HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, March 28, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — The daughter of a Hill Air Force Base officer is getting the chance to showcase her talent and chase her dreams as a contestant on “American Idol.”
Elleigh Francom, the daughter of the 75th Operations Squadron’s Lt. Col. Matthew Francom, advanced to Hollywood after her audition impressed the ABC singing competition’s judges, including country star Luke Bryan, who praised her being “the perfect ‘American Idol’ contestant.”
“It was a crazy experience,” said Elleigh Francom, 20, of American Fork. “It was a long day with a lot of sitting around filming. I was emotional and had to quickly pull it together and sing for the judges.”
Francom became emotional while talking about her father’s scheduled deployment for a year in April.
“He comes home every time, so we’ve been lucky, but it’s so scary,” she said during an interview with “American Idol” producers.
Francom earned a standing ovation from the three judges — Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie — for her rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
“I think she’s top 10,” Bryan said. “Seriously. Just really beautiful things going on in your voice. … I just loved it — loved it.”
Francom said she grew up singing and dancing, and was encouraged by her mother, who also is a performer.
She made her first attempt at qualifying for “American Idol” at 16 with a Zoom audition but didn’t make it past the first round.
Francom got another chance this season and was invited to audition in Los Angeles in October 2023.
“A casting producer reached out to me over Instagram,” she said. “He saw some videos of me singing and dancing and wanted me to audition again.”
Francom, who has had to move nine times in 15 years due to her father’s military career, said she believes that helped her when meeting with “American Idol” producers and judges.
“Constantly being the new kid, I had to learn how to be social in order to make new friends,” she said. “It helped me become good at being able to adapt to new situations and respond better when meeting new people. It was rough growing up, but I wouldn’t trade it.”
And her father is proud of her accomplishments.
“This has been a dream of hers since she was dancing and singing all around the house as a toddler,” Lt. Col. Francom said. “As the oldest of four kids, she has borne the brunt of military life, but the rigors of military life have made her extremely resilient and allowed our family to grow closer as a result.”
