Grace Kinstler has come a long way from her American Idol audition. With her powerhouse voice, Grace made it to the show’s season 19 finale, and finished in third place behind Willie Spence and winner Chayce Beckham. Regardless of where she ended up in the competition, though, Grace learned so much from her time on the show.
“I think the one thing that has changed in my perspective as an artist and a person is don’t compare yourself and don’t try to mold yourself into what you think you should be,” Grace told HollywoodLife and other media outlets after the finale. “One thing you have going for yourself is your authentic self. That is what people will gravitate towards. So i think having those sets of blinders on and not comparing my success with anyone else’s [is important] because everyone’s journey is completely different.”
Now that the competition is over, Grace is excited to get to work on music of her own. “I want to write more music, schedule recording sessions, collaborate with people,” she gushed. “I am very excited!” The momentum is definitely high right now, but Grace admitted that she’s a “realist” when it comes to her future, as well.
“I don’t like to make rash decisions without some solid ground to stand on first,” she admitted. “I think, at this point, I need to find out what is available for me with whatever doors have opened. Do people want to work with me, and if so, who? I have to do my research and figure myself out first before I decide that I am going to pick up everything and move to L.A.”
School is still a priority for Grace, but she’s certainly not giving up on music. “I think i really depends what happens for me,” she said. “And if nothing does, I am going to be searching and searching for those opportunities and networking my butt off! I am going to make it happen for myself from whatever void there might be.”
After the show, American Idol’s in-house mentor, Bobby Bones, offered up some advice to Grace, as well as runner-up, Willie Spence, for their futures. “Make some decisions about the specific direction you want to go,” he said. “If you just record music and put it out, and you put it out for everybody, then no one hears it. Figure it out because this window only stays open for a minute. Figure out your niche and nurse it and see how it spreads.”