#160 - Gabby Barrett - Singer + American Idol Finalist

got it, they're useful. Okay, what do you wanna up? Yeah, it's gonna flat on the top of my hair, but it's okay. Well it's really rainy too. Is that a thing for you? Yes, of course. I You should have seen me running to get in here. It wasn't my house. Yes, this is the first I've been here. Huh. So we met on American Idol. Yes, they brought me into the top twenty four, to mental top twenty four, and they brought me back again later on when it was you,

Caleb and Maddie at the end. So you made to the top top three of last season, made to the final show with congratulations on that thank you. But I guess we had spent a little time together because I was doing a show on Pittsburgh, a stand up show, and you and your family came to the show. And this is why I don't was still going, and I really couldn't even say you were there because it was still secret, and they wouldn't even let you get up and saying because we were gonna do a song or that. No.

I was so bummed about that too. But yeah, I didn't come to that show. And you put on a great chiel. Pretty funny guy. But is that what is that you laugh when I tell a joke. Yeah, I'm so curious about what happens, and I want to guess work backwards right like today? For example, UM, today, what did you do in town today? Today? I went to I had phone call meetings, and I had um a record label wating okay, without saying the name of the record label. Yes, you went to a record label and

did what? Um? I sang some songs you did? Yes? I did. So describe what that's like because here you are your new artists are do you live here yet? Are you moving here? I don't know, I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I feel like it's not a bad thing that I don't live here, because if I fly down here for two weeks but then fly back to living somewhere for free. UM, I'll take this as of right now. If you don't live here, you'll never make it here. You don't link to start now.

If you make it big, you can move out, you can go. Justin Moore does it. He lives in Arkansas, but he was here. Zach Brown is probably the biggest example. But again he's Zach Brown. So not that you're not Gabby Barrett, but you're just Gabby Barrett right now. My advice to you, I'm still mentoring it. You're ready. I know you're eight teen, but you gotta move here. You have to because you have to be with everybody all the time. You have to be writing all the time,

like every day, every night. You have to be writing. But how do you pay your bills in your hand? Exactly? You go and you work at tootsies, you wait tables. There's there's no shame. You can't have shame anymore. It's how bad do you want it? Because if you're not here, there's gonna be so many opportunities pass you by. Someone's gonna go we need someone tomorrow night, and you're gonna be in Pittsburgh's Yeah, and I'll fly down that night.

What happened? I'm telling you I've already done it before. You haven't I have. I've taken many red eyes down here before. Well, not the same. I'm just telling you it's not gonna work until you come down here and work, and then it's gonna take a while. It's gonna take a couple of years. Do you believe that? Yeah, yeah I do. I'm trying to get in the door early as early as I can. But because you're good, there's

no doubt about it. It's it's crazy to come to a place like Nashville where everybody is so good and you need to be around them all the time because they'll make you better and you'll make them better and you'll write songs all the time. And you have Let's like, you ever been to camp, like church camp or regular camp or summer camp. I don't know what people go

to you have anything like that? Okay? You know how you go in with your little group and those are like the people and you're like, oh, that's my class and all my mama folks, or like high school even did you get to high school? Like everybody went to high school? When you graduate, like at your class, you make those in Nashville and then as everybody rises, they kind of pull each other up or they you know, they helped away. The point is you have to move here.

We'll see, Okay, we'll see. Are they telling you have to move here? Um? I actually talked to Luke Brian about it, and he said he's the one who actually said to me. He said, if you're coming down every two weeks and then go back for two weeks, he was like, you're doing all right? And so that's what I listened to make sixty million a year. He's completely out of Luke moved here. He had Luke had to move here to make it. Yeah, So anyway, I don't want to harp on that. I actually have quite general

questions about what happened today. So tell me about today. You go and you you're they say, hey, come play. Is something like your leather rubbing? What's that noise? Leather squeaking? It's squeaking against the quarter of the headphones that make the noises. So you go and you go to a record label room. Who's in that room? Um, it's me, my manager and three other people. That's it. Yes, And they say what to you? I'm sorry, I am my guitar blayer okay, and they say what do what? UM?

