‘American Idol’ contestant ditches record deal to headline July 4th’s biggest event — and we can't wait
'American Idol' Season 22 winner Abi Carter is spilling the beans on her future career plans! For her next concert performance, Carter will be flying nearly 3000 miles from her California home to Washington, DC, for the July 4th's 'A Capital Fourth' which marks 45 spectacular years as America's national Independence Day tradition. On July 1, A Capital Fourth confirmed that Carter will be performing at the special event with an Instagram post. The caption of the post read, "Singer-songwriter and 2024 winner of Season 22 of American Idol, Abi Carter, joins A Capitol Fourth! Tune in to A Capitol Fourth on Friday, July 4 at 8/7c on @pbs for America’s birthday celebration with the most spectacular fireworks display! Planning to stream? Bookmark the link in our bio to watch the live stream directly from our website. @abicartermusic."
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During the milestone anniversary event, Carter will be performing alongside some renowned stars from the music industry including the iconic multi-platinum selling music legend The Beach Boys, world-renowned Motown stars The Temptations, country music superstar Josh Turner, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle, Grammy Award-winning musician and producer Trombone Shorty, platinum-selling hitmakers LOCASH, four-time Grammy Award-winning Gospel music legend Yolanda Adams and the National Symphony Orchestra with pops conductor Jack Everly.
For those unversed, let us share with you that 'Dancing With The Stars' host Alfonso Ribeiro will oversee the big night’s festivities. In a press release shared, Ribeiro said, "I'm honored to be back It's everything you want in an Independence Day celebration - great music and fantastic fireworks. For me, the best part is always the crowd: so many happy, patriotic faces, from grandparents to little kids. You don't want to miss this party!"
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On the other hand, when we talk about Carter, she has been busy making strides in her music career since winning 'American Idol' in 2023. At that point in time, Carter made a bold move to not pursue a record deal; instead, she used her winning cash prize to establish herself as an independent artist. While having a chat with Entertainment Now in March 2025, Carter candidly spoke about her big decision and went on to say, “I just kind of realized that I wanted to figure out who I was anda what I wanted to be. It was a good decision to kind of take a step back and give myself that chance to figure it out on my own and see, you know, who I am at my core.”
Following her successful stint on the ABC singing show, Carter moved into an apartment in Los Angeles and started honing her songwriting skills. Along with this, Carter built her own support team to achieve her music goals. Carter released her debut music album titled 'Ghosts In The Backyard' in November 2024. Carter has since also headlined her first US Tour and performed at popular music fests such as Stagecoach Festival. Earlier this year, Carter made a guest appearance on 'American Idol' Season 23 to perform her new song 'Burned', and at that point, she also revealed that she will be touring again this fall.