Jesse Barry, lead singer of the Asheville-based band Skinny Legs and All, has sung the blues since she was 8. She was stunned when, during her celebrity audition on American Idol last January (the fourth before she was selected for the Hollywood round), singer Mary J. Blige told her that a small white girl belting out the blues just didn’t work—even if she did sound like Aretha Franklin. “She told me I should pick music that fits my appearance, that I didn’t know who I was,” Barry says. After she was eliminated from the competition by an unhappy Simon Cowell, cameras followed her tears all the way into the bathroom. “At least,” Barry laughs, “I really liked the outfit I was wearing.” 

Currently dual-enrolled at Asheville High and A-B tech, she plans to take a year after graduation to focus on music full time. She’ll also try out for American Idol again.