How American Idol’s Gabby Barrett Became Country Music’s Rising Star

While she may have come in third place during her season, Gabby is proving that you don’t have to come in first to win big.

Her single “I Hope” has become a country music radio favorite and continues to climb the charts. And spoiler alert: She’s just getting started.

“To see how far the song has come in a year has been crazy,” Gabby shared with E! News exclusively ahead of tonight’s Idol premiere. “It’s really cool hearing it now and seeing everybody taking an interest into it. We’re heading towards the Top 10 and I’m just really grateful for everything.”

While they continue to enjoy the honeymoon phase, Gabby is the first to say her hubby inspires plenty of new music.

Gabby continued, “He has inspired a lot of my music. I can’t tell you how many songs I can write about him. They’re endless…I’m very thankful to have someone who understands and supports this with me. I’m glad to be experiencing everything with him.”

In the year ahead, Gabby plans to finish up her album that she has been writing for a year and a half. She will head to the California desert to perform at Stagecoach. And yes, she’s hitting the road all summer to tour with Brad Paisley.

“Carrie Underwood came on as a mentor for us during the show and she helped me a lot and even helped me a lot after the show,” Gabby shared with us. “She actually gave me her phone number after the show.”

As they like to say, American Idol is just like one big musical family.