After charming judges, audiences, and voters during her journey on Season 22 of American Idol, singer-songwriter Abi Carter went from hopeful auditioner to season winner in a matter of weeks. With the release of her 2024 album, ghosts in the backyard, the Coachella Valley native officially introduced herself as a confident, layered artist in her own right. The nostalgia-ridden 10-track LP is a narrative, story-driven collection of music that allows listeners to get to know the person behind the powerful voice that won over millions during her Idol journey. Abi wrote on every song on the project, processing her own youth from a distance in the hopes that others might feel encouraged in their own journeys. “When I wrote this album, it was therapy for myself,” Abi said. “I was trying to work through what I was feeling and thinking, and it was cathartic for me. If other people can feel that and relate to my emotions, that would be ‘mission accomplished’ — even if it just reaches one person.” The second-oldest in a family of seven kids, Abi was raised in a musical household. Growing up, she sang just about anywhere she could, but it was learning piano that changed the trajectory of her life. Her skill on the instrument is near virtuosic and remains infused into every aspect of her music-making process, including the genre-blending elements of ghosts in the backyard. Abi refuses to let herself be boxed in. She embraces influences like Phoebe Bridgers, Manchester Orchestra, Gracie Abrams, and Renee Rapp, playing with indie-pop, folk, and cinematic drama throughout her discography. Regardless of genre elements, it’s the raw earnestness to Abi’s voice that consistently sets her apart — it’s something that can only be informed by performing from the very bottom of one’s soul. Abi is the rare artist that exists in the crossover of being born with natural talent and having the technical skill set to back it up. “I believe in the things I sing,” she confirms. “I try not to sing just because it sounds pretty; the best singers connect with what they’re saying. That’s what moves people.”