The American Idol judges were left with a tough decision after the April 5 episode of American Idol: There were two talented singers left, and only one spot in the top 20 remaining. Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry were unable to decide between Grace Leer and Lauren Mascitti, so they put the vote in America’s hands. Now, the results will be revealed on April 19, and only one girl will move on. Before the big reveal, here’s more to know about Grace:
1. She’s in a band & has been performing for years. Grace grew up in the San Francisco area and now lives in Nashville. She moved there in 2017 to pursue her country music career, and formed The Grace Leer Band that year. Grace has been performing since her elementary school talent shows, and beginning in 2003, she started singing at local San Francisco events, including games for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s and Golden State Warriors.
2. She’s a college graduate and athlete. In addition to singing, Grace is also a talented athlete, who earned a scholarship to play Division 1 soccer at University of California – Berkeley. She graduated in 2015 with a degree in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies.
3. She works at a staffing company. While pursuing her music career, Grace has worked at Wonolo in Nashville since Jan. 2019. She is a Mid Market Account Executive, according to her LinkedIn page. She previously worked at Houzz as an Account Coordinator and Account Executive from June 2017 until Jan. 2019.
4. She has a big family. Grace is the youngest of four siblings in her family. She has two older brothers and an older sister.
5. She was previously on ‘American Juniors.’ When Grace was just 11 years old, she competed on the American Idol spin-off show, American Juniors. During her time on the show, Gladys Knight praised Grace’s singing. However, she was eliminated in the top 20.