On February 28, American Idol alum, Catie Turner released her second single, Prom Queen.
Turner first caught audience attention when she auditioned on the 2017/18 revival season of American Idol. Her bubbly personality and original music helped her to earn a ticket to Hollywood and sent her sailing through to the “Top 7” before elimination.
Following her American Idol debut, Turner joined her castmates on a National American Idol tour and released an extended version of her audition song, 21st Century Machine: a musical commentary on our culture and it’s detrimental standards. “People on the airwaves always preach who I should be, how to dress, how to talk , Baby, how to breathe,” Turner sings.
Turner whimsically uses her music as a platform to share her own experiences and feelings, many of which mirror that of her fans. Her lyrical emotional and personal revelations are visible in much of her music; including an original song, PITY; which she sang on American Idol and shared on YouTube.
As a strong follow up to her previous tracks, Prom Queen recounts Turner’s own experience as a wallflower. She begins the song with, “I’m an iceberg. There’s so much more that your eyes can’t see.” She continues on wishing to have the attention of her peers, but more importantly she, “wants to be somebody to someone.”
Turner weaves raw lyrics to unveil an understanding that it is okay to be a wallflower.“Burn the sash and smash the tiara. That’s not me I‘ll never be prom queen,” she sings. Little is done within the song to mask the hurt that Turner still feels.
At 18 years old, her thoughtful songs and smooth voice appeal to many and the “standing ovation” she sings about is now her reality.