Idol alum Catie Turner releases first EP, has advice for new hopefuls ahead of auditions

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- If you've ever dreamed of your shot on American Idol, your chance is coming up!

The show is bringing back its Idol Across America tour, and it kicks off in two weeks.

We got some words of encouragement for anyone thinking of auditioning from former Idol contestant and Bucks County native Catie Turner, who just released her first EP on a major record label.

What a nearly four year journey it has been for Catie.

The singer-songwriter from Langhorne is now releasing new music, has a brand new music video and she just signed a record deal with Atlantic Records.

She signed a deal with Atlantic Records from her kitchen table at home in Langhorne during the pandemic. She has now unveiled her eagerly awaited debut EP called "Heartbroken and Milking It."

"It's like a time capsule because my feelings are still there and I'm putting it all out now," she said. "It's cathartic. It gets it out of your head and into something tangible and something that can help other people feel less alone somewhere. So it's very nice."

Catie was 17 when she auditioned for Idol and went on to make it to the Top 7.

Her advice to the new crop of hopefuls?

"Be yourself," she said. "Just literally go in there like it's your own gig. Think about what would you sing at your own concert, at your own gig, and do it like that. They want to see artists and who you're going to be after the show."

The Idol Across America Tour will be auditioning contestants from New Jersey on August 8th, and Delaware and Pennsylvania on September 8th.

It's a live virtual audition, but you do need to sign up for a time slot to sing for a producer.

Click here for details.