Sarah Restuccio was only 17 years old when she appeared on Season 12 of Fox’s soon-to-end singing show, “American Idol,” but she made an impression. After Restuccio delivered a rendition of Carrie Underwood’s “Mama’s Song,” judge Randy Jackson asked to hear another. She responded with a performance of “Super Bass” by judge Nicki Minaj, who beamed as the young girl who grew up in Hammonton, N.J., rapped her hit song. Jackson’s response: a mixture of confusion and fascination.
While Restuccio was cut from the show during Hollywood Week, that first introduction to her musical duality turned out to be a pretty accurate depiction of what was to come. Now, three years later, she performs under the moniker Sarah Ross, and blending sweet country melodies with swift hip-hop verses has become her calling card.
Ross says: “I took the words from Nikki Minaj when she told me, ‘Don’t change for anyone. Be who you want to be.’ That’s what I try to do with the whole rap thing, keeping that in my music. It doesn’t interest everyone, but I love it, so I think that’s all that matters.”