Indio's Abi Carter was serenading the Palm Springs area long before 'American Idol' debut

Long before she was earning praise from singers Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on "American Idol," Indio native Abi Carter could be seen and heard throughout the Coachella Valley, similarly serenading audiences wherever she went.

Carter, 21, has performed at downtown Palm Springs' VillageFest and Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, Kitchen 86 + Bar in Palm Desert and in country clubs throughout the valley. It was all a way for the young singer to chase after her musical dreams and hopefully get noticed by the right people.

But when she made her debut on "American Idol" during week two of the auditions stage, her voice captured the attention of the judges and a national audience. Sitting at the piano and belting out a soulful rendition of Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie," the judges couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"That may be the winner of 'American Idol,'" Bryan declared from behind the judges' desk as he and Richie issued a standing ovation, joined in by the crew's applause. Richie confidently stated, "We don't have to vote."

"What were you made for?" Perry asked Abi as she held the young woman by the arms. "You were made for this, 100%."

It's a moment that still seems surreal for Carter, as she shared in a recent interview with The Desert Sun.

During her hometown celebration, she and her family learned she'd received the second of three platinum tickets (Odell Bunton Jr. received the first of Season 22), which takes her straight to the second round of Hollywood Week. "American Idol" airs every Sunday on ABC.

More: How can I watch 'American Idol'? Here's all you need to know about catching Season 22

Before she gets back in front of the judges again, Carter caught up with The Desert Sun to discuss her upbringing in the Coachella Valley and how she fell in love with music. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What was life like growing up in the Coachella Valley?

Abi Carter: I was homeschooled for most of my life. I went to (George) Washington Charter (School) up until third grade and from there I was homeschooled. I went to less than one semester at La Quinta High School, and it was during that time that my parents separated. My mom had to start going back to school to get a degree to support all of us. I, subsequently, kind of had to leave public high school and go back into homeschooling so that I could get a job to be able to buy a car and take my siblings to and from school and extracurricular activities because my mom was then occupied with her schooling. Ironically, I ended up going to the same school that my mom did, California State University San Bernardino at the Palm Desert campus. I got a degree in psychology, and I graduated summa cum laude.

In the midst of all of that, how did you find your passion for music?

AC: I started playing piano when I was about 7 or 8. I went to piano lessons with Marta Basham. She's just the salt of the earth, the absolute kindest woman in the entire world. When it came to the point where my family could no longer afford piano lessons, she just continued to do it for free because she believed so much in me. A lot of me feels like I owe so much to her because not only did she continue to push me in my passions, she recognized that I had a passion.

I've been singing for as long as I could speak. My mom was a singer, so she was always singing around the house and singing us to sleep, so I think I definitely took a lot of that passion from her, and Marta helped me hone in on that. Once I got a job, I was able to start paying for piano lessons.

As you were developing your piano and singing skills, when did you realize you wanted to pursue it seriously?

AC: I think I was 11 years old and I heard a song on the radio while I was cleaning my house. It was 'Battle Scars' by Guy Sebastian and Lupe Fiasco. I don't know what clicked in my head at the moment, but it was just like, I finally recognized a pattern in music and realized every time they played a note it was literally a formula and it could be translated across all songs. That's when I was like, oh my gosh, if I can understand that, that means that I know how to play pop songs. So I ran to the piano and I figured it out on the piano and realized it was exactly the same thing. I started singing to it a little bit. From there, it just sparked a love of honestly the formula of music, and then it was singing with it and loving to play songs with it. That's how I play things. At (VillageFest), somebody will come up and ask me for a song, and if I've heard the song, I know how to play it automatically because I can understand the formula.

Have you started creating your own music?

AC: In the beginning, I was definitely enamored with playing songs that I would hear on the radio. 'Say Something' by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera was a very big piano song, and I remember being able to sit down and figure that one out and being so excited about it, and then 'Someone Like You' by Adele. I think playing all of that made me realize that I wanted to do things that I so deeply related to, so I started writing my own music.

When you've performed at VillageFest, what kind of interactions did you have with passersby? Did you get to have conversations with people?

AC: My favorites are when little kids would come up and ask for things like 'Let It Go' from 'Frozen' or 'How Far I'll Go' from 'Moana.' One of my personal favorites was 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' because it's a five-person song minimum and I'm just one girl trying to do it all (laughs). It was just so fun. I would see little kids with fairy wings come up and some kids with balloons, and they would just twirl and dance while I'm playing a song and that meant something to me. I felt like that's such true enjoyment, and I was really happy to be somebody who could do something like that.

I have to ask about your audition on 'American Idol.' What did it feel like going through the whole process and hearing such glowing reviews?

AC: 'American Idol' has been so overwhelming. I was the very last audition of the day on that day, so I'd been there from 6 a.m., and at that point I think it was around 8 p.m. I was so tired, but the adrenaline was kind of pumping me through. I think I looked so calm because I had been spent with all the adrenaline throughout the day. I got there and I felt so calm. I thought, whatever was going to happen was going to happen. I kind of just poured my heart into it. I've gotten a lot of exposure therapy being at the Palm Springs street fair, having people walk by you and not pay attention and have people stop and listen and ask for things. I just kind of wanted to take a second and pretend like I was back at the street fair, just doing what I normally do, having a request and sitting down and doing it.

It was nerve-racking, of course. I'm pretty sure I blacked out during the performance (laughs). But to see all three of the judges stand up, and for Katy to come up to me and give me a big hug, for Luke Bryan to say that he thought I was going to be the next winner of 'American Idol,' and Lionel Richie to agree with him and say they didn't even have to vote, that just meant the absolute world to me. I thought I was dreaming. It absolutely could not have possibly been the actual audition that I was doing, but it was amazing and it was incredible.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Indio native Abi Carter talks love of music, 'American Idol' audition