We just started talking about what's been going on after idol, UM and before idle and UM. We played some of the songs that I have, some of the songs I have in preparation to release UM as well as I hope, and then I did some songs live so they could hear what I sound like live and how many songs do you play them? How many songs did I do? Three? And it's awkward when they're only three people watching and they're like judging everything that you're doing, or you kind

of just getting your own space. It's definitely a challenge for short because it's like when you have three people. I felt like I was back on the executive rounds on American Idol whenever the producers were in the room and you know, there was only ten people, because it's all eyes are on you and it's more concentrated a smaller group than a big crowd. It's easier to do that, so it is, but um, I think it went well.

So were you watching their faces as you were playing? Yeah, yeah, to see if they like the song you're not and what they liked it? They liked it. Yeah, it's like it's a little bit of like everything. So they were liking it at least, I hope. So and what do they say when you leave the room? Is that, hey, that was great, like generic generic? And then they go and tell you really later how they feel or did

they give you any sort of direction. Normally you can tell, um, because I have met with a few record labels before, and normally you can tell if they are like feeling it or not. Um, and their reactions seemed pretty genuine. He was like like, basically, I'm I'm really thinking about being on board here. Oh yeah, so what do you have to do next? Um? I just told them I would continue to send them songs and content and stuff and if they need anything for me that I'll send it.

And then you went from over there to over here. Yes, that's pretty cool. It's a pretty cool day. You get to a plan for a big record people, it's a good day. So tell me about Let's go back to idle. Let's kind of rewind a bit. So you auditioned where what city? Addition to Nashville? Channels say right here? Why did you fly down here to do it? Um? Because when the producers had contacted me to audition for the show, they said you could choose from three places, and I

was like, yeah, Nashville is definitely a place. How did they find you to tell you to do the show? Um? They have producers that reach out or look on the internet for through YouTube and through hashtags on Instagram and things like that, and I would always put hashtag American, I all and stuff, and they reached out from seeing videos on the INN. And the first time a producer reaches out, are you going come on? You messing with me? Almost? Yeah?

Because well, when you get an email like a producer wants to skype with you, you're like, is this spam or is it real? So like you you don't want to like set yourself up, and you're like, okay, if this is real. And then when you see them come up on the thing and they're like, okay, we'll call you back, You're like, oh my god, oh my gosh, it's real. So it was really cool. So what does the producer say to you when you get on Skype,

like I'm Gabby, I am. I think they're like saying your name and your age, and then what are you gonna sing for us? And you tell them what you're gonna saying. Do you sing? And then they're like, yeah, I did. I did have to sing on Skype and he was like what do you do in these days? Um? And I was like yes because I didn't feeling he was going to set. If he said that, then that means he likes what he's hearing. So do you know who it was? His name is Peter. Yes, So you

sing in front of Peter. Peter says, come to Nashville. Did they buy your plane ticket or did you just get like a kind of cut pass? Did they buy my plane ticket? I can't even I can't remember that. I don't know if I have been because I don't. I don't deal with any I didn't deal with at that time. So you fly down? Do you cut the line at all? Since they've already seen you? I was like the first one there? Um, I remember I got to It was at the forgetting the name of the

Country Music the Hall of Fame. Yeah, it was there. It was there. And I was downstairs in a lobby at six five, and I remember, Um, I was like the first one there, and then they all took us upstairs and then one by one did the audition and how to go for you? Did you feel like you knocked it out? Um? You know you know, I mean it didn't go the way that I thought it was going to know, Um, why what what did you expect?

First of all, you expected to walk in a way? Um? Well, I walked in and sang a country so long because that is mainly what I love to do, UM as my main genre. And they were kind of confused buy it um because I did originally start in a gospel choir R and B was originally my roots UM. And so they weren't very fond of the country at first. And then so I actually got through with a gospel song, gospel what do you sing? His Eyes on the Sparrow? And then they said, okay, but you're a country artist.

Well actually saying, um, Carrie Underwood, uh, good Girls and Church Bells three songs. Yeah. I had to sing to those two songs. And they were like, do you have anything that's not Carrie? And I was like, um, I have Gretchen Wilson read kneck woman, who was like, don't like that. I was like okay. And then we were only supposed to have three songs prepared, so whatever they asked me to do, it was on the like on

the spot, on the fly from there. And then they asked me to do a church song and I was like, okay, that's the first one I'm gona do because that was my main song when I was in the church singing when I was nine. So then you go back home, yeah, and they say you get the Golden ticket or whatever. They go to Hollywood, right, so it's gonna be a few weeks. A month before that was like a couple of months. It was in October, and then Hollywood Week was in January, so you had to wait that long.

