{"id":126737,"date":"2026-01-17T04:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T04:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/126737\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T04:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T04:34:18","slug":"teen-country-singer-chases-hollywood-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/126737\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen Country Singer Chases Hollywood Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

El Pasoans continue to put us in the spotlight<\/a> and this time an El Paso teen is officially chasing a dream that could take him all the way to Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Julian Kalel, a rising country music artist from the Borderland,<\/a> shared a post to his instagram page saying that he recently auditioned for this season of American Idol, stepping in front of superstar judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan. Now, El Paso will get a front-row seat as his journey unfolds on one of television\u2019s biggest stages.<\/p>\n

I was first introduced to Julian when one of my board members suggested hiring him to perform at a holiday drive benefiting Hospice of El Paso. She heard him perform at a local coffee shop and said that his voice was amazing, and she was not wrong!<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Iris Lopez<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Iris Lopez<\/p>\n

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Read More: These El Paso Women Are Dominating 2026 Headlines<\/a><\/p>\n

As care packages were delivered to paients at Hospice of El Paso\u2019s outpatient home, Julian serenaded residents with classic holiday songs, filling the room with comfort and joy. The residents were impressed with his voice and were thankful that he spent his Saturday morning singing for them.<\/p>\n

Julian\u2019s kindness matched his talent, and even then, it was clear he was destined for something big!<\/p>\n

Read More: El Paso\u2019s Aaron Jones Cracks Top 3 for NFL Honor<\/a><\/p>\n

An El Paso Country Star Using His Platform For Good<\/p>\n

For Julian, music has always been more than melodies and lyrics. In a post that was share to his instagram account he wrote:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since I began writing music, I dreamed of one day being on a stage where others who fought everyday battles could see how vulnerability and struggle can carry meaning beyond pain, and that staying another day is about more than survival – it\u2019s about believing in yourself.<\/p>\n

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Highlighting Mental Health Through Music<\/p>\n

In August 2024, Julian was featured in City Magazine<\/a>,<\/a> where he opened up about using music to address mental health. Giving back has always been part of his journey. In December 2023, he hosted a benefit concert for El Paso\u2019s Migrant Refugee Center, and when he made his Nashville debut last year, he raised funds for the Nashville Foster Love Closet and Resource Center.<\/p>\n

Being able to use his platform to address mental health is key for Julian in his music career and we will all be able to see that as he auditions for American Idol this season. According to Julian’s post, we\u2019ll be able to watch the journey starting January 26 on ABC and Hulu. El Paso will be rooting you on, Julian!<\/p>\n

\"93.1<\/p>\n

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Meet the El Paso Talent Making Waves in Broadway and Hollywood<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

PHOTOS: Inside El Paso\u2019s First-Ever New Year\u2019s Eve Star Drop<\/p>\n

El Paso made history with its first Star Drop at San Jacinto Plaza, featuring live music, local DJs, and a celebration built by local businesses.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Courtesy; Iris Lopez, El Paso Winterfest, Christian Churches<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"El Pasoans continue to put us in the spotlight and this time an El Paso teen is officially…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,140,139,141,142,143,833],"class_list":{"0":"post-126737","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-el-paso","8":"tag-el-paso","9":"tag-el-paso-headlines","10":"tag-el-paso-news","11":"tag-featured-carousel","12":"tag-include-in-newsletter","13":"tag-local-el-paso","14":"tag-local-texas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}