HunterGirl performed a Dolly Parton classic on American Idol on Monday, and Luke Bryan jumped up and down in his seat.HunterGirl chose Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" from a list of three songs the Idol judges handpicked for her, which included "Here You Come Again," "9 to 5" by Parton, and "Wide Open Spaces" by The Chicks.
Parton, who is also an East Tennessee native, is one of Dolly Parton's daughters.”"I don't know which one to choose yet; it's a tough decision," the contestant admitted. The judges selected three great songs, and now I'm wondering which one is my favorite.’ After they chose two Dolly Parton songs, I thought, “I think I want to do a Dolly song.”During a conversation with Idol's associate musical director, Justin Avery, and vocal coach, India Carney, HunterGirl revealed her reasoning for choosing Parton's "9 to 5."
"I'm working between 6 AM and 9 PM right now," HunterGirl joked before explaining her decision.“I grew up in East Tennessee, so I used to listen to her all the time when I was a little girl. The same was true for my grandparents, they always listened to Dolly Parton when I walked into their house.Music therapists often work with veterans, so singing this song may be a challenge for them." I'm going to be feeling the pressure after this one, maybe I'll be able to hit some notes I never thought I could, and just want to make Dolly proud," she shared.
She was challenged by Ryan Seacrest after performing the iconic country hit to guess which Idol judge chose it for her performance. Huntergirl guessed Lionel picked the song, thinking it would be fun and lively, and we'd all have a good time before Richie revealed it was not Lionel.She performed the song chosen by Luke Bryan, who then celebrated her choice with a dance from the judges' panel before letting Lionel Richie and Katy Perry comment on her performance.
"Here we come again...that was me," Richie said. “Your performance was amazing!”As I told you last night, you took my advice about stage presence and interacted with the background vocalists. You showed me there's more. Add rhinestones, girl, you embody Dolly!" Perry complimented.
