McKenna Breinholt, a 25-year-old singer from Gilbert, Arizona, captured America’s heart after performing “There Was Jesus” by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton on last night’s season premiere of “American Idol.”
“I FINALLY made the decision to try out for this next season of American Idol,” Breinholt shared on Instagram last month. “This has been a dream of mine for a long time now and I am proud of how far I have come. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I was given to be able to even audition!”
Breinholt continued, “Today is exactly one month away from the season premier [sic] and y’all better tune in to see if I got the golden ticket or not!! :).”
Breinholt told the “American Idol” judges that she was adopted and had discovered that her birth mother was a singer named Amy Ross Lopez. When Breinholt turned 21, she started searching for her birth mother and discovered that Lopez had passed away in October 2013 due to complications from lupus.
“I found [out] I was adopted as early as I was able to understand it,” Breinholt said. “My mom struggled for several years trying to get pregnant and eventually they decided to go through the adoption process.”
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“I have the best family in the world,” she added. “They’ve always supported me.”
After finding out her birth mother was a singer who performed locally in Bisbee, Arizona, just a few hours away from Gilbert, Breinholt said she “instantly knew where I got my ear from and where I got my voice from—it just all clicked.”
Breinholt made contact with her entire birth family in the summer of 2023 and discovered that they all sing.
“My birth family was looking for me for probably the last eight years,” she shared. “Knowing that I have another family out there who’s equally excited to know and love me was amazing.”
Breinholt explained to the judges she had only spoken to members of her birth family on FaceTime but had plans to meet them in person in the next few weeks.
