American Idolseason 22 Top 7 finalistJulia Gagnon was a powerhouse singer who blew everyone away with her spectacular vocals, and she’s been very busy furthering her music career since the show ended. During herAmerican Idolseason 22 audition, Julia sang a phenomenal version of “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin, which earned her one of the three platinum tickets of the season from the judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.

ThroughoutAmerican Idolseason 22,Julia continued to impress everyone with her mind-blowing vocals in her fantastic performances, which included “I Believe” by Fantasia Barrino, “Need a Favor” by Jelly Roll, “Run to You” by Whitney Houston, “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan, “Here I Am” by Bryan Adams, “Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland/Eva Cassidy, “Roam” by the B-52s, and “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. Here’s what Julia’s been up to since her incredibleAmerican Idolseason 22 run.

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Julia Gagnon Announced A Big Change To Her Stage Name

Julia & Her Fiancé Nate Are Collaborating

In a May 2024 Instagram post afterherAmerican Idolelimination,Juliaannounced that,when she released new music, she’d be doing it under the name Julia, along with her fiancé, Nate Haven. In the caption of the post, she explained,“HEYAH! Everyone knows me (julia Gagnon) from American idol, but it’s time to introduce you to the other half and of course what makes Julia Gagnon, JULIA! Nate and I are so excited to announce: we are releasing new music!!! ‘JULIA’ may be my own voice but the songs released are definitely a duo effort :-) there for, we are ‘JULIA’ and not just, Julia Gagnon!”

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Julia went on to say,“we will be releasing our first single under the artist name ‘JULIA’ on all streaming services very soonand of course debuting a few originals as we get the honor of performing live <3 we cannot wait to play for yall :) and… hooray this is officially the hard launch of this whole ‘artist’ thing, so I hope yall enjoy. Sincerely JULIA.”

Montage of American Idol’s Kayko holding a mic and performing on stage

Julia Gagnon Has Been Writing Music

Julia & Her Fiancé Have Been Collaborating

Julia and Nate have been collaborating and writing music.Their first single, “Here in Maine,” was released on July 5. In an Instagram post,Juliatold the story of how “Here in Maine” came to be. She wrote,“Good people!!!! Here in Maine… is yours! I don’t know what to say or how to even express how far we’ve come on this song?”

Julia explained,“We started in line at Disney the day after I was eliminated, brought it to an amazing local producer, andmade it what we wanted it to embody, humble, home, and honest… we love you all so much and wouldn’t have you all here to share it with, without your support! From the bottom of our hearts… thank you <33 -Julia x Nate.”

American Idol Season 21 Poster

Julia Gagnon Has Been Performing Live

Julia Headlined A Concert In Maine To Raise Money For Cancer Research

SinceAmerican Idolseason 22 ended, Julia has been doing what she does best: performing live. In a June 2024 Instagram post,Juliaannounced her Here In Maine tour, which featured her fiancé, Nate Haven. The tour took place at various places in Julia’s home state of Maine.

In July 2024,Julia reunited with Jason Mrazduring his July 7 Bangor, Maine tour stop, by singing with him in his concert. During theAmerican Idolseason 22 finale, they’d sung a duet of his song, “I Feel Like Dancing.” In an Instagram post,Juliashared photographs from the event, with the caption,“Lucky is an understatement. @jason_mraz you are the true goat of entertainment, it was an honor performing with you in my beautiful home state.”

In September 2024, Julia sang the National Anthem for the Dempsey Challenge through the Dempsey Center, which raises funds for people who are impacted by cancer. The Maine event was founded by actor Patrick Dempsey in 2009. Julia lost her birth mother to cancer, so the event was especially meaningful to her. In an Instagram post,Juliashared photographs from the event, along with the caption,“Not only an inspiration to me as a charitable soul but also as a true Mainer :-)) honored to sing the anthem for this year’s Dempsey Challenge!“Julia also sang the National Anthem at the Maine Marathon in October 2024.

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On July 23, 2025,Julia played a show in Maine called “Little Things,” which featured some of her fellowAmerican Idolseason 22 alums. In a September 2024 Instagram post,Juliaannounced the show, and explained that its purpose was to raise money for cancer research. The show featured her fiancé Nate, andAmerican Idolseason 22 contestantsRoman Collins, Reagan Mills, Kennedy Reid, Jennifer Jeffries, KBlocks, Ajii, and Quintavious.

In the caption of the post, Julia wrote,“Coming to Bangor Maine for 1 night and 1 night only!!! ‘Little Things’ combines local New England artists with the talented artists as seen on season 22 of American Idol!!15% proceeds will go to the @maine_cancer foundation making your ticket a great cause! You don’t want to miss this show get your tickets now!! 10 .12.24, $25 for GA! Bangor Cross Insurance Center! see you there #newengland !!!”

In a follow-up Instagram post,Juliaannounced that the show had raised $6,260 for the Maine Cancer Foundation. In addition, on July 13, 2025,Julia performed at a Halloween event at Johnson Hall Opera House in Gardiner, Maine.

Julia was one of the most talented singers ever to compete onAmerican Idol.She’s working hard to further her music career, all while staying loyal to her beloved home state of Maine.Julia has the potential to become one ofAmerican Idol’sgreatest successes.

American Idol

Cast

American Idol is a reality singing competition that adds to the international “Idol” brand, conceived initially in the U.K. as Pop Idol. Holding massive auditions across the U.S., American Idol invited several contestants to perform in front of a panel of judges that would determine whether or not they’d go on to future rounds for a chance at competing in the fully televised premiere of the show. Contestants are voted off each week by American participation via voting through various mediums, and the winner of the competition would be given a contract with a record label to secure a future as America’s next musical idol.