When Madison VanDenburg opens her mouth to sing, she’s capable of captivating an entire room or crowd, regardless of the size. This is something the 17-year-old has proven time and time again throughout season 17 of American Idol, where she’s become a judges favorite and frontrunner to win the whole show. Madison is now in the Top 14, and will continue to sing her heart out in hopes of earning viewer votes as the competition winds down. Here’s more to know about the teenager from upstate New York:
1. How did she get started in singing? Madison performed a lead role in her school’s sixth grade play of Annie, and the reaction from the crowd is what pushed her to pursue her passion for singing. When Madison finished singing her lead solo in the play, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, and it helped her realize how much she loved performing and feeding off of crowd reaction. From then on, she began seriously pursuing music as a possible career path.
2. She spent middle school singing in a restaurant. Madison’s father is a restaurant owner, and during middle school, she would sing at the establishment to get a feel for the music industry. She eventually began performing at venues throughout upstate New York.
3. She’s a musician, too. Madison is able to more than just sing. In fact, before she even realized her vocal talent, she was already playing guitar and piano for several years. She also played flute in her school band.
4. She learned a lot of her technical singing skills in school. Although Madison was always interested in music, it was her classes in elementary school, middle school and during her freshman year that taught her how to sight read music. She was in the chorus and band during her schooling.
5. She’s been awarded for her talent. Madison placed first at the CASA ‘Raise Your Voice’ competition two years in a row.