Just excited the whole time, like every day they're going, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait. Yeah. I was coming up with like a blueprint in my head if I'm to pass this, what I'm gonna do next, the next, the next, instead of coming up with it while I'm there. So I did Hollywood Week this year. I started at the beginning of the season, right, Yeah, I um the Hollywood. We kind of a grind. Oh yeah, that's the toughest week. The overnight happen to get in

the groups. Even I was feeling bad for the kids. Um, you know, you know, you know, you've watched the TV. It looks fun and it was right, It still was fun, but these kids were getting in groups and fighting with each other and they were all sleep deprived. No, it's a difficult week. I remember going through that week and I was like, well, shoot, like this is hard. I mean, but but it was fun too because I'm a person that likes to challenge myself on literally everything. So something's

a chat orange to me, I'm like, let's go, let's go. Um, And so that week is too. It separates the week from the strong. Honestly, who cracks and who doesn't and who's ready to go on with the competition because the competition is not easy. It's not easy at all. So um, whoever can outlast longest? So you do the group, then you it's solo and group. You move on to the top twenty four. And then that's where I came in, And I guess I met you for the first time.

I remember what I don't I'm trying to think if I can remember what you were wearing. I remember what I don't remember what I was wearing. They just give me I want to pick out my clothes and then I just put them on. Those producers, Pepper, you with so many questions all the time now, like they just and they brought me in to not be a producer, right, to be a human. You guys could actually talk to it, and I'd be like, well, I'm a human too, let me I understand this. But man, I would want those

producers and all and they're all black. You get behind the camera and they just like a thousand questions you guys all the time? Yeah, they do, they always, I mean, just to get every single possible answer. I guess out of us that they can, because sometimes it's hard to get answers out when you're excited about something. What was your storyline? My storyline on American I don't like, what

were they highlighting about you? Because everybody kind of has a story, right, Yeah, your dad was there a lot because you're you're underage mine or as they called him, and so your family was there. Yeah, that was my main story. Um, I'm just extremely close with my dad.

One of eight. Um, I was always a daddy's girl growing up, and so he you know, even before American and I don't when I started when I started singing at nine in the choir, and then eleven I did my first show all the way up to seventeen, and at seventeen years old, before I know, I did a hundred and thirties six shows that year alone. So I mean doing shows in the gospel choir or just playing yourself,

no myself. So like I was with the gospel choir from nine to eleven, and then eleven I left the gospel choir and started doing shows, doing the anthem for the Pirate of Steelers, just different stuff all the way up. So it was like a grind for six years. So you're saying the anthem of the Pirates is the pretty cool. Yeah, the Pirates steeling the Steelers will be a bigger thing.

It's more concentrated in one game. Yeah, nerve wracking. You see the anthem And it was the hinesvilld Um Yeah it was Hinsfeld No, because it was a bigger crowd. Because it's like bigger you can't see like eyes on you. I just I got more of adrenaline rush from that and rather than nerves you ever mess up? Um in general? No singing the anthem, No, thankfully not yet, hopefully not at all, but um, I actually have to sing the anthem coming up soon in March sometimes for a basketball game.

How old you be the first time you're sanging on a big stage? Um? The first time I sang ever anthem for the Pirates? Really, were you freaked out at all? You know what? You know what freaked me out a little bit. Wasn't the people. It was the delay of the mic in the stadium, because you'll do this and then this comes over the top of you like a second later, a whole second, and me, being twelve years old, I just started never experience out before. I was like,

what the heck? Um? But I still like managed to get through it. Um. But that was difficult because some stadiums give you ears that you can turn up a pack and you don't hear that. They didn't, so I was like, well, I gotta deal with this. I'm gonna do a commercial real quick. The world is full of sounds that warn you of danger, like if you get a little too close to a rattlesnake. Here but in the digital world, if your personal information is in danger, there is no to let you know that you might

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live flock dot com. I love live flock. I have used live flock. They've helped me so many times. Live flock dot com. All right, what are you drinking over there? What is that Starbucks? Well, yeah, I know it's Strawberry ASA or a fresh start? Is that your drink? I don't drink coffee. I don't like coffee. I'm not a coffee When I was going to Dance with the Stars, I drink coffee it a little bit because it was that's all they had and I was exhausted all the time.

