A member of the elite club that have turned a run on American Idol into country music stardom, Barrett managed a cross-genre megahit almost immediately after her third-place finish with the potent power ballad “I Hope” and scored a remix with Charlie Puth. Her powerful voice and flair for anthemic tunes that work on and off of country radio recall another Idol alum, Carrie Underwood—fittingly, the rest of her debut album Goldmine generated more country and pop attention for the up-and-coming belter. The sweet, romantic “The Good Ones” also resonated with pop and country audiences, while “Pick Me Up” situated the singer as right at home in Nashville. Though Idol doesn’t typically reward songwriters, Barrett has co-written the vast majority of her releases, flaunting both her range and her Music Row bona fides. The reflective, personal “Growin’ Up Raising You”, which she wrote after the birth of her second child, is just one potent example of how Barrett’s storytelling skill matches her pop sensibility.