After appearing on American Idol in 2018, Gabby Barrett began seeing success almost instantly upon the release of her single “I Hope,” but the 20-year-old had actually been working on her career for years prior to ever stepping on the Idol stage. In a new mini-documentary for Amazon Music, Barrett looks back on her early career, her time on Idol and what followed, including the release of “I Hope” and Barrett’s debut album, Goldmine, which arrived in June.
Breakthrough: Gabby Barrett was filmed in East Texas during quarantine at the home Barrett shares with her husband, Cade Foehner, who she met on Idol. In the mini-doc, Barrett details how she began singing in a gospel choir at age 9, where she learned what she could do with her voice before taking her talents on the road at age 11, where she began traveling with her dad and her sister and performing anywhere she could. At age 17, she was scouted for American Idol, where she finished third.
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“None of the record deals in town wanted anything to do with me,” Barrett reflected of her time after television. “Everybody initially passed. And so I just stuck my nose to the ground really riding on writing. Coming off a television show where you do mainly cover songs, nobody knows if you’re able to do any original music, if it’s able to sound good. So I really just focused on writing and diving into the Nashville community.”
“I Hope” was the fourth song Barrett ever wrote in Nashville, and ultimately served a the launch pad for Barrett’s career. After it released, it led her to a record deal with Warner Music Nashville and the release of Goldmine, which gave Barrett the most first week album streams for any country artist in history.
The Pennsylvania native is following “I Hope” with current single “The Good Ones,” which Barrett shares in the film was inspired by her husband. The clip also includes interviews with Foehner and footage of the two at home and performing together on their front steps, Foehner playing the guitar as they sang “Amazing Grace.”
Barrett is part of Amazon Music’s Breakthrough program, which spotlights emerging artists. “This is such an exciting opportunity to share with fans another side of who I am and how I got to this point in my career,” Barrett said in a statement. “I loved getting to film it and walk through the journey again — I feel blessed and fortunate for every step along the way. Partnering with Amazon Music in this mini-doc has been amazing — they have been huge supporters of me and my music and I am very grateful for everything they’ve done.”
