Lakewood Ranch Singer Among Top 24 On ‘American Idol’

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL — Lakewood Ranch singer Alana Sherman has advanced to the Top 24 round in Season 20 of “American Idol.” Sixty-eight singers were vying to move forward in the competition.

The 22-year-old food delivery driver and powerhouse singer performed Jazmin Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows” in the show’s Showstopper Round Sunday night.

“I’m so grateful I made it to Top 24. Oh my gosh, I could just dance in the club, but it’s quarantine, so we got to be quarantined, which is fine,” Sherman said after learning she would advance in ABC’s televised singing competition.

She performed Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart” for her “American Idol” audition, which aired March 14 and earned her a Golden Ticket to the show’s Hollywood Round.

After receiving her Golden Ticket, Sherman said the judges were “really kind and encouraging and helpful.”

She added, “I’m just really excited to learn more from them because there’s still so much more I have to learn and I’m just ready to soak it in.”

This season’s celebrity judges are Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

A second Lakewood Ranch musician, country singer Conyer Walker, also advanced to the Hollywood Round, but he’s since been eliminated.

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Sherman was recruited to audition for the show after an “American Idol” scout heard an audition she recorded for Fox TV’s “The Four” three years ago, the Observer reported. The scout contacted her through Instagram and she went on to sing for the show’s producers and judges.

She has also appeared on MTV’s reality series “Siesta Key,” creating music with one of the show’s main cast members, Brandon Gomes. She appeared in four episodes, according to IMDB.

The singer attended the Out-of-Door Academy and Cardinal Mooney High School, both in Sarasota, playing tennis and volleyball, the Bradenton Herald reported.

She was a four-star tennis recruit who was recruited by the United States Tennis Association out of high school. Sherman ranked as high as No. 2 in the state of Tennessee with multiple victories over five-star U18 players.

She played for the State College of Florida, where she was part of the No. 12-ranked doubles team in the country, before landing at Louisiana Tech University in 2018, according to LTU’s women’s tennis website. She suffered an injury in the fall of 2018, though, and didn’t play during much of 2018 and 2019. She graduated in 2020.

Her father, Ray Sherman, coached collegiate and NFL football for more than four decades, LTU said. Most recently, he coached for the St. Louis Rams in 2015.