From the Ohana Round in Hawaii to Wednesday night bingo in Sturgeon Bay, “American Idol” hopeful Genevieve Heyward sure knows how to get around.
Her next stop is a big one: “Idol’s” Top 20.
The Lake Geneva native who also considers Door County home advanced from the Top 30 to the Top 20 during an emotional March 9 episode filmed in Hawaii in which performers dedicated their songs to family members, many of whom were in attendance.
Heyward was at the piano to perform Elton John’s “Your Song” at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa for her parents, Kim and Ed. It was the first time back in Hawaii for her father since he was on leave from Vietnam as a Marine who did two tours during the Vietnam War. Her intro included a black-and-white photo of him when he served. He wiped away tears as she sang.
Rolling Stone co-editor Shirley Halperin: ‘I loved her grit’
Judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan once again rose to their feet for her when she finished.
“Identity is hard when you sing such an iconic song like Elton’s, but for you to hang on and keep in control of that is amazing,” Richie told her, as he made punching motions. “Way to come out here and box.”
Shirley Halperin, co-editor in chief of Rolling Stone, was also impressed. She was among a group of “pop culture tastemakers” who were in attendance to weigh in on performances.
“I always go for the rocker girls, and she nailed it,” Halperin said. “I really liked her energy. I loved her grit.”
She watched the episode from Door County’s Washington Island
While TV viewers were watching her perform in Hawaii, Heyward was catching the episode from Washington Island off the tip of the Door County peninsula. Her parents have a cottage there, and it’s where she spent a great deal of time as a kid. She shared photos of herself among the ice shoves of Lake Michigan over the weekend on social media and said she would be watching from Wisconsin.
“I’m decompressing on an island that could not be more opposite than Hawaii and anxiously waiting for the Ohana round airing Monday night on @americanidol with my mama and dad,” she wrote.
Just a few nights earlier, on March 4, she was at The Lodge at Leathem Smith in Sturgeon Bay for a bingo night that raised money for Friends of Potawatomi State Park. She sat down there for an on-camera interview with Let’s Go Door County in which she talked about how close she is with her parents.
“I love my parents so much, like I feel so lucky,” she said. “… My mom and dad have had my back my entire life, like there was never a moment they were like, ‘No, Gen, we don’t want you to do that, and if you do do that we’re not going to support you.’”
America’s votes count in the upcoming Top 20 Round
For the first-time Ohana Round, each of the three groups in attendance – the contestants, family members and the industry experts – voted to award one platinum ticket to someone in the Top 30. Those three tickets automatically sent the three performers to the Top 20. Underwood, Richie and Bryan selected the other 17, including Heyward.
The Top 20 Round at Aulani will unfold over two weeks, on March 16 and 23, with Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer as celebrity mentors. It will be the first time America’s votes can help contestants move on.
After the next two episodes in Hawaii, “American Idol” will begin airing live.
It has been an exciting journey on the ABC show so far for Heyward, who has been performing in Door County since she was a young teen and now splits her time between Wisconsin and Nashville as a musician.
She was one of 127 singers who received a golden ticket during her “Idol” audition on Jan. 26 when she performed Heart’s “Magic Man.” Her rendition of Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” during Hollywood Week on March 2 earned her a spot in Golden Room as one of 60 contestants who had a chance to move on. She survived the drastic judges’ cuts that took the field down to 30, but not without some stress. Hers was the second-to-last name called before learning she was advancing.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County’s Genevieve Heyward makes ‘Idol’ Top 20, honors parents
Reporting by Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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