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‘American Idol’ 2025 Finalist Admits ‘I Feel the Pressure’ to Succeed Post-Show (EXCLUSIVE)
Rising above 120,000 hopefuls to make the top 14 of “American Idol” was no small feat for New Jersey native Amanda Barise, who consistently blew away judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan during her journey on the show.
But turning that exposure into a successful music career brings a new level of stress, Barise told EntertainmentNow before releasing her first post-show single on May 14, 2025 — “Cute & Deadly” — and preparing for the finale with her “American Idol” peers, all of whom are fervently figuring out the next steps in their careers.
“I’m very aware artists go on this show for exposure, then end up releasing projects post-‘Idol’ and use that as their springboard,” Barise said. “I mean, I hope to do the same. It’s a lot of pressure, though. Many people do become very successful after being on ‘Idol’ and not even winning. You know, Benson Boone is the newest superstar. So, yeah, I feel the pressure.”
Amanda Barise Was Ready to Quit Music Industry Before Auditioning for ‘American Idol’
New York-based Barise, 27, spent years pounding the pavement with her signature sound — a unique fusion of alternative jazz, soul, and pop — but admitted she was ready to quit the music industry before “American Idol” casting producer Kyle Khou convinced her to audition.
“Quite honestly, before coming on ‘American Idol,’ I was applying to day jobs — I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Barise told EntertainmentNow. “Of course, I was making money, but the stress that comes with the unknown every month … it’s a lot. I believe I said on the show in one of my interviews that I was just getting tired of rolling the ball up the hill every day, hoping that it doesn’t roll back down.”
“I’m hoping that after being on ‘American Idol,’ I can find a little bit more security, whatever my next chapter is,” Barise said.
Right now, Barise is focused on building buzz for “Cute & Deadly,” which she wrote before “American Idol” and co-produced with Grammy-winning engineer Max Faigen. In June, she’ll release an EP that includes the slow jam “Girl Like Me” and a ballad titled “26” about embracing life in the moment, something she’s trying to do as her “Idol” journey winds down.
Barise, who lives in New York, is back in Los Angeles, busily preparing for the show’s star-studded May 18 finale with her fellow top 14 contenders. She told EntertainmentNow she was especially excited to reunite with top 3 finalist Breanna Nix, with whom she spent weeks “crying, laughing, and eating” in their shared dressing room.
Feedback From ‘American Idol’ Judges & Mentors Was Incredibly Helpful for Amanda Barise’s Confidence
Despite years of experience performing and graduating from The New School with a BFA in Jazz & Contemporary Music, Barise told EntertainmentNow that her growth as an artist on “American Idol” was invaluable.
“Even from my audition to my very last performance, I think that visually, there was such a difference between keeping my eyes closed and retreating into myself, and then by the end, my eyes are open the majority of the time,” Barise explained. “I’m interacting with the world around me.”
Barise said she also gained confidence in her distinct vocal stylings, feeling validated by the judges and celebrity mentors like Josh Groban, James Taylor and Jelly Roll. Barise didn’t earn enough votes to advance after taking a creative risk, delivering a jazz-infused rendition of Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It,” including scatting that Underwood called “incredible.”
“A major thing was (building) my confidence,” Barise told EntertainmentNow. “The confidence that I have in the music choices that I’m making, even though it’s not pop and it’s not the most, you know, aligned with the ‘Idol’ viewers. It’s what feels authentic to me. So just the validation that I’m making the correct choices has helped my confidence in a multitude of areas.”
“American Idol” has been renewed for a 24th season, with virtual auditions already open to aspiring singers ages 15 to 28. The season 23 grand finale airs live coast-to-coast on May 18, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