But it's never good. Yeah it's bitter. Yeah, I'm not a fan of that. But that I started drinking too much sugar with that. But you're eight teen, who cares? Right? My metabolicalism is very fast. I was in Chicago, I think, and you were opening up for Chris Lane when I was on Stars where you playing Joe's Yeah, I did. How's that going? Really good? Chris Line's tour was absolutely amazing.

He's amazing though, I mean, like he I can't I can't say thank you to him enough because he brought me unto the tour with him and was so unbelievably nice and still is like to this day, we're friends. Down it's it's just really cool to see somebody help you up and pick you up without looking for something in return, because it's very hard to find, and this especially in this music industry, to find somebody that wants to help you without asking for something in return. And

he is one of those people and I know that. Um, you know I'll be friends with him for a long time. So he's great and it went good. He tell you to move to Nashville is the only way to make it. He did not. He did it all right. So you go and idle you. They're all whittling down. One goes down, one goes home, one goes home, one goes home. It's about the top five or so. Did you feel like you were the favorite? The favorite? Because I felt like

you were the favorite. I felt like not the favorite of the people, but I felt like you had the best shot to win at about the top five, almost like I think you got the best shot to win the show. You did you feel that way? Um? I was confident. I wanted to win, that's for sure. I knew since I got to that spot, I was like, all right, I'm gonna hit it even harder like each time,

especially as the numbers were bendling down. So, um, I was just really grateful, very thankful, And every time the cuts came, I was just I had to be accepting if I were to get eliminated, because I was just very thankful to have made it that far. Already get to the final. Yeah, final show. There's three of you left going into that show. Did you feel like, all right, I can I can do this. I'm gonna win this thing.

Were you feeling confident? Um? Yes, what the performances? Yes, but I could tell you right now whenever me, Maddie and Caleb were standing there and Ryan Seacrest said, UM, din't like the second they said or he said Caleb's name, I knew for a fact I was not getting through because I'm saying Caleb. I knew something told me that Maddie was getting through. And when they said Caleb, I freaking knew it. I was like, no way I'm getting through. No way I'm getting through. That's why I mean it

was so I was. I accepted the fact before they even said her name, because I just knew something you got tells you saw. But I was okay with everything. What happens after idol is over? The next day idols over? What do you do the next day idols over? Um? We had to do a bunch of press and interviews on the just the whole competition in general, and how we took everything. Does it suck to lose and have

to go be interviewed. Are you more so happy that of the experience, like really the next day, yeah, I was happy. Of course, you're sad that you lost, because when you set yourself up for something for so long. I mean, this was months upon months, um, that you worked and you were so busy every single second, so focused on something. So of course it sucks that you lose, because everybody you know once that winning spot. Um. But I again, I accepted the fact that it's okay, and

that was all part of the plan for me. So um, And I'm really glad that Klea and Maddie you know, got first and second place. They absolutely deserve it. They're amazing, amazing singers, amazing people, so you know, and especially as the numbers doing down, as you said, Um, you get really close to people and it's not even almost a competition anymore. It's you're happy to see if somebody succeeds whatever.

I wouldn't be listen. There were four Dance with the Stars and I was like, I better win this freaking thing. I didn't think I was going to, but I I didn't give a crap. Were you close with any of the other. Yeah, I liked everybody, but when it's time to compete, when it's not how to compete, it's well, I like Milo and I, Um, we're as close as we could because Milo is your age. Um, but he was really good.

Um Ivana from Harry Potter with her and I got closer to the end, but Alexis Rand and I weren't that close. Um so but really, who cares who I was competing? Who gives a crap about the other people? Like all week long we were cool and Milan I was super cool. But but then when it's the game time one, I don't want to lose. And if I lose, I'm gonna want to eat my kidney. I would be still so. But um, you're good for you. You're more mature than I am. Apparently, Oh no, thank you. I'm

