# Abi Carter
**Abi Carter** is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from [Indio, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/indio-california), in the [Coachella Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/coachella-valley), who won the 22nd season of *American Idol* on May 19, 2024, with Will Moseley as runner-up[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) • [2](https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/won-won-american-idol-full-list-winners-runners-up/story?id=83063673). She was the first woman to win the show in four seasons[2](https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/won-won-american-idol-full-list-winners-runners-up/story?id=83063673), and after the competition she released the album *ghosts in the backyard* (2024) while remaining an independent artist[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| *American Idol* result | Winner of season 22, crowned May 19, 2024; runner-up Will Moseley[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) |
| Distinction | First woman to win *American Idol* in four seasons[2](https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/won-won-american-idol-full-list-winners-runners-up/story?id=83063673) |
| Hometown | Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/1130734/american-idol-katy-perry-abi-carter-bias/) |
| Audition song | Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?", which earned her a Platinum Ticket[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/1130734/american-idol-katy-perry-abi-carter-bias/) |
| Debut album | *ghosts in the backyard*, 10 tracks, released November 15, 2024 on Ethos Music Group; deluxe edition April 25, 2025[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) |
| Coronation single | "This Isn't Over", released May 17, 2024 on 19 Recordings and BMG[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) |
| Label status | Independent; she said in September 2024 she wanted any future label to allow creative control[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) |
| Signature instrument | Piano, central to her music-making[4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about) |
## Early life and background
Carter is a Coachella Valley native and was a 21-year-old recent college graduate when she competed on *American Idol*[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/1130734/american-idol-katy-perry-abi-carter-bias/). She is the second-oldest of seven children and was raised in a musical household, singing wherever she could as a child[4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about). Learning piano changed the direction of her life, and her playing remains embedded in her music-making, including the genre-blending elements of her album[4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about). Ticketmaster's artist biography adds that she began busking on the streets of the Coachella Valley as a young teen[5](https://www.ticketmaster.com/abi-carter-tickets/artist/3168353?page=1).
## American Idol season 22
Carter's audition performance of [Billie Eilish](https://www.edgepedia.org/billie-eilish)'s "What Was I Made For?" led the judges to award her a Platinum Ticket, which allowed her to skip the first round of Hollywood Week[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/1130734/american-idol-katy-perry-abi-carter-bias/). During the Top 24 week in Hawaii she performed [Hillsong United](https://www.edgepedia.org/hillsong-united)'s "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)", and judge [Katy Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/katy-perry) told her, "I don't know if I'm allowed to say it, but you're my favorite"; some viewers criticized the remark as bias, while others noted Perry made similar comments to many contestants[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/1130734/american-idol-katy-perry-abi-carter-bias/).
Her Top 8 performance of Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life" in the Judges' Song Contest is widely credited with sealing her front-runner status[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) • [6](https://www.aol.com/articles/24-american-idol-winners-ranked-150028000.html). In the finale on May 19, 2024, she sang [Bon Jovi](https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-jovi)'s "Bed of Roses", "Somewhere" from *West Side Story* as her hometown song, and her original "This Isn't Over" as her coronation single before being named the winner[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). TVLine's recap graded both of her finale rounds A+ and noted that [Ryan Seacrest](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-seacrest) surprised her with a congratulatory message from Billie Eilish[7](https://www.tvline.com/lists/american-idol-finale-results-abi-carter-wins-season-22-recap/). She closed the night by reprising her audition song, bringing the season full circle[7](https://www.tvline.com/lists/american-idol-finale-results-abi-carter-wins-season-22-recap/).
After the win, she told *Good Morning America* on May 21, 2024 that the thing that shocked her most was becoming the first woman to win in four seasons, and recalled that judge [Luke Bryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/luke-bryan) said it was the first time the person the judges thought would win actually did[2](https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/won-won-american-idol-full-list-winners-runners-up/story?id=83063673).
## Post-Idol career
**Releases.** "It's All Love" came out on March 29, 2024 on Ethos Music Group, and "This Isn't Over" followed on May 17, 2024 on 19 Recordings and BMG[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). After the show she performed "This Isn't Over" on *Live with Kelly and Mark* in May 2024, sang the national anthem and dropped the ceremonial first puck at a [Coachella Valley Firebirds](https://www.edgepedia.org/coachella-valley-firebirds) game on May 31, 2024, and performed Madonna's "Like a Prayer" with Deadpool at D23 on August 10, 2024[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). The singles "some people need drugs" (September 20, 2024) and "Comfortably Numb" (October 18, 2024) preceded the album[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter).
*ghosts in the backyard*, a 10-track album released on November 15, 2024 on Ethos Music Group, is a narrative, story-driven collection about missing childhood, on which Carter wrote on every song[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter) • [4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about). She described writing it as therapy: "I was trying to work through what I was feeling and thinking, and it was cathartic for me"[4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about). A deluxe edition with two new songs and a remix of "Comfortably Numb" with Laur Elle was released on April 25, 2025, the same day she performed at the [Stagecoach Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/stagecoach-festival) in Indio[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). The single "melancholia sober" was released on October 10, 2025[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter).
**Touring and independence.** A press note of October 2, 2025 scheduled the No Amount of Dark tour to begin on October 13, 2025 across 15 cities[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). In a September 2024 interview she said she was independent and wanted a future label that would allow creative control, and she has not signed with a record label[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). After the show she moved to Los Angeles, where she writes songs and works in studios[1](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter). She has also used her platform to champion mental health causes[8](https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/hometown-star-abi-carter-shines-at-stagecoach/).
## Musical style
Carter blends indie-pop, folk, and cinematic drama, citing influences including [Phoebe Bridgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoebe-bridgers), Manchester Orchestra, Gracie Abrams, and Renee Rapp[4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about). Ticketmaster's biography also lists Billie Eilish and [Lizzy McAlpine](https://www.edgepedia.org/lizzy-mcalpine) among her inspirations and describes her songwriting as expressing a battle between light and dark[5](https://www.ticketmaster.com/abi-carter-tickets/artist/3168353?page=1). Her own account of what sets her voice apart is directness: "I try not to sing just because it sounds pretty; the best singers connect with what they're saying"[4](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about).
## References
1. [Abi Carter: what happened after American Idol, Encore Index](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/abi-carter)
2. [Who won 'American Idol'? Full list of former winners and runners-up, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/won-won-american-idol-full-list-winners-runners-up/story?id=83063673)
3. ['American Idol': Katy Perry Accused of Showing Bias To One Contestant, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1130734/american-idol-katy-perry-abi-carter-bias/)
4. [About, ABI CARTER official site](https://www.abicartermusic.com/about)
5. [Abi Carter Tickets, 2026-2027 Concert Tour Dates, Ticketmaster](https://www.ticketmaster.com/abi-carter-tickets/artist/3168353?page=1)
6. [All 24 'American Idol' winners ranked, AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/24-american-idol-winners-ranked-150028000.html)
7. ['American Idol' Finale Results: Abi Carter Wins Season 22, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/lists/american-idol-finale-results-abi-carter-wins-season-22-recap/)
8. [Hometown Star Abi Carter Shines at Stagecoach, Coachella Valley Weekly](https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/hometown-star-abi-carter-shines-at-stagecoach/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Adult contemporary, 2010s to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license