‘I want to make Wisconsin proud’: Badger HS grad competes for your vote on American Idol
Genevieve Heyward advanced to the competition’s Top 20.
AHEAD OF US, JUST MINUTES AWAY. >> HOPE YOU DON’T MIND. I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND THAT I PUT DOWN IN WORD. >> SAYING IT. WOW. >> OH WOW. A WISCONSIN WOMAN IS IN THE TOP 20 ON AMERICAN IDOL. BADGER HIGH SCHOOL ALUM GENEVIEVE HAYWARD GAVE AN EMOTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF ELTON JOHN’S YOUR SONG IN THE OHANA ROUND LAST MONDAY. NOW SHE’S COMPETING FOR YOUR VOTES AND WE ARE SO THRILLED TO HAVE HER BACK. GENEVIEVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPENDING SOME TIME. HOW ARE YOU? >> I’M DOING SO GOOD. THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK. >> ABSOLUTELY. OKAY, SO LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR TRAJECTORY THUS FAR. RIGHT. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? HAVE YOU BEEN CHECKING IN WITH FAMILY? HOW HAS HOW HAVE YOUR PRACTICES AND EVERYTHING BEEN GOING? >> YEAH, THINGS ARE IN FULL SWING RIGHT NOW. A LITTLE STRESSED OUT, BUT IT’S I’M STRESSED OUT ABOUT SOMETHING I’VE WANTED TO DO FOREVER. SO IT’S LIKE GOOD STRESS. FAMILY’S EXCITED FRIENDS ARE EXCITED. IT SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE STATE OF WISCONSIN HAS MY BACK. BUT YEAH, I’M FEELING PRETTY GOOD. I’M FEELING A LITTLE NERVOUS. I’M FEELING THE HEAT A LITTLE BIT, BUT NOT OVERALL, I FEEL GOOD. >> NO. AND OF COURSE, THE WHOLE STATE OF WISCONSIN HAS YOUR BACK. THAT’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN HEARING HERE IN THE STUDIO. NOW. YOU’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT EMOTIONS, RIGHT. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A PART OF AN INTERVIEW THAT YOU MENTIONED. CONTESTANTS NEED TO JUST ACCEPT THAT THEY’RE NERVOUS BECAUSE EVERYBODY’S LIKE, OH, I’M FINE. IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL. WHEN YOU SANG THAT SONG IN THE OHANA ROUND, YOU DEDICATED IT TO YOUR FATHER. NOW, DURING THOSE MOMENTS, HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR COMPOSURE? HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS IN CHECK TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE YOU CAN? >> YEAH, THAT WAS A REALLY TRICKY ONE. THAT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO KIND OF KEEP IT TOGETHER. AND THEY DIDN’T ACTUALLY SHOW IT, BUT I DID CRY AFTERWARDS. I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOD, I LOVE MY MOM AND DAD. BUT IT’S ALL SO OVERWHELMING. I HONESTLY GIVE A LOT OF CREDIT TO THE HEAT IN HAWAII BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT. AND I’M NOT LIKE A TROPICAL BEACH HEAT GIRL. SO BY THE TIME I GOT UP TO PERFORM, I ACTUALLY WAS FEELING KIND OF LIKE EXHAUSTED JUST FROM SITTING IN THE SUN. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY I LIKE SNAPPED OUT OF IT ONCE I GOT TO THE PIANO, BUT I DON’T KNOW, I LITERALLY THINK AS LONG AS YOU CAN JUST ADMIT IT TO YOURSELF, LIKE IF I CAN SAY LIKE, I’M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW AND YOU COULD SAY IT OUT LOUD, IT KIND OF HELPS ME WORK THROUGH IT. BUT I DON’T KNOW, ONCE, ONCE I START SINGING, I’M ALWAYS LIKE, I GOT IT, I GOT THIS. ABSOLUTELY. >> I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING HERE. YOUR VOCAL COACH, DIDI, SHE WAS A TOP TEN FINALIST BACK IN 2010. AND SHE SHARED, HAS SHE SHARED SOME TIPS, SOME TRICKS THAT YOU ARE USING NOW DURING YOUR COMPETITION? >> OH MAN. YEAH. DIDI IS I CALL HER MY LIFE COACH MORE THAN MY VOCAL COACH AT THIS POINT. I MEAN, AND NOT EVEN JUST I MEAN, SHE MENTIONED IDOL TO ME IN THE IN THE PAST JUST BECAUSE SHE’S ALSO DONE IT BEFORE AND SHE’S LIKE, YOU SHOULD REALLY TRY IT. IT’S GREAT. BUT OVERALL, SHE’S JUST BEEN HELPING ME. I MEAN, SHE’S LIKE TRANSFORMED HOW I SING BECAUSE SINGING IS JUST YOUR VOICE. I MEAN, IT REALLY IS A FULL BODY THING. SO YEAH, SHE’S BEEN HELPING ME, ESPECIALLY DEALING WITH THE PRESSURE OF BEING ON LIVE TELEVISION AND BEING ON TV AND HAVING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE JUDGE YOU. SO ABSOLUTELY. >> IT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT BEAST WHEN YOU’RE A PART OF A COMPETITION. NOW, THE NEXT PERFORMANCE WE WILL GET TO SEE IS MONDAY. