Meet the NJ Tik Tok Star who is on This Season of American Idol

Native New Jerseyan Tik Tok superstar Samantha Sharpe is headed to Hollywood after auditioning on American Idol! Sharpe, 25, is from Basking Ridge, New Jersey MyCentralJersey reports. Her family, known on Tik Tok as The Sharpe Family Singers, have millions of followers on the app and thousands on Instagram. Singing is in their blood as Samantha's parents are Broadway producers and professional performers Ron Sharpe and Barbra Russell-Sharpe who actually met while performing in “Les Miserables”.

The family of singers consists of parents, Ron and Barbra, and children, Samantha, Logan, and twins Aiden and Connor. Samantha says that when she was a little girl watching American Idol with her mom, she saw Kelly Clarkson and she just knew she had to be there one day to sing on the same stage as some of the greats. According to MyCentralJersey, Sharpe first auditioned for American Idol via Zoom where she sang “Titanium” by Sia and got the invitation to officially audition for the show in front of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. According to MyCentralJersey, Sharpe has starred in multiple regional productions including Edison’s Plays-In-The-Park, the Kelsey Theatre, and the Light Opera of New Jersey.

She says, “Honestly, Tik Tok really gave me the confidence and the courage to audition." MyCentralJersey says that the episode was filmed before Thanksgiving and there were a lot of COVID-19 precautions taken on set to make sure contestants and crew were as safe as possible, including frequent testing, social distancing, and mask-wearing.

Let's wish our fellow New Jerseyan all the luck in the world this season!