I hate losing. I have a problem losing. Um, if you're already complex, don't worry one day. One day you'll have to go to therapist and it all come out. Yeah, it all come out. You're still young. Wait for don manifest. Okay, just come back. So you go home? When do you go home? How many days after idols over um idol ended one of May. That was when the finale was twenty second. We did all the press the next day after that we went back. So what's it like when

you go home? It's weird. I mean, it's so weird because you're so used again being in this like this different world literally Idols a different world. It's it's a flip. It's a flip of what your life has been. Um, you're constantly working, constantly emotional, like it's insane. So going home and like you already know the answers to everything when with Idol like that you were curious about the entire time. It's like so weird. But then we had to prep for the Idol tour. Oh then you had

to go to tour. Yeah. Yeah, so it wasn't all the way over because the show was over, but then you had more work to do for Idle. Yeah. They pay you guys, good, m decent enough to you. It was cool, I guess. Yeah, Like when I did dance with the Star Store, they paid me like thousand bucks a night. I think it's what it was. Really you guys weren't that much A thousand but oh heck it was ten tho dollars a week and if you did a full week, oh my gosh, I think that's a

lot or something like that. Well, yeah, but I only I only did one week. I mean, I don't know if that's a lot, like four days, but I just wanted it was an idol tour like that. No it wasn't. I don't know. I have no idea. I don't know if no, no, it wasn't. Um yeah, no, I'm not an expert on the whole money thing, but I know that it wasn't like ten thou dollars. I didn't. I'm just being like some people. I don't think that. I don't think I made as much as a dancer, the

pro dancers. Yeah, I think because we were working in shorts. Short but I'd still take that. Well yeah, that's and I did it that I didn't have to the tour, and I was like, yeah, absolutely, look it up right, Okay, so you go, did you save your money? Did I save it from the tour? Um all that jacket? No, you know what I had to do. You have to pay. This is a whole thing with the music industry. You have to pay towards all of your music stuff because

this is very expensive. So on a tour. You have to put money down on a tour for and that's what I did. So, yeah, I did save it from the audit tour and then I ended up putting it on the next tour that I went on right after the American audit tour was over. Now did you make money back on that tour? Um? I think so. Marchandise, Ye, you start. You need to start figuring this stuff out. You got a business You have a business manager? Yet? Yes? I do? All right, you have a good one, yeah,

because that's a good one. That for me was tough. I don't understand the business manager stuff. Now I do because I like to understand everything. Yeah, I'm not going to have a manager. Do I have a manager? Yeah? Sitting right there all right, just making sure he's sitting across the room. Do you know the percentage that he gets? Um? No, I feel like I don't know it. But I don't know. Spit it out. What do you think it is? I don't know? Is it like five, ten, fifteen? What is that?

If it's five? We need to talk because I need I need to redo my deal. I can't if you're clising me on all this math. And I failed geome my school. This isn't. This isn't. I have people that handle that I can't. Don't first of all, never be that person. But it's my dad, So I can trust my dad absolutely. Well sometimes no, yes, there's been a lot of stories about dad's Okay, well not my dad.

And here's my advice to you. Ready, I'm gonna continue my mentorship because I'm listen, I'm in the business too, right in your full you're like full time on this season, right, Yeah, I just talk. I'm talking about music again. You just you don't have to know everything's coming in and out when you're so busy, right, you have people to do that, but you need to know what percentages you're paying people. Okay, I'll pay attention to it more, just even in your phone,

like you need to know. Okaycent goes to my manager. I don't know what yours is. What yours is? Yeah, goes to the agent. I don't know what you're is, but that's mine. Okay, you know five percent goes to your business manager. Okay, so I think that's I know that one. Yeah, it sucks because all your money is gone. You make it, you make a dollar, and you know forty cents. But the good news is is that they're worth more than that forty cents, so it's actually a

really good investment. But you just need to know that stuff just so much. Someone asked you, what do you pay your manager that you don't look like a du fist? Because I used to be the dupist, because like, what do you pay a manager? I don't know one? Dang? All right, that's note number two. Alright to things we've learned before. One, you have to move to Nashville to make it to you to know your percentages my others only ever one I've done when I'm like tutoring the

PERSI during it. Okay, back to you. So you decide what do you decide your home? And you're like, I think I want to make a run in music, like in country music, or do you go I don't want to try go to college? Like what what's the now? A terrible idea? No, I knew that. I knew I wasn't going to college before I did American Idol, because me and my dad had talked about that. I told him, I said, this is plan A and plan B. What was planning and plane B? To make it in music, okay,

and just this was it. This is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Um and so even after American, I don't I knew already what who I wanted to be like as an artist. That was something that even but going through American I will definitely reassured me of that, which is country. Um, I always help people. I wanted to be the Whitney Houston country music so and that's what I do want to be.

