Sophia Humbert Strikes a Chord on ‘American Idol’
Writer Joseph J. Airdo // Photography by Loralei Lazurek
From serenading patrons at Elevate Coffee Company at age 12 to smashing trucks with baseball bats alongside Carrie Underwood on “American Idol,” Sophia Humbert’s musical journey is a testament to authentic talent and hometown determination.
The 22-year-old Anthem native, who earned her golden ticket to Hollywood in the show’s March 23 episode, has been steadily building her musical career for a decade, performing at venues throughout the North Valley while cultivating a sound that defies easy categorization.
“I think music was always inside me,” Humbert says. “That might sound cliché, but it’s true — especially since my parents aren’t musical at all. Growing up, I wasn’t really around music except for what played on the radio. I didn’t have any strong musical influences in my life.”
Her musical awakening came at summer camp when she was about 9 years old, coinciding with the peak of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” The song sparked something profound in young Sophia.
“One day, that song came on in the car, and something just clicked inside me,” Humbert recalls. “I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to sing that song. The emotion it stirred in me was so powerful, I wanted to experience what it felt like to perform it myself.”
Her parents, Trent and Vernaliza Humbert, were completely taken aback when their daughter announced her intention to perform at the camp talent show. Until that moment, they had no inkling of her musical inclinations or abilities.
“When they asked to hear me sing, I agreed, but I was so nervous I had to go into another room and face the corner,” she says. “I played the karaoke track and somehow managed to sing the whole song from memory. When I finished, they were stunned.”
That pivotal moment set her on a path that would define her future. Her supportive parents immediately offered guitar or singing lessons, recognizing that this wasn’t just a passing phase but a genuine passion.
By age 12, Humbert was already booking professional gigs at Elevate Coffee Company in North Phoenix, where her first audition became a regular performance slot. From those early coffee shop performances, her repertoire of venues expanded throughout the North Valley. During high school, she maintained a standing weekly gig at True Burger in Anthem, playing every Monday night.
The Cave Creek music scene proved particularly formative in her development as a musician.
“Landing gigs at Janey’s Coffee Co. and Bodega in Cave Creek was particularly significant because it was known for having live music daily and required formal auditions,” Humbert says. “I performed there regularly while in high school along with shows at Raven’s View and The Grotto Cafe. Those venues were instrumental in my early career development.”
After graduating from Boulder Creek High School in 2020, Humbert made a pivotal decision that would further refine her artistic direction. Initially planning to major in business at Arizona State University, with music as a side pursuit, a last-minute discovery changed her trajectory.
“Near the end of my senior year in high school, my mom suggested we take one final look at the list of majors, thinking there might be something that aligned better with my passion for music,” Humbert explains. “That’s when we discovered this program we’d never seen before.”
The program was ASU’s new popular music program, launching its inaugural year just as Humbert would be starting as a freshman.
“Making that last-minute switch turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life,” she says. “Beyond the incredible friendships I formed — relationships I know will last forever — the program opened up whole new worlds for me. I discovered my love for songwriting through a required first-year course, learned the complexities of music production and gained mentors who continue to guide me even after graduation.”
Throughout college, Humbert continued performing gigs to support herself, expanding her reach to venues in Phoenix and Scottsdale as she established herself in her new home in downtown Phoenix.
As a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar and piano and sings, Humbert finds her artistic connection shifts between instruments depending on her creative mood.
“I find myself going through phases where I connect more deeply with one instrument over the other — sometimes I’m drawn to guitar, other times to piano,” she says. “While I have equal love for both instruments, guitar holds a special place in my heart since it was my first experience combining instrumental playing with singing. But honestly, I couldn’t choose between them — they’re both fundamental to who I am as a musician.”
Her “American Idol” journey began not with a lifelong dream of competing on the show but rather through an unexpected digital connection. After building a following of about 80,000 on TikTok, where she shared cover songs and hosted live singing sessions, an “American Idol” casting producer discovered her content.
“It was completely unexpected,” Humbert says. “One day, an ‘American Idol’ casting producer reached out, saying ‘Hey, I’d love to talk to you about the new season.’ I took the call thinking, ‘Why not? Let’s see where this goes.’”
What followed was a six-month process of multiple audition rounds before she ever stood in front of the celebrity judges.
“The process began last August, and I had to go through several rounds of Zoom auditions — first with the casting producer, then with the executive producers,” she explains. “Finally, in December, they told me I’d be performing for the judges. That was the audition everyone saw on TV.”
The surreal experience culminated in her televised audition, where she performed Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” for the judges, including Underwood herself.
“It didn’t fully hit me until I was standing in that room in front of the judges,” Humbert recalls. “That’s when I thought, ‘Whoa, I hope my muscle memory kicks in because I am so nervous.’ So yeah, it was definitely a roller coaster, but in the best possible way.”
Her unique arrangement of the song — a stripped-down, piano-led rendition — showcased her vocal talent but initially lacked the fiery energy the judges were seeking. This led to one of the season’s most memorable moments, when the judges took Humbert to a quarry where she was handed a baseball bat and safety goggles to destroy a truck while singing the angry anthem.
“I had no idea they were taking me out there, so my reactions were completely genuine,” she says. “When they first had me hit the truck, I didn’t fully understand they wanted me to actually strike it. I was really hesitant — I mean, you don’t normally take a bat to a random nice-looking truck that’s just sitting there.”
The experience eventually loosened her up, culminating in a golden ticket to Hollywood Week. Though her “American Idol” journey ended there, the national exposure has already opened new doors.
“The kind of exposure you get from a show like ‘American Idol’ is something you just can’t create on your own,” Humbert says. “The whole experience has been incredible — I’ve gained new followers, received messages about my songs on Spotify and connected with fans who discovered me just from seeing me perform on TV.”
Throughout her evolving career, Humbert has remained steadfast in her commitment to musical authenticity. As a songwriter, she gravitates toward personal storytelling that resonates with universal emotions.
“To me, storytelling connects us through shared human experiences,” she explains. “We all face similar emotional journeys — heartbreak, love, confusion, feeling lost, growing up — but we each walk those paths in our own unique way.”
This philosophy extends to her performance style as well.
“What fascinates me is how I can take something deeply personal that I’ve lived through, and when I share it through music, other people relate to it,” Humbert says. “They might not have experienced exactly what I did, but they recognize those universal feelings and emotions. That’s the magic of storytelling — taking something meaningful from your own life and expressing it in a way that lets others see themselves in your experience.”
With original music releases planned for 2025 and a growing national profile, Humbert remains grounded in the values and community that shaped her. Beyond her musical pursuits, she enjoys exploring local coffee shops (Songbird Coffee and Tea House is a favorite), reading and spending time with friends and family.
As she reflects on her journey from that nervous 9-year-old singing with her back to her parents to performing on national television, Humbert credits her hometown with providing the foundation for both her personal and artistic development.
“Anthem was such a great place to grow up in. I’m forever grateful for that,” she says. “Growing up in that environment gave me the security to express myself creatively. It really shaped who I became — from the school I attended to the friends I made.
“Anthem laid the foundation for who I am as a person, and since artistry is so deeply personal, the two are completely intertwined. The community molded me first as an individual, and from that emerged the artist.”
Sophia Humbert
May 9 and 30 // 6:30–11 p.m. // Mastro’s Ocean Club // 15045 N. Kierland Blvd., Scottsdale // Free // sophiahumbert.com
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