Kaibrienne Richins, a North Summit High School grad from Henefer, sang her first original song Sunday. It’s titled “Girl I Was.”
She called the song a “love letter to my younger self.” It was about finding self-love.
What seemed at first like a slip-up the judges found to be authentic and relatable.
“I think it's kind of boring when somebody's perfect. You know, because I think that we've all been there. We all relate to this," Katy Perry said. "There's humanity in that performance.”
Fellow judges Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan agreed. Ritchie shared his own experience freezing up before a crowd in Madison Square Garden.
American Idol announced Sunday night Richins was moving on to the next round of competition, after the public voted her into the top 20.
Monday night, the judges decided she should advance to the top 14 after her rendition of The Cranberries' "Zombie."