“American Idol” winner and Indio native Abi Carter got the BNP Paribas Open crowd moving and grooving on Wednesday, March 4, ahead of the first evening session of the tournament.
Carter, who earned the “Idol” crown nearly two years ago, was among a daily lineup of musicians slated to perform at the Village Stage, located between Stadiums 1 and 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The full lineup can be found on the BNP Paribas Open website.
Around 1,000 spectators gathered in the shaded courtyard to watch the rising star perform at her BNP Paribas Open debut. The singer — wearing a sparkly purple corset with a flowy, sheer skirt and shiny cowboy boots — said that, despite growing up just a few miles away from the Tennis Garden, it was her first time on the grounds.
It looked like Carter soaked up every moment as she kicked off her 45-minute set with “Peppermint Sky” off of her 2024 debut album “Ghosts in the Backyard.” As fans have come to expect with the singer, her vocals were immaculate, and many audience members looked at each other in disbelief when she hit high notes without breaking a sweat.
As she cycled through many of her original songs, such as “I Don’t Need Help” and “Burned,” the Indio native showed off some attitude on stage as she moved around the space, threw her hands up in the air and gazed out at the crowd in front of her. She also often picked up her guitar to show off her multifaceted musical skills.
Carter announced that the acoustic version of her song “2009 Barbie Dreamhouse,” which she also performed during her Village Stage set, will be released Friday, March 6.
What really got the crowd going was she she performed a few famous covers. One was Grammy Award winner Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” which got people clapping and singing along. Carter also held an impromptu piano jam session, singing passionate versions of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Since winning “Idol,” Carter has performed at some of the valley’s most famous stages, including her own headlining show at Acrisure Arena and at Indio’s iconic Stagecoach country music festival. She concluded her No Amount of Darkness national tour in November.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: ‘American Idol’ champ Abi Carter rocks her BNP Paribas Open debut
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
