Julia Gagnon is just so real.

She doesn’t sugar coat anything, and she’ll tell you the truth about what behind the scenes of going through the public process of “American Idol” looked like for her.

It’s something that I think most of us would rather hear about than all the fake scripted stuff we compare ourselves to and ultimately feel badly about on social media.

The Cumberland, Maine native, is looking forward to her upcoming concert on October 12, 2024, in Bangor called Little Things.

She recently spoke with me about how she’s made lifelong friends from “American Idol,” most of whom she keeps very close touch with.

Julia said that the only role “American Idol” really plays in their lives now is just the simple fact that that’s how they met.

In fact, she said she’s very much interested in becoming her own entity with her fiancé in the music industry with as little association with the show as possible.

We love an independent woman!

Julia talked all about how she was very grateful for the experiences that “American Idol” brought her, but she doesn’t want to live in the shadows of the show forever.

If you’re interested in supporting an amazing local concert with an even better cause, click here for tickets to Little Things.

They’ve paired up with one of my favorite foundations: Maine Cancer Foundation.

You can also take a look at Julia’s audition on “American Idol” below: