19 years old



Hometown: Joplin, MO

Musical Influences: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton

?Speak it into existence! You receive blessings through struggle. Appreciate it.?

-From the American Idol website

From the small town of Joplin, Missouri comes one powerful voice that is ready to take American Idol by storm. Asia'h Epperson's entry to the famous contest is anything but ordinary. She showed up at the auditions in Atlanta, Georgia dressed to impress, or so Paula Abdul said, and with a brave smile on her face. A couple of minutes into the interview, she relates that her dad just died in a car two days ago and that she somehow wants to dedicate her audition to him. Even Simon Cowell, cold and rude that he can be, got to like her rendition of LeAnn Rimes? How Do I Live. All three judges were moved by the drama of it all. At the end of her audition, she got a unanimous vote for a gold ticket to Hollywood. Here was a girl who still went ahead to follow her dream in spite of news that may have kept her from performing well.

So aside from the recent drama in her life that obviously helped her get onto the top 24, what is it about Asia'h Epperson that makes her a suitable candidate for the next American Idol? It has to be that soulful voice that got all three judges praising her Hollywood Week performance. Without the influence of the heart-wrenching incident, Randy, Paula and Simon gave her their go-signal for her to continue on with the search.

Although it seems that her personal tragedy is still being used to play up her image in the contest, it seems that Epperson is all set to make everyone believe that she is not only capitalizing on melodrama to get her through the popular reality-based show.

Tidbits

Asia'h Epperson may have captured the attention of fans through her sad story but there is more to her than meets the eye. Aside from singing, she is also fond of dancing, fashion, sports, make-up and acting ? the epitome of the total performer in the eyes of those who follow her achievements closely. Her favorite singers include Anthony Hamilton, J. Holiday, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera.

Family is important for this nineteen-year old shy small town girl. Because her family is not really well off, she learned how to work hard for everything she wants. She believes in giving her hundred percent in everything that she does. According to Epperson, her own family is very supportive of her dream and that is basically what matters for her. They don't give her false hopes and instead, offers honest opinions and advice about her performances.

For Asia'h Epperson, the American Idol is but a step towards realizing her dream to become a singer. It's something that she has always wanted to do. Even if she didn't become the next American Idol, she will never stop singing. She will move on with her life, go to school, get a job and be an ordinary person.

However, based from how she has been doing so far in the American Idol, it seems that viewers will be seeing more of Asia'h Epperson for quite some time.