Julia Gargano has long been a fan of “American Idol.” In fact, the native of Westerleigh, Staten Island, remembers the very first season, which catapulted Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini to fame.
“My family and I watched it every week,” the 21-year-old tells The Post. “My cousin and I would do re-creations of ‘From Justin to Kelly,’ and I always ended up being Justin,” added Gargano of the cheesy 2003 flick starring Season 1’s breakout talents.
As a songwriter, Gargano never expected to be a contender on the mainstream show, which typically sees contestants singing the hits.
However, on Sunday night’s episode, Gargano wasn’t re-creating anyone else’s music but her own. During the dazzling performance, she played the piano and belted out her soulful, original song, “Growing Pains.”
The powerful showcase didn’t just secure her a spot in the next round — it was followed by an outpouring of praise on social media, including from judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
Richie tweeted, “You gave us the whole authentic self,” while Perry wrote, “Is … anyone … else … falling … in … love … with … @Julia_Gargano’s … voice … right … now?” Before telling her she’d be headed to Hollywood, California, Perry guessed Gargano would make it to the top 5 in the contest.
“It’s very weird. I have never been someone who is big on social media. But I am looking at all of this on a phone, so it feels like I am looking at someone else’s life,” says Gargano.
Julia Gargano wows “American Idol” judges.ABC
More importantly, her performance compelled Perry to walk up and dish out a giant hug for the Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts graduate.
“My whole family is very big on hugging. I am such a hugger, so it was very comforting to me,” says Gargano, who filmed the audition in October and enjoyed seeing the moment in its entirety on television. Especially when Perry also predicted the singer-songwriter would make it to the top 5.
“When Katy Perry said that, I basically blacked out. I am reliving this whole moment.”
Currently a senior at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, Gargano says her professors have been especially accommodating considering she had to travel to California — her first trip to the Golden State — for the show.
“I’m trying to finish in time,” she says. “I can’t disclose where I am in the process, but there have been lots of absences involved. My teachers have been super supportive.”
Gargano has been singing at her local Westerleigh Folk Festival and St. George Theatre since she was a kid and even performs around the city, including a regular gig at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village since she was only 13. Her father, a financial adviser, also writes his own songs and plays the guitar.
“We used to sing Beatles songs together,” says Gargano, who now has her own impressive catalog of original tunes. She counts Brandi Carlile and Radiohead as her biggest influences and describes her sound as having a “storytelling folk vibe with a rock influence. [Carlile] is my No. 1. She is big on telling a story, and that’s what I am trying to do.”
So far, she’s crafting a narrative that will make Staten Islanders proud.
“It’s such a close-knit community,” she says of her home borough. “Even when I look through my comments, I am seeing ‘Staten Island represent.’ ” A few local bars including The Kettle Black, Jimmy Max and O’Neill’s are hosting “American Idol” viewing parties on Sunday nights.
“I’m annoyingly proud to be from New York, and I am very proud to be from the city and Staten Island.”
Ref;nypost.com