Breanna Nix is ready for her time in the spotlight. The 25-year-old stay-at-home mom to her son, Emerson, has already captured American Idol fans’ hearts—and the season hasn’t even premiered yet!
Fans got an early look at Breanna’s audition when Idol shared it to YouTube, setting off loads of interest in the Texas-based singer.
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So what do you need to know about her before finding out if she landed a Golden Ticket? Read on for three quick facts about Breanna.
She Posts Covers of Songs on Instagram
On her Instagram account, Breanna proudly shares clips of herself singing, often with her husband, Austin, accompanying her on keyboard.
Recently she’s covered songs including Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” Rascal Flatt’s “Bless the Broken Road,” and Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
Of taking the leap to bring her songs from Instagram to American Idol, Breanna wrote, “That was the scariest…. but BEST moment of my life!!!!!! I’ll never ever forget this! Don’t forget to tune in March 9th to see if I got that golden ticket!!!! Thank you guys so so much. I really appreciate everyone, & I am truly so humbled for this opportunity.”
She’s Been on a Weight Loss Journey Since the Birth of Her Son
In her Idol intro video, Breanna explained that she’d weighed more than 300 pounds when she gave birth to Emerson.
“Emerson was a blessing I didn’t know I needed. I was overweight my whole life, always the bigger girl. Right after I had my son, I was over 315 pounds,” Breanna said in the clip. “I just remember being in the delivery room and just looking down at him knowing that, if I wanted to be the best mom that I could, this lifestyle was not going to work. I decided to lose weight.”
“It led me to a journey of self-love. I’ve learned I can do the things that I really dreamed to do,” she continued. “I’m doing this because I want Emerson to know that anything is possible. He’s watching his momma chase after her dreams. I just hope that one day he’ll do the same thing.”
Now, Breanna has lost more than 160 pounds. She decided to help others by sharing her weight loss journey on Instagram and by working as a health coach.
“Some days it feels like you aren’t making any progress. Some days you wanna throw the towel in. Some days the obstacles of life seem to be bigger than anything else,” she wrote on Instagram in December. “But if you keep pushing… ONE day you’ll look back and be so thankful every time you said yes to yourself, and never stopped.”
Carrie Underwood Was Moved By Her Story
During her audition, Breanna entered room with her husband and son by her side. Carrie quickly agreed to hold Emerson in her lap as Breanna performed for the room, and Austin accompanied her on piano.
“I’m 25 years old. I’m just a stay-at-home mom,” Breanna told judges Carrie, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. The former judge took issue with Breanna’s phrasing, telling her, “Never say, ‘I’m just a stay-at-home mom.’ You have the most important job.”
Breanna then performed Carrie’s 2005 track “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” Emerson was so comfortable as his mom sang that he appeared to nod off to sleep in Carrie’s lap. The combination of the impressive performance and the cute toddler led Carrie to tear up.
“I’m sorry,” she told the room. “He’s just adorable and sweet and it got to me.”
American Idol airs Sundays at 8/7 on ABC.
Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless