Who is Abi Carter? Inside the American Idol winner’s unconventional family life – from being homeschooled to helping support her single mom

California native Abi Carter was crowned the winner of American Idol for season 22 on Sunday.

The 21-year-old wowed the judges with her rendition of Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? during her audition, and continued throughout the series to become an audience and fan favorite.

Despite the hardships in her early life, Abi persevered with her music and achieved her dream of being heard by millions.

“I’m just a girl from Indio who used to sing on the street corners, and now I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working with some of the most talented people in the industry and being heard by millions of people,” she says. gushed in an Instagram post after her win.

“This is my dream and I know it’s just the beginning,” the singer added.

Below, take a look at the singer’s life so far and what led to her audition for American Idol – and what’s next for the talented singer.

The 21-year-old wowed the judges with her rendition of Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? during her audition, and continued throughout the series to become an audience and fan favorite

Who is Abi Carter?

Abi Carter is a 21-year-old from Indio, California, who has always dreamed of becoming an artist.

The talented singer continued to wow the judges with her performances throughout the show.

Abi earned her place in the top three of the reality competition after a semi-final episode in which she performed Hello by Adele and My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy.

She continued to wow the judges with her versions of popular songs, such as Bring Me to Life, Clocks and All Too Well, after receiving a platinum ticket during her audition.

This meant she had to top the first round of Hollywood week and go straight to round two.

Abi earned her place in the reality show’s top three after a semi-final episode in which she performed Hello by Adele and My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy.

Abi grew up singing in public as much as she could and as a child participated in church choirs, local talent shows and street fairs in Palm Springs (pictured with her siblings)

Where did Abi Carter grow up?

Abi grew up in Indio, California. She is the eldest of seven children raised by a single mother and has previously spoken about helping raise her younger siblings.

Her mother had a deep love of music, which she instilled in her children, and Abi began performing at an early age.

Abi started playing the piano when she was just seven years old. As seen on the Epic Top Trending YouTube page, Abi was “already singing” in the womb, while “a nurse noticed that she appeared to be humming during an ultrasound during one of her mother’s doctor visits.”

Abi grew up singing in public as much as she could and participating in church choirs, local talent shows and street fairs in Palm Springs.

Despite having musical ambitions, Abi pursued higher education at California State University, San Bernardino.

She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in May 2023.

Abi grew up in Indio, California. She is the eldest of seven children raised by a single mother and has spoken about helping raise her younger siblings

What was Abi Carter’s family life like?

Abi is the second eldest of seven children, raised mainly by a single mother after her parents split.

When she first started on Idol, Abi revealed that she comes from a very religious family, before singing a Hillsong song: Oceans (Where Feet May Fall).

Abi has spoken about helping raise her younger siblings, explaining that she was homeschooled from third grade onwards, which allowed her to help support her large family while her mother pursued higher education to support her children.

In a March 2024 interview, she delved more into her educational background, explaining that she attended La Quinta High School for “less than a semester” before returning to homeschooling.

“My mother had to go back to school to get a degree that would support all of us,” she explained earlier.

“Then I had to drop out of public high school and go back to homeschooling so I could get a job so I could buy a car and take my siblings to and from school and extracurricular activities because my mother at the time was busy with her education.’

Abi is the second oldest of seven children raised by a single mother after her parents separated in high school

Abi released her very first original song called It’s All Love on March 29, 2024 (featured during an appearance on American Idol)

When will new music be released from Abi Carter?

Abi released her very first original song on March 29, 2024, called It’s All Love.

“I never felt like I could do everything right the first time, but at the end of the day, everything you experience in life is all love,” she shared on Instagram ahead of the release.

Abi excited posted an Instagram message after her win, saying it was an “honor” to be the first female winner after four years.

‘HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!??!?!?!? I couldn’t have imagined winning #americanidol when I started this whole journey, Ali said.

“We haven’t had a girls winner in over four years and to be the first after so many seasons is the greatest honor.”

The last female winner of American Idol was Just Sam (Samantha Diaz) during season 18 in 2020.

It is not yet known when Abi will release new music.