'American Idol' contestant waits for her chance to continue

By Alyse Kiara Deatherage
Correspondent

Menifee teenager Olivia Ximines waited weeks for the previously recorded “American Idol” episode to air on ABC Sunday night, showing her advancing to the top 20 of the popular singing competition.

Before a cheering crowd in Hawaii, Ximines impressed the judges with her lively performance of “Proud Mary”. But for recent weeks she has been confined at home, just like everyone else, while production of the show is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest recently told reporters that the situation will be re-evaluated at the end of April, after episodes with bonus footage from previous shoots air the next two Sundays.

However, Ximines has not become disheartened by this experience. She has taken this time to be with family and practice the things she loves, including singing and dancing, and through this pandemic she has managed to keep her positivity.

“I’m just enjoying being inside,” said Ximines, who is just 16. “I feel like everything happens for a reason. I’m a strong believer in that.”

Ximines sees this as an important time to stay in contact with her supporters and to be with family. Her performance of “Proud Mary” in Hawaii brought on a wave of support for her.

“A lot of people are DMing me and sending me sweet, kind messages, and telling me to keep on going and keep on thriving, and it’s just, it’s very … I love it,” said Ximines. “It’s very heartwarming.”

Ximines is grateful for this time to spend with family as well. She and her family have spent lots of time together watching movies and relaxing together.

“I truly feel that this is my time to spend with my family, and learn new things,” said Ximines.


“Hawaii was amazing. It was one of my favorite performances on the show thus far. I had the most fun I’ve ever had on stage out there, and the audience was super fun and welcoming.”

Though Ximines didn’t feel that this performance was her best vocally, she was very excited about the way she handled the stage and showed the judges a fun, upbeat side to her.

“Performance-wise. I showed them something that I’ve never done before, and something they were proud to see,” said Ximines. “A different side to me, a more upbeat, fun side.”

Ximines has a ritual of saying a prayer before she goes on stage, and for this performance, that helped her calm her nerves before being the last one to perform.

“Going last definitely made me more nervous, reason being I had to watch all 39 performances and I was just waiting,” said Ximines. “I didn’t want to be a bad ending.”

However, it was clear that the judges and audience were blown away by Ximines’ vocals and her exciting dance moves.

Previous to the show, Ximines choreographed a dance to her performance of “Proud Mary,” some of which included original moves used by Tina Turner in her own performances.

“I was watching Tina Turner videos for days on end,” said Ximines. “I used all of Tina Turner’s moves for the beginning, but for the second half of it, I choreographed it myself.”

Though this performance got Ximines to the top 20, she didn’t anticipate that it would go so well.

“I was prepared to get eliminated,” said Ximines. “I would practice my facials and stuff, for if I would get eliminated, and now to know that I’m not eliminated and I've made it to the top 20, like that is still ... that is amazing to me.”