By Emilee Boster
HHS junior Kari Erickson sang through zoom call after zoom call, from breakout room to breakout room. Then, there was nothing: no information for weeks. She waited patiently, hoping to get good news. Finally, she received an email: her flight was booked for the San Diego auditions of American Idol. She boarded the flight weeks later, practiced her performance, and then waited for 4 days before it was her time to perform. She spoke to Ryan Seacrest before entering the judges’ room, and then walked in—prepared by her years of singing lessons, acting performances, and dance competitions—to sing for the celebrity judges.
When Erickson was younger, she ran around her house singing Katy Perry’s songs. She once cried because all of her friends went to Perry’s concert, while she had to stay at home imagining her friends singing to the pop star’s songs. But as a contestant on American Idol, Erickson has stood in front of Perry, along with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, to perform for a spot in the coveted Hollywood week.
The Idol producers marketed on her being a triple threat—a dancer, singer and actor. She spent one day being filmed around San Diego while dancing in a tutu. Erickson, the daughter of a dance studio owner, started dancing at age 2. She always loved being on stage, and dancing was just another way to be there. Now, 15 years later, dancing has become muscle memory for her; it is something she can always rely on. She competes in dance competitions every other weekend and practices throughout the week. To be a great dancer, though, she had to show emotions, so she started acting.
She has played many different roles in various plays since then. In the second grade, Erickson played Dorothy number 7 in an elementary school production of The Wizard of Oz. At that point in her life, that was a big performance. But then, in 2018, she played the lead role of Dorothy at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, her favorite show so far. She plans to pursue acting in addition to singing. In the near future, she will be yelling at characters in an upcoming season of Stranger Things and screaming in fear in a scary movie. Also, this spring, Erickson will be playing Lily in the HHS production of Annie. One of Erickson’s ultimate goals is to perform on Broadway. Another is to be a Disney Princess.
Growing up in small-town Hartselle, Erickson often has different dreams and hobbies than her peers. She also sacrifices a lot of her free time practicing and preparing for her future. At Idol, though, she has found people with her same passions, which she says has not only motivated her but also given her great friendships. Idol has also pushed her closer to her goals. Erickson’s mindset is geared toward success; whether she is cut or wins, she said it is not about winning but what you do after the show that counts the most, citing the success of Tori Kelly and Jennifer Hudson. She said, “There’s a pressure of never stopping because if I do I’ll be behind, and then there's a fear of not having any time.” This is the motivation that drives her to keep working to obtain her dreams.
To see and hear more about Erickson, watch American Idol every Sunday at 7 PM central time.
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