So we'll say that happens. How many labels have been saying in front of labels, Um, probably I'd say like five or six. Have you had some bad, bad ones where you go, oh, that one didn't go so well, not that I recall, thankfully, Have you had something better than others? We're like, oh, for sure, they want me to sign with them. Yeah, it depends. I mean it also depends on the person's mood of the day. Like they could be having a bad day and you know they're not in a good mood. So it just depends

on the day. Are you recording music right now? Yes? Really, yes, I've been working so hard on music since last year, since right after I got off the Chris Lane tour. Well, actually, in between the American Idol tour, UM, I talked to Carrie under One on the phone. I called her because she after American Idol. UM, I'm just saying, go ahead, oh please your context in your phone. After American Idol, she reached out to me and said, you know, like if you need any help with anything or I'm here

for you. She gave me a number. I called her. UM. We talked a few times, and I just asked her. I was like, what did you do after American Idol to keep your my lad I'm going. She was like, I would just constantly work. Um, Like while I was on the American Idol tour, I would constantly work. And I said, Okay, that's what I'm gonna do. Um. So during the American Ado tour, we would have like four shows, five shows in a row. Show show, show, show, show.

We have one day off. I would fly here, record and write, fly back the next day and do the show. So I mean like any day that I have off, I'm doing something. Always music that's good. I like that. At about you think that's something you really can't teach a work ethic and if you were doing that, that's good. You kind of taking the day off and just chilled. Yeah, but there's I think of it as like how many people want the same thing and what separates you from

other people? Though, Listen, this is what you're coming into a Nashville. Everybody's really freaking good. Everybody is really good. What separates you is the amount of work you put into it. It's like the NFL. The the line between super athletic and super super atletic is so thin. It's the people who put in the work. But that's good. I don't know you were doing that. I commend to you get you get a ribbon after this is over for all right for doing that the song here? Uh?

I hope you wrote with John Knight. That's how did you get that? Right? Um? Through a great man? Okay, because I was like, damn, look at that. You're already writing with like cool big songwriters. Yeah, they're really They're really cool. I've gotten to write with a few co you wrote the song with the Zachary on John Knight. I'm gonna play a little bit of I Hope Here we Go, produced by Ross Cooperman. Yeah, whoo whoo, come on,

I can't even get these people in the room with me. Hi, you you come in tally work with the biggest and the best Already, I'm very blessed. Yeah, so what do you what's the light getting in room with those guys? What do you do in the writing room? You walk in, You're like, hey, I'm dabbing Barrett. Yeah, um yeah, I

just make sure like everybody's comfortable. I feel like that's such an important thing because when you're uncomfortable and like I don't know, things just don't click very well and you don't connect and you don't come up necessarily with a good song. And they're the best song that you come up with. So anytime I get into a room, I just want to keep writing songs that could blow up. Um. And so we got in that room with John Knight and Zach Kale love them both. Um. We got in

the room that day. It was on Halloween, um of last year, and we got on the room. We were trying to figure out what we were going to write about. And I was like, let's write a relationship song. They're like, okay, let's start a song about a guy and a girl. You know, they don't work out, but the girl still kind of wishes him well, and I was like, that is not how a girl's think towards Like when a guy does this wrong, we don't go. You know, I

wish you will. We're like, I hope everything bad happens to you. I hope you get cheated on literally the worst thing. I know it sounds rough, but that's how girls are. When you do us wrong, that's why you don't do it's wrong. So I wanted to write a song that was like, that was the song that females never got to say to that person, so that when they hear it, they can dedicate it to that that type of person. Um words that you know they never got to say, but they really did feel. M it's

pretty cool he switched up like that. Yeah, get all that happened to you? Uh. Yeah, I've been in a bed relationship before, so I understand and can relate to girls that have to Who else have you written with this school? I've written to list them. I'll give me a couple though. Um David Garcia, Josh Miller, um, uh, Zach Kale, John Knight, Ross Copperman, Um, Josh Ker. Oh yeah, that's like heavy hitters. Man. Damn, your people must think

