BALTIMORE — Look out Baltimore! We've got another bright star coming from our city!
23-year-old Katyrah Love is going to Hollywood on American Idol. Her audition aired Sunday night after the Oscars.
RELATED: Meet Baltimore's own Katyrah Love from American Idol
She attended Catonsville High School and credits her participation in Baltimore's open mic scene as the factor that led to the birth of her stage name.
Originally her Instagram handle was a play on the word catastrophe, but she learned it was constantly difficult to spell on stage.
"I was trying to think of a either a word that kind of sums up who I am and sums up like my artistry and my music and just why I'm here, I'm here to spread love, to spread hope, so that's where Katyrah Love came from." she explained. "I felt like that name it's essential for my message to play a big role in pushing for that message of hope and love."
A lot of her writing, she says, has to do with empowering people and bringing positivity into communities.
"Since I began doing case management and peer support at Springbrook Community Services, I knew that there was a need to encourage, empower and push for hope in the community. A lot of the time we forget that music and art can be a big push for getting help with mental health," said Katyrah. "That's kind of been my mission for the past few years. It's going on two years that I'm doing case management here."
Katyrah grew up in a musically inclined family, with all of her siblings singing or playing instruments.
"Music's kind of been in my blood, and I also grew up singing in church, I grew up learning how to play classical percussion. So I mean, you can't get past being in music with that kind of background," she said.
For her, gospel music has always been a big uplifter, so she wanted to find a way to give back.
"Because I know not everyone believes in the same thing that I believe in, I want to kind of give music, I want to give back and get to pretty much everybody, so that everybody can have something to listen to and to jam to and also feel that same encouragement that I felt growing up," she continued.
Katyrah says that auditioning for American Idol was kind of unreal.
"I felt like I got myself in a mindset of, 'alright, let's get it, let's do this and I can definitely say that the other contestants played a big role in me feeling confident and me feeling positive about the whatever outcome happened," Katyrah explained.
She said that while it's a competition, everyone was just so excited to see different art and people.
"I think the idea of community is what made everybody just not care what the outcome was," she said. "So, although the audition was a little bit nervewracking, they made me feel like I was at home, it felt like a family reunion."
And back home, Katyrah says her whole goal with auditioning was to shine a light on her city.
"I know, we get like a bad rap sometimes, but there's hope, there's light, there's love, there's art here in Baltimore and that's how I became Katyrah Love, I wouldn't be who I am without my Baltimore City."
She currently has a song out with 4TR Band and Malachi that can be found on Spotify and Youtube.
You can watch Katyrah's full audition here.
