Lakeland grad will appear on ‘American Idol’ on Sunday

A Lakeland High School graduate reached for the stars.

And now, she is one.

Amber Fiedler, 23, who grew up in Priest River and spent several years in Coeur d'Alene, will appear on "American Idol" on ABC at 8 p.m. Sunday. She made the top 40 and will continue to audition in front of all-star judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

"I watched 'American Idol' my whole life with my grandma," Fiedler said Friday. "Every Sunday we would watch 'American Idol.' She would always say, 'Someday that’s going to be you.'"

Fiedler auditioned in Sun River, Ore., in November, carrying precious cargo.

"I was definitely nine months pregnant," she said. "You see that in the first audition video that got aired already."

She was one of the last to audition and spent about eight hours waiting her turn, but it was well worth the wait. Fiedler advanced to Hollywood in early December, where she lived an exhilarating week of show business life. She also spent time with the show in Hawaii in January.

"It was so much fun," she said of her L.A. trip. "It was cool. I was one of the few people who got to do this bus tour with 'American Idol.' We went all around Beverly Hills and saw the Hollywood sign. It was an amazing experience."

It was a lot of work, too.

"We got six hours of sleep all week," she said. "We would be at the theater from 5 a.m. until midnight and go to the hotel and still have to do stuff. It was insane.

"I wouldn't change it for the world," she added. "I made friends I’m going to be friends with for a lifetime."

Fiedler is now an advocate for open adoption after she placed her daughter with a loving local family. She recently moved to New York City to follow her dreams of stardom, but is with her family in Coeur d'Alene riding out the coronavirus quarantine until she can return to the bright lights of the Big Apple.

"It was like, 'This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,'" Fiedler said. "I want to do it all. I moved to NYC for a reason. I see myself on Broadway, and I think 'American Idol' will definitely help with kick-starting that."

As someone who auditioned for "The Voice" as a teen but did not go far, Fiedler said there really are no words to describe this show-biz experience.

"It's incredible," she said. "I feel like I’m dreaming being able to experience all this. You have these dreams of moving out and going to the city and making it big, but for it to actually happen, it's like, 'This isn't real life.'"

Although she won't have a big viewing party, she's still excited to watch the show with her family. She's also proud of her Idaho roots.

"It's cool to say I’m from this tiny town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. There's talent in these small places, too," she said. "I have it tattooed on my shoulder. I love Idaho. It's going to be my forever home no matter what."