you're pretty good. If they're getting in right with you, that's a good thank you, That is a good thing. So okay, so you're here today, Yes, then what happens did you play tomorrow? Do you go back home for like eight months and then come back for another day or what? Go home for eight months? Come on now now? Um? No tomorrow, I um, I'm trying to think on my um. Tomorrow, I have a writing session actually with Zach Kale and two others from eleven three, and then I have to

record downos on another song that I did. So you get a lot of work done while you're here, absolutely, yeah, stacked schedule Your dad here, yeah, even though you're eighteen, he's here. Yeah, because you can't like, he doesn't want to leave me by myself. You can have one a girl and an eighteen year old girl wondering around. Yeah, but if you had a daughter that was eighteen, would you want to buy yourself down here? Oh? I mean I'd like a girlfriend much less a daughter. All right,

I'm saying. If I'm saying, if I think if she was like, I'm gonna go pursue something in college, same thing if you went to college. He's not with you I remember having this conversation with you while we're on idol. Yeah. I was like, eventually you gotta cut the court. Remember that conversation. Yeah, Okay, you don't have to do anything. I know, but he's just he's very loyal to me, and so I believe that I'm supposed to be loyal back towards him. I like him. He's a good dude.

He's great. I like hanging out with him. What do you think about all this? Um, he's loving watching it. I mean he's been a part of it with me since I was just started. He's the reason why I even I am where I am, honestly, because he's just been my rock and my support system through it all. He's the one that's given money to get me two shows. He's the one that's given his time. He's the one that's not everything. So I wouldn't be here without him, and he is really my main support system. So he's

just enjoying everything. I just give you a hard time because I like you. You You know that, right? That's sweet? Thanks? Thanks? Love hate relationship, No, there's no hate. There's no Are you still dating the long hair dude? Yeah? Kate? Where's he lived? Texas still. Did you guy see each other ever? Yeah, but I just saw him not that long ago. Have you ever come to town? Um? Yeah, we actually come quite often together and we do our own stuff. Did

your dad go on your dates with you? Good for that? How's that going you guys? Good? It's really good coming up on a year. So yeah, yep. And Ryan Seacrest out at us in front of everybody. We were the first American Idol couple. Actually, some people think like, oh, Mannie Caleb were the first, but with the first, okay, so how did that happen? You go on the show, You keep it quiet from the producers at first that

you guys kind of like each other. Yes, and then the producers literally just ask you every possible question they can and scant what's been going on? And then told I guess they told Ryan Secrest and he outed it because I had no idea when he performed, and they like, he did the whole reveal of everything. I was backstage like,

oh no, oh, you didn't know it's coming. No, because we separated relationship from business, we were like, we're not gonna we're not gonna put this on the television because we came here to win the competition. We didn't come to have the bachelorette on UM so because we knew you know, we knew of Maddie and Caleb too, so we'd always like go out together. So it was just funny how everything unwinded though. You try to keep a secret,

did I try? They everybody tries right to. Of course you keep it on the d L. It's it's crazy the minors they call them on American Idol. You guys had your own schedule. Yeah, you had to go first because you couldn't do you can do the long hours, right. That would be pretty cool to be like seventeen and a half and do Idol and not eighteen, right because you get all the provincial treamment. Yeah, it was interesting

you know now that Yeah, you're pointing that out. I mean in the beginning because I turned eighteen while on the show, So from the beginning, Yeah, during all the hard parts where people had to like stay super duper long, I got to go back UM. But then like on the right timing, I turned eighteen, So it's like it all worked. It was really cool. Did you get nervous

on the live shows? Yeah? Yeah, I mean I when I first started, like, I was very fortunate not to get nerves around anybody that I said, but American I absolutely was definitely a challenge because it's like you've so many people telling you, like, look at the camera, look at this, pay attention to this, do this, do this, do this, and there's a camera with a red dot. When you see the red dot come up, there's sixty

million people watching you. Don't mess up. There's three celebrities that you didn't even think we're human beings also watching you and critiquing what you're doing. Don't mess up. It's like, yeah, so it's kind of hard. And then once you get yourself into that mode, it is so hard to get out of. It's like an avalanche, Like it's a snowball. Don't get nervous, don't and nervous you get more nervous. So it was a challenge. I had to keep going back and forth with myself. Do you watch your social

media the whole time? Did I watch my social media? Yeah? It was crazy to see everything want to grow. Yeah, it was awesome, and it's really nice that they stuck with me. Yeah, even after American Idol, it's really really nice. Like with I hope seeing that, you know, just from a straight fan base, it's shot to fourteen on iTunes was crazy to me, didn't that means? That just showed me, like, while these people are really sticking with me even after

