Who Is Katelyn Epperly?

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Katelyn Epperly failed to make the Top 12 Thursday night, as her performance of "I Feel the Earth Move" failed to impress the judges.

Breaking up is hard to do and so is auditioning for a very public talent show in front of millions of viewers worldwide while dealing with your parents' impending divorce, but Katelyn Epperly managed to do just that.

According to The Des Moines Register , the West Des Moines, Iowa native held her face in her hands and fought back tears when she was told the good news that she was "going through" to the Top 24 by judge Ellen DeGeneres.

It was no secret her parent's divorce weighed heavily on the singer's mind during her auditions for season nine of "American Idol," but the 19-year-old said she used her music as a release.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times , Epperly "stood out from the beginning as someone with star quality. She could be a pop star based on her curly hair alone. She's in."

She told the judges during her audition in Hollywood that she is doing this for her younger siblings to bring a positive message back home to them.

"Getting out on stage is a bright spot" for her family back home and "especially for [her] little brothers."

"This is a really hard time and it is important for me to show that there is a light at the end of the tunnel," said Epperly, who has been singing since she was two-years-old she writes on her blog page.

According to her MySpace page, the curly haired blonde sang vocals and played the piano in her folk and indie band, Katelyn and the Bruises, before performing Duffy's "Syrup and Honey" at the Chicago auditions where she secured a gold ticket to Hollywood.

The new reality show star wrote a personal message in her notebook while she was waiting to find out if she had a spot as one of the Top 12 female contestants: "Today is the day, I am going to make it happen."

And the teen's jazz director, Stephen Widenhofer, at Millikin University's School of Music in Decatur, Ill., sang her praises to her local newspaper, The Register .

"She's very comfortable on stage. She makes a great stage presence," said Widenhofer, who helped prepare the commercial music major, who attended the school for three semesters, for performances in front of big audiences.

And according to Epperly's Facebook page, her mother was also thrilled her daughter made the Top 24, "Her mom cried tears of joy when she found out Katelyn made the show. She is hoping America is ready for a bluesy, jazzy girl."

"American Idol" Season Nine Contestant Profiles:

Didi Benami | Lacey Brown | Crystal Bowersox | Michelle Delamor | Lee DeWyze | Katelyn Epperly | Andrew Garcia | Tyler Grady | Todrick Hall | Casey James | Aaron Kelly | Alex Lambert | Michael Lynche | Siobhan Magnus | Paige Miles | Jose Munoz | John Park | Ashley Rodriguez | Lilly Scott | Jermaine Sellers | Katie Stevens | Tim Urban | Haeley Vaughn | Janell Wheeler