Leah Marlene Says She Feels “Misunderstood By The Industry” Following ‘American Idol’
Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
American Idol Season 20 finalist Leah Marlene recently shared an Instagram video in which she performs an emotional new song. Leah also shared her post-show experience in the caption, opening up about feeling misunderstood as she pursues a career.
Leah Marlene Opens Up About Life After American Idol
“I could write a novel about my experience coming off of American Idol. Moral of the story is that it has been really freaking hard,” Leah wrote to start her post. “I have been working my ass off nonstop to make something happen out of this and I feel like I’m going in never ending circles.”
Leah went on to say that she feels “very misunderstood by the industry.” This feeling has caused her to “question everything about who I am and what I want.” She also said that although she’s happy to see her friends from the show thriving, “in my own selfish little world the comparison game has made these few months that much harder.”
Leah said she feels “so deeply alone in this experience” and is “at the point of complete emotional exhaustion.” After receiving an outpouring of support in the comments, Leah wrote on Instagram stories that she feels “like a weight has been lifted.”
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Leah Also Shared an Emotional New Song
In addition to getting honest in the post’s caption, Leah also shared a video of herself performing an original song that she wrote with Drew Erwin and Josh Jordan. She shared, “It has been a big ole safety blanket to me the past two months.”
“Lately I know I’ve been thinking too much / Can’t tell if it’s real or if I’m out of touch,” Leah sings on the new track as she strums her guitar. “Don’t know if all this is overrated / Or maybe I’m just overcomplicating / What it all means to be somebody / When we’re all buying into a dream.”
The clip ends with Leah singing that “we’ll all be all right.”
The singer recently made the move from her hometown of Normal, Illinois, to Los Angeles. However, she’ll be returning to Normal next month to perform a hometown concert with fellow contestant Fritz Hager and Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe.