American Idol, which means a lot. So they're probably all listening. Now, Hey, what do you want to say to them? I love you guys so much. You have no idea. Thank you so much to everybody that supported me, because you have no idea what it means to me, and I wouldn't be here without you. It's really all about you guys. Um, anytime I perform, it's about everybody else, not yourself. So um, just thank you so much and we're gonna do it together. Keep climbing Garden in two years. That's what you used

to say. That's what you would say that you've moved. We talked to here because it was three but now it's two thousand nineteen, so it's too Yeah, you would say, I'm gonna play Madison Square Garden went headline in three years. Yeah, you have two years now, that's the goal? Ye, what is it? Goal? What do you want to do? Like if we're back here at my house in a year and we're in front of the microphones. Where do you want to be? Where do I want to be? Um? I want too. I think it would be so cool

to be my ear I have an earring. Do you have an ear ring or your ache? I have an ear ring? Hearing in and it's like pressing against earring. But it's okay, it's okay, beauty Spain, um and okay. Next year, I would like to be nominated for um A c m A Award. Yeah, I think that would be really really cool. That would be really cool. I'd like to be nominated for c m A Awards. I think that'd be really cool. That's a goal of mine for sure. With that's why I'm trying to make the

best of best songs. You know what you don't like about you? You have no shortness. There's no short of confidence with you, which you have to have. You have to you have to have so much confidence to be here all the time. You have to be so sure of yourself. And then your goals are super high, which is great and people may look at you and go, gab, you're crazy. But the crazy ones are the ones that are just crazy enough to make it. Yeah, because I'm nuts.

I've always been told all your nuts, your goals, you need to be big. Yeah, you know, if you don't have goals for yourself, nobody else will go bigger go home. No, don't go home, But you gotta go big, go big. I mean, if you're not going big, what's what are you doing? Well? You learn when it doesn't go right and you keep going big, don't go home. Okay, don't pack up your grab and go home. I mean unless you're living in Nashville and then go back. Okay, all right, listen,

it's been good to see you. We did how long? Half an hour? Did half? Half an hour? Interview? How you feel about it? Good? I haven't seen you know what I've seen you since the finale, you know. I just said that to my manager coming in. I was like, how's at your door? And I was like, oh my god, I would see if this American idol? This is so weird. So I'm growing so much. I'm a lot taller. Yeah,

you look a lot different. I was under my house but before you got everying to catch a cat, a cat that was under my house, and I was crawling in the crawl space and I got I got it out. He did. Yeah, I'm scared. Yeah, it out right on the other side of the outside. I know you think, well, fancy, Bobby. No, you know who gets his own cat front of the house. Me. There was no butler that does that? I do that. Yeah, there's no Butler. No, No, Mike is the closest thing yet. Listen,

it's good to see at Gabby Barrett underscore. Right g A B B Y B A R R E T T underscore underscore? Why the underscore to someone already have Gabby Barrett and you can't buy it from them? Did you try? Now? I tried. They won't tell me. Bobby Bones, why don't you try to buy to Gay Barrett. I'm gonna look into it. I have never tried that yet. So we'll say, all that money you got from the Idol tour, Yeah yeah, but does an underscore really make like a huge difference? Well, yeah, it's just easier to

go at Gabby Barrett than the underscore. That's right after it. All right, I've had enough of you, alright, I'm just kinished. In a year come back, we'll talk about your or a c M nomination. All right, it sounds like, let's see you by the way. You have you know, I forgot to bring up you have seven brothers sisters, right, yes, because you brought like half of them to the show. Yes, yeah, And I was like, yeah, yeah, like we got all

these kids absolutely folks. Yeah, because I was I'm a big fan of you, so I was like, you guys have to come. We all are big fans of you. We all would listen to you. So it was really cool and it's really cool to being back here. So thank you very much. Yeah, all right, Gabby Barrett, there we go. We'll see you soon. Alright, I check out, I hope, and you're gonna put other music out. I assuming, yes,

music coming. Very not your last song ever, you're saying within the next few weeks you'll hear a new song. All right. There we go, gat Bart Everybody, Episode sixt