Cassandra Coleman is still in the running to win American Idol. The 24-year-old singer has one of the most unique voices of season 19, and she consistently impresses when she’s on stage. She’ll be fighting for a spot in the top 10.
So, who is Cassandra Coleman? From her journey on Idol so far to her struggle with stage fright, HollywoodLife has 5 key things to know about Cassandra. Here’s what you need to know to get up to speed before her next performance.
1. Cassandra performed two songs for her ‘Idol’ audition.
Cassandra wowed the judges with her rendition of “The Way It Was” by The Killers and “Apologize” by OneRepublic. All three judges voted to send her to Hollywood. She later performed a duet with Wyatt Pike and sang “Running With the Wolves By AURORA for her Showstoppers Round. She moved on to the top 24 and then to the top 16. When she became a top 12 finalist, she sang “Light On” by Maggie Rogers.
2. She is currently a barista.
Cassandra lives outside of Nashville in a town called Columbia. She’s a barista and manages a coffee shop. She’s had to leave that behind for now as she competes on American Idol!
3. She’s struggled with stage fright.
Cassandra has been open about her “fear” when it comes to performing. In an emotional Instagram post, Cassandra revealed that after a hometown talent competition 7 years ago she was “mortified and, essentially, buries her dreams and allows them to remain dormant, because that’s safer than failing again and it was time to get a more ‘grown-up’
dream.. until about 6 months ago. I’ve got a lot of lost ground to cover, but I’m *so* thankful for this chance to actively work on stepping out of my fear and into another chapter of my life.”
On her official website, Cassandra admitted that she struggles with the “performance side of music. Stage fright cripples me to the point of becoming cotton mouthed and losing touch with reality while I’m performing. Until now, my fear has kept me from pursuing music and limited me to being strictly a virtual performer. It’s daunting to enter the music scene without help and I didn’t even know where to begin. Besides that, I’d been telling myself I’d never take off with a musical career, so why even attempt to pursue it.”
4. Cassandra was homeschooled.
Cassandra’s mom homeschooled her and her four siblings. Cassandra’s mom used to be an elementary school teacher. Her dad was in the military, and her family moved around a lot growing up.
5. She was introduced to music at a young age.
On her website, Cassandra revealed that her mother “always had music floating through the house. From church hymns to artists like Stevie Nicks, Enya, and James Taylor, my parent’s taste made a huge impact on the type of music that would influence my style. I’m also influenced by more current creators like AURORA, Birdy, Bon Iver, Florence Welch, and many other indie musicians.” The singer added that she’s been “keeping beat since two, harmonizing since five, and singing since my vocal cords had formed enough to allow me to.”