when she and her family “slept in the car.” Barrett praised her parents for their work ethic.
Gabby Barrett Recalls Sleeping in the Car with Family
“My parents, growing up in Pittsburgh, were always very hard workers,” Gabby Barrett said in a recent Fox News interview. “My dad worked several jobs at the time. My dad’s very entrepreneurial, so that’s kind of bled over onto me. He’s a business guy, and I’ve always just seen him work really hard my whole life.”
Barrett went on to say that her parents “sacrificed a lot for me” as she pursued a career in music. As she recalled, “There were times where we couldn’t play the light bill, or the lights got pulled, and we had to pack up sandwiches in the car because we couldn’t afford to stop at the drive-thru. When I was getting ready to go onto American Idol, I remember we all slept in the car.”
The singer said she knows what it’s like to be both at the bottom and the top, adding, “I really appreciate my parents for instilling a hard work ethic in me, ’cause I do understand it, and there’s challenges that come along with it. But I’m really thankful for that.”
Gabby Barrett has been married to her fellow American Idol Season 16 finalist Cade Foehner since 2019. Since then, the couple has welcomed three children together — daughters Baylah and Ivy, and son Augustine.
When speaking to Fox News, Barrett emphasized how important her Christianity is to raising her children, saying, “It’s so just organically woven into the way that I live. My husband and I, we have three kids, and so that’s something that’s really, really important to us.”
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
