When we met her last year at 16, the then-sophomore at Lake Nona High School in Florida blew judges away from Day 1. She auditioned with Ariana Grande’s “Almost Is Never Enough,” and Katy Perry immediately handed her the golden ticket, saying Alyssa would make it to the season’s Top 10.
It’s just been Alyssa Raghu and her dad for most of her life, ever since her mom moved away when she was just two years old. Because of that, they’ve developed an especially close bond, and he became her biggest supporter when she started pursuing her dream as a professional singer.