by Emily Waldrep

Ask anyone in Woodville about Kree Harrison and they will tell you about her knockout performance of a Leann Rimes cover at the Woodville Rodeo when she was still attending Woodville High School. Now, she has gotten the once in a lifetime chance to share her amazing voice with the world after advancing to the Top 20 on this season of American Idol. Kree is up against some of the greatest talent in America, and is a top contender for the winning Idol spot. But, she says her roots will always be in Woodville and that she is proud to be from Tyler County.

First, she wowed the Idol judges with her performance of "Stars" in memory of her mother.

Kree lost her father in a plane crash when she was 12 and shortly after, lost her mother in a car accident. But she didn't let that stop her from pursuing her dreams and is now a Top 20 Idol contestant after her performance of "Up on the Mountain" blew away the Idol judges.

Harrison, who now lives in Nashville but calls Woodville "home," says that her roots are planted in our tiny south east Texas town.

"I love the fact that my roots are in Woodville, Texas." Harrison said. "When I hopefully become more and more successful, Woodville will always keep me humble. That's just the way that we are, and we stay that way. My grandparents had a house in Dam-B, and they basically passed it onto my mom and me and my 3 siblings. My older brother graduated from Woodville, my sister graduated from Woodville School, and I went to Woodville School. It wasn't until I got signed with Lyric Street that I moved to Nashville; even then I feel like when I come home, I go to Woodville. That's where my roots are and where my family is. I hope I can do Woodville proud, honestly."

She says that music has been her lifelong passion, and that she wants nothing more than to share her music. She credits her sister, Laci, for the encouragement to travel to Oklahoma City for Idol tryouts.

"I think I sang before I talked," Harrison said. "From the beginning I knew I wanted to be an artist and sing my songs. More than anything it was my sister that kind of put the idea in my head to try out for Idol. I thought about it for a little while and I knew what I always wanted was to get my music out to the world and I felt like Idol was the best way to do that."

Kree says that her Idol experience so far has been more than she ever dreamed of, and that she is looking forward to continuing her journey.

"It has been much more than I thought it would be, honestly," Harrison said. "The people I have met and the feelings I have had throughout this experience has been life changing, completely. I've been in the industry for 13 years, and I've never experienced anything like this. There are so many talented people that I've gotten to know. It's amazing."

A panel of four successful judges critiques each of the Idol contestants, and even though they are responsible for sending contestants home, Kree says she loves them all.

"They are all equally amazing," Harrison said. "I love each one of them for different reasons. I would say I couldn't choose, because I love all of them. Keith Urban has fought for me from the beginning, and I appreciate him so much. All of the judges are on the Kree train, which is awesome, but Keith definitely fought for me for a while."

With or without Idol, Kree's main goal is to share her passion – country music.

"Whatever happens, I want to make a country record and hope that all of the fans and friends that I've made throughout this experience will love it just as much as I will," Harrison said. "Making records is like a baby to an artist, and that's what I want to do. I want to tour around the world and share my music."

She says that no matter where she goes, she will always come back to Woodville, whether it be in person or in her musical style.

"Being from Woodville has definitely influenced my musical style and the songs I write," Harrison said. "The small town mentality goes hand in hand with my music.

My grandparents listened to Willie Nelson and all my friends and family loved traditional country so of course growing up around that makes me appreciate it."

Kree says that the support from her hometown is amazing and that she hopes to do Woodville proud, and that the outpouring of love for her and her music has been overwhelming.

"The support from Woodville has been really cool and its so amazing to have ya'll backing me," Harrison said.

Catch American Idol on FOX every Wednesday night to follow Kree Harrison throughout her journey!