Mary Jo Young Releases ‘Songs I Was Gonna Sing on Idol’
ABC Reading Time: 3 minutes
Riding the wave after her American Idol elimination, Top 24 contestant and TikTok star Mary Jo Young has released three songs that she would have performed on the show if she had the chance. The rising artist has also already released her first original song, ‘Carpet.’
Mary Jo Young’s Time on Idol
Young began this season of American Idol by impressing the judges with her deep, soulful voice and humble attitude. After her first song performance, the 19 year old said, “I’m a little shaky, I’m a little nervous.”
She even sang in front of her mom for the first time during the audition.
“She’s cute as a button,” said judge Lionel Richie.
As the weeks progressed, Young continued to impress, prompting fans to declare her the early winner. However, after performing “Foolish Games” with Jewel and “Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran for her Top 24 solo, she was unable to secure enough votes to make it to the next round.
While some fans speculated the contestant was upstaged by Jewel’s well-trained and “queen”-like performance, costing her votes, others blamed the elimination on this year’s wealth of talent.
“Sad to see Mary Jo get eliminated from the show,” commented one viewer. “Most other seasons I think she would be top 10 for sure but this year’s talent is crazy good.”
Mary Jo Young: Songs I Was Gonna Sing on Idol
Despite not making it into the Top 16, Young is wasting no time at all in advancing her career. This week, she released three songs under the hilariously honest title “Songs I Was Gonna Sing on Idol.”
The three songs, available on Spotify and iTunes, include Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke,” The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” and Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted” from the movie “Grease.”
Listeners will note Young’s token rich voice and emotion in each song. Perhaps even more emotional since her elimination. The songs are slow, jazzy versions of the originals, on brand for the TikTok cover star.
SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ TOP 12 REVEALED DURING A NIGHT FULL OF SURPRISES
Mary Jo Young Releases Original Song ‘Carpet’
In addition to the release of the three covers she planned to sing on Idol, Young also announced her brand new song “Carpet” this week. The original is also available via a variety of platforms including Amazon, Spotify, and iTunes.
“Carpet,” which already has over 39,000 listens on Spotify, has more of a pop-sound than fans saw of Young during her Idol days. She seems to be coming into her own as an artist, pushing to the next level as advised by judge Katy Perry after Young’s Top 24 performance.
The new release is sure to be just the beginning of Young’s budding career. According to her website, she will continue to dive into the music industry thanks to her American Idol experience.
“Making the Top 24 on Idol suddenly gave me lots of opportunities to perform!” she said. “I now see doors opening for me in the music industry, I never could have imagined!”
American Idol‘s Top 12 will perform Oscar nominated songs this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