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THE CONTESTANTS SPLIT UP, AND THEN AMERICA. THAT’S WHEN AMERICA GETS TO VOTE FOR YOU. SO WITHIN THESE LAST COUPLE OF SECONDS WE HAVE FOR YOU, WHY SHOULD AMERICA VOTE FOR YOU? >> MAN, I THINK AMERICA SHOULD VOTE FOR ME BECAUSE I LOVE SINGING. I LIKE MAKING PEOPLE SMILE WITH MY VOICE. AND I WANT TO MAKE WISCONSIN PROUD. SO LET’S BRING HOME AN IDOL WINNER TO WISCONSIN. >> THERE YOU GO. AND YOUR CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S PICKLE GIRL. SO I MEAN, COME ON. >> I MEAN, COME ON, COME ON. >> I WANT A NICKNAME FROM CARRIE UNDERWOOD. ANYWAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. BEST OF LUCK. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE PERFORMANCE ON MONDAY. >> THANK YOU GUYS. YEP. SEE YOU MONDAY. >> ABSOLUTELY. YOU CA
‘I want to make Wisconsin proud’: Badger HS grad competes for your vote on American Idol
Genevieve Heyward advanced to the competition’s Top 20.
Updated: 7:17 PM CDT Mar 13, 2026
A woman from Wisconsin has made it to the Top 20 on ABC’s “American Idol.”Genevieve Heyward grew up in Lake Geneva and graduated from Badger High School. The indie-pop singer-songwriter has played shows across the state, including Summerfest in Milwaukee.Last week, Heyward impressed the judges with her performance of “Your Song” by Elton John. She said she chose the song in honor of her dad, a Vietnam War veteran. The performance came during American Idol’s all-new ‘Ohana Round set in Disney’s resort in Hawaii. Heyward told 12 News she was not only fighting nerves, but also the Hawaiian heat.”I’m not a tropical beach heat girl, so by the time I got up to perform, I was actually feeling exhausted from sitting in the sun. And, obviously, I snapped out of it once I got to the piano,” Heyward said. After her performance, one of the show’s judges, Lionel Ritchie, praised Heyward for making the song her own.”Identity is hard when you sing such an iconic song like Elton’s,” Ritchie said. “But for you to hang on and keep in control of that is amazing.”The stakes are even higher now. After surviving the judges’ final eliminations, Heyward must compete for America’s vote.Heyward said she just wants to make Wisconsin proud. “I love singing, I love making people smile with my voice. Let’s bring home an Idol winner to Wisconsin,” she said. The next round continues in Hawaii on Monday. After that, America will vote and the Top 20 will learn the results during the first live episode of the season.You can follow along with Heyward’s journey on “American Idol” Monday night at 7 p.m. on WISN 12.
LAKE GENEVA, Wis. —
A woman from Wisconsin has made it to the Top 20 on ABC’s “American Idol.”
Genevieve Heyward grew up in Lake Geneva and graduated from Badger High School. The indie-pop singer-songwriter has played shows across the state, including Summerfest in Milwaukee.
Last week, Heyward impressed the judges with her performance of “Your Song” by Elton John. She said she chose the song in honor of her dad, a Vietnam War veteran.
The performance came during American Idol’s all-new ‘Ohana Round set in Disney’s resort in Hawaii. Heyward told 12 News she was not only fighting nerves, but also the Hawaiian heat.
“I’m not a tropical beach heat girl, so by the time I got up to perform, I was actually feeling exhausted from sitting in the sun. And, obviously, I snapped out of it once I got to the piano,” Heyward said.
After her performance, one of the show’s judges, Lionel Ritchie, praised Heyward for making the song her own.
“Identity is hard when you sing such an iconic song like Elton’s,” Ritchie said. “But for you to hang on and keep in control of that is amazing.”
The stakes are even higher now. After surviving the judges’ final eliminations, Heyward must compete for America’s vote.
Heyward said she just wants to make Wisconsin proud.
“I love singing, I love making people smile with my voice. Let’s bring home an Idol winner to Wisconsin,” she said.
The next round continues in Hawaii on Monday. After that, America will vote and the Top 20 will learn the results during the first live episode of the season.
You can follow along with Heyward’s journey on “American Idol” Monday night at 7 p.m. on WISN 12.