Gabby Barrett’s ‘I Hope’ Inspires Original American Idol Audition

Laila Mach promised her original performance on American Idol would recall Gabby Barrett‘s hit “I Hope,” but meaner.

“It’s kind of a more angrier version of her song, actually,” the 15-year-old says, sitting down behind a piano to sing a song she wrote for the occasion. Mach — from New Paltz, N.Y. — also sings about her hopes and dreams for an ex-boyfriend to meet a devastating fate.

“I hope you drive off the bridge in the middle of the night / My mind’s broken so I think I’m just not thinking right / I hope you find a girl that you really care for and I hope she tears up that screwed up heart of yours,” she sings to begin her chorus.

https://youtu.be/Z908qgHNJWg

The three judges were impressed by the high school student’s songwriting and voice and said she could go far, although their reaction was a bit more muted. “That was a great song,” Lionel Richie remarks, while Katy Perry called the song the more deranged version of “I Hope.”

“Say your feelings,” Bryan says as they laugh.

Mach would earn a golden ticket to Hollywood on Sunday night (March 8), meaning viewers will be seeing her again soon. As for Barrett’s song, it’s one of the hottest songs in America over the past year and has spent over 25 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

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