GILBERT, AZ — As a brand-new season of American Idol gets underway, one of last season’s standout contestants, McKenna Faith Breinholt, sat down with ABC15's Kaley O'Kelley to talk about the life-changing journey of rediscovering and finding a voice she never knew she had.
When McKenna Faith Breinholt first stepped onto the American Idol stage, she was already a hometown favorite. Her soulful voice captivated Idol fans.
But it was her story of adoption that made her journey unforgettable from the start.
As she waited for the "golden ticket" to Hollywood, Idol producers and her adoptive parents orchestrated a surprise— to bring her birth family into the audition room for the first time.
“It felt like a reunion... because it felt like I’d known them my whole life. I just froze. It was overwhelming in the most beautiful way," Breinholt recalled during her interview with O'Kelley.
McKenna’s birth mother, Amy Ross Lopez, was a singer from Bisbee, Arizona. She was diagnosed with a terminal form of lupus.
Uplifting Arizona
Share your stories of hope and celebration! Have an uplifting story from your Arizona community?
Knowing she wouldn’t be around to raise her baby, Lopez made the heartbreaking decision to place McKenna up for adoption.
"She's put me in a place where, I have this beautiful family with these amazing parents who supported me and gotten me to where I need to go, and she's just been my guardian angel, you know, in the background, making it happen, but I felt her like a lot throughout my life," Breinholt explained.
As Mckenna performed week after week on one of the world’s biggest stages, she tells ABC15 it was a deep spiritual connection that carried her as millions of Idol fans voted to secure her place in the top 7.
But then the spotlight disappeared.
"I think you're just exposed to so much excitement and so much fame, and it's go, go, go. So, when the show's over, you kind of just are like, 'What is my purpose? What am I supposed to be doing?' Because that Spotlight's not on you as strong as it was before," Breinholt said.
Then, she was faced with an even greater challenge. A polyp on her vocal cords needed surgery, forcing McKenna into months of painful silence.
For the first time ever, she couldn’t sing, but she says she found her true purpose: connecting with people through her songs.
"I couldn't talk or sing or anything, and just had to kind of refigure out my purpose, and, like, realize that my purpose is not only just music, and also helped me dig into my creative side. So, I started writing a ton," Breinholt added.
Now, as American Idol kicks off Season 23, McKenna is sharing some insight into the show.
"American Idol was really hard! Everyone's so amazing, but it feels like you're in boot camp, like military boot camp. It's pretty crazy, but it's a beautiful experience," Breinholt said.
She also has this message for the contestants just beginning their own Idol journey.
“It’s harder than anyone realizes. You’re exhausted, emotional. It pushes you to your limit. But if you can make it through, it will change your life forever. It's changed my life. American Idol didn't just help my career, it just helped everything," said Breinholt.
McKenna is now performing across the globe and working on her debut album.
She said fans can keep updated on her career by following her on social media:
You can watch the new season of American Idol on Sunday nights at 7 p.m. on ABC15.
