After pushing through waves of self-doubt and nerves — not to mention having to win a sing-off to stay in the competition — Kaibrienne Richins has officially made the “American Idol” top 10.
She’s the first singer from Utah to make it this far on “Idol” in 15 years.
A look at Utah singers in the ‘American Idol’ top 10
While Utah singers have had a strong presence on “Idol” in recent years — in 2021, Season 19 featured at least six — very few have made it as far as Richins, a 20-year-old singer from the small town of Henefer who has been a favorite for the “Idol” judges and audience all season long.
There was Park City’s Wyatt Pike in 2021, who reached the top 16 before unexpectedly dropping out. Ashley Hess, a former Utah Valley University student, made it to the top 14 in 2019. Utah native Jenn Blosil also earned a spot in the top 14 in 2016.
But until Richins’ current run on Season 22, the last time a Utah singer made the top 10 was Season 8 (the one with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert). Megan Joy, a singer from Sandy, placed ninth on the show in 2009. She would later go on to form the band VadaWave with husband and fellow Utahn Quinn Allman, founding guitarist of The Used.
A year before Joy’s run on “Idol” marked Utah’s strongest showing in the competition’s history: Pop star David Archuleta finished as the runner-up to David Cook in 2008. And back in Season 2 (the one with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken), Carmen Rasmusen Herbert, a singer from Bountiful, placed sixth on the show.
Now, Richins is the fourth Utah singer in 22 seasons of “American Idol” to make it to the top 10.
Here’s a look at her two most recent performances that helped her get there.
Kaibrienne Richins ‘American Idol’ top 12 performance
For the top 12 round, Richins had a little help from rocker Gene Simmons.
Up until this point in the competition, Richins had primarily stuck to slower, emotional ballads for her performances. But she broke out of her comfort zone and embraced her rock ‘n’ roll side with “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
During the “Idol” episode, Simmons praised the Utah singer’s vocals but said she could improve on embracing the emotion and physicality of the song a little more.
“The question is, can those words resonate?” he said.
“We’ve got all exes,” Richins quipped.
Simmons must’ve really struck a chord with Richins — she got a standing ovation from all three “Idol” judges following the performance.
“This is the level that I needed to see from you tonight,” Katy Perry said. “You’re a rock star!”
“That was a concert,” Luke Bryan added. “In under a week, you morphed into a whole different human being, and that’s why this show is fun, to sit in this chair and watch you guys grow. It’s amazing.”
Kaibrienne Richins ‘American Idol’ top 10 performance
For the most recent round of “Idol,” Richins worked with pop singer Meghan Trainor, who she described as one of her heroes, on a rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” Like her previous performance, “Wrecking Ball” had more of a theatrical vibe and continued to give viewers another side of her artistry.
“You have not been this character until the last two nights,” Bryan said. “And I’m loving seeing you explore, really owning songs that are this big and a little bit outside your comfort zone. I think the ending was truly incredible.”
Richie praised the raspy tone and “crack” in Richins’ voice, while Perry noted that the performance was “top 10 stuff.”
More about Kaibrienne Richins on ‘American Idol’
In a previous interview with the Deseret News, Richins opened up about how she has long suffered from performance anxiety — the kind that makes her entire body go numb, her vocal cords tighten and her mouth go dry.
But last summer, while doing door-to-door sales in Florida, a conversation with a stranger gave her the inspiration to embrace her talent.
“God wouldn’t have given you that gift if there weren’t ways to work through it,” Richins recalled the stranger telling her.
So she returned home and began writing music, singing out and sharing her voice on social media. And over time, it gained enough traction to catch the eye of an “American Idol” casting producer.
Now, Richins has made the top 10 (she competes for a spot in the top eight Sunday night). But she still struggles with waves of self-doubt.
Earlier in the competition, when she had to fight for a spot in the top 24 by taking part in a sing-off, she told the Deseret News she “felt a little defeated.” But then she got some advice she believes will stick with her well past her “Idol” days.
“The vocal coach looked at me and said, ‘Stand up tall KB, no more of this,’” Richins recalled in an email to the Deseret News. “She said you don’t have a choice to not believe in yourself anymore. If you want this, you HAVE to step into this person who believes in herself and go in there and sing like your life depends on it.
“In that moment, a switch flipped in my head,” Richins continued. “I went into that sing-off a completely different person and came out of it believing in myself more than ever. ... It ended up being so huge for me, and definitely something that I will take with me throughout the rest of my life.”