Front Royal native goes to Hollywood for American Idol

Charlee Allman has always known that she wanted to be a musician. When she was selected at a competition in New Orleans to go to American Idol in Hollywood, twenty-two-year-old Allman could never have been more certain that music is the right path for her.

Charlee Allman at the Hollywood American Idol competition

“It was a very interesting experience,” she said. “I just viewed the thing as a win in and of itself.” Although she did not advance beyond the first round in Hollywood, Allman said she views the experience as a stepping stone, not a failure. Judged by Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan, the determined singer negotiated long days, getting only four hours of sleep each night. “No lie,” she laughed. One of the highlights of her auditions as well as her Hollywood week, was being accompanied by the musician Phredley Brown. Another highlight was receiving wisdom from Lionel Richie.

“You don’t get any feedback in Hollywood for the first round,” Allman explained. The judges, at that point, do not tell the contestants what they did wrong or what they did right. They put her in a lineup of roughly ten contestants grouped together, though not performing together, relying on a board of laminated photos of each contestant to determine who is going to advance. “It was all very nerve-wracking,” she said. As for the ending of her American Idol experience, “It was a little bittersweet,” she said, “but I wouldn’t say very bitter.” She said, “I took it seriously but not seriously enough to suck the fun out of it.” For the Hollywood competition, she sang Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi.

As she looks at her summer prospects, Allman is beginning to get proactive about taking the next step with her music. The idea of doing local gigs at bars in Front Royal, where she has lived most of her life, appeals to her. She also wants to start writing her own music, as many of the people she met in Hollywood are doing. “I’m just excited to see what I step into next,” she said. However, she is brutally honest. “I struggle with my confidence.” But the local gigs would give her the opportunity to test the songs she writes. As for the type of music she loves to sing, she said, “I usually stick with country, which is in my comfort zone.”

Charlee Allman on right with fellow contestants Dawson Wayne and Sarah Snyder at the Hollywood American Idol competition

Allman remembers Lionel Richie’s encouragement to the young people to soak everything up like a sponge, to learn the difference between what the industry is perceived as being and what it actually is. Although she does not completely rule out the possibility of a future in the music industry if she only ever has the chance to perform locally, “I will be just as happy,” she said. “Society has this expectation that you do the biggest, best thing.” In Allman’s mind, this expectation can suck the fun out of daily life. “I don’t know if that’s really my goal in life. I just love doing this. It’s about what you’re doing, not where you’re at.”

Allman has lived in Front Royal ever since she was four years old, around the time that her father would record her singing for pretend auditions. Those pretend performances eventually led her to perform on stage at the Los Angeles Theatre for American Idol, where Whitney Houston and many other famous musicians appeared. It felt “so full circle and very special.” But the point she kept making is how happy she is in Front Royal. “I think it’s very beautiful. I love being around nature. I love going up on Skyline Drive with my family and friends. “It’s kind of a chill place to live.”

Allman graduates this May from Laurel Ridge Community College with a general associate’s degree.