'American Idol' finds a favorite in Indianapolis teen

Lawrence Central High School senior Marrialle Sellars is holding her Golden Ticket, a shot at musical fame and fortune that "American Idol" celebrity panelists couldn't wait to give her.

At the top of Wednesday's premiere episode of "Idol's" 13th season, judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. bypassed a vote on Sellars' audition and enthusiastically sent the Indianapolis teenager to the next round of competition.

"You are going to be a nightmare for the other competitors," Connick said after Sellars sang Adele's "One and Only" and Bruno Mars' "Grenade."

The performances inspired Urban to tear one-third of a Golden Ticket and offer it to Sellars before the show's customary voting process. Lopez and Connick tore the ticket's remains and followed Urban's example.

If any question remained about the panel's opinion of Sellars, Connick directed the singer to face a camera and repeat, "My name is Marrialle Sellars, and I plan on being the next 'American Idol.' "

In the best-case scenario, deep-voiced Sellars will find stardom to rival past "Idol" champions Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

But she must survive months of televised talent-search competition to even match the achievements of largely forgotten winners Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze — or the middling careers of eight more "Idol" champs.

For now, hope springs eternal.

In Detroit, where Sellars traveled to audition last July, both her appearance and voice wowed the judges.

Lopez marveled at the singer's high-heel shoes, and Harry Connick Jr. found the 18-year-old to be so put-together that he asked if she had a wardrobe consultant.

Displaying no nerves, Sellars breezily explained that her mother, Luzviminda, selected the shoes and her sister, Vena, helped with the dress. And Marrialle took sole credit for a flashy armband worn on her left bicep.

"Rihanna, Miley, everything's happening for me right now," Lopez gushed. "Then you have this amazing sense of humor."

During a Tuesday interview, Sellars had kind words for the "Idol" judges -- a mix of returning and new stars for the show that airs on Fox affiliate WXIN-59. Lopez is back after a 2011-2012 stint, Urban is part of the cast for the second consecutive season and Connick is a rookie.

"They're all so perfect," Sellars said. "In real life, they look like Barbies. It's wonderful. But I was low-key nervous. 'What are they going to think? What are they going to say?' But their smiles were really comforting. My nerves went away as soon as I started talking with them."

Regarding audition strategy, Sellars said she sang the Adele tune without accompaniment. "Then I crossed my fingers and hoped with all my heart that they would ask me to play a song with my guitar," she said.

When Connick asked what she could play on guitar, Sellars said she grabbed the instrument from behind her back and answered, "I was hoping you were going to ask that." The panelists laughed.

"I thought, 'Yes, I got a chuckle. This is good,' " said Sellars, who sang Mars' "Grenade" while playing guitar.

The singer who turned 18 earlier this month said songs associated with male artists work to her advantage.

"I have a really low register, and hitting those low notes is really different," Sellars said. "Sometimes you'll have a really good falsetto part in the same song, and it will showcase your high notes, too. It gives you a little bit of an upper hand."

A low vocal register, a sense of humor and a closely cropped hairstyle are three things Sellars shares with Miley Cyrus -- the former Disney Channel star who twerked her way to controversy at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The cable network later designated Cyrus as MTV's Artist of the Year.

Sellars said Lopez is one of many who's mentioned Cyrus as a point of reference.

"All of the competitors I really talked to in Detroit, they literally called me 'Black Miley,'" Sellars said. "So, you know, I'm OK with it. I don't think it's such a bad thing, because she's such an icon right now."

At Lawrence Central, Sellars sings in the "Central Sound" show choir -- a group she classifies as being "pretty awesome." But with "Idol" commitments, her availability has been limited.

"I'm still in the class, and I'm trying to help out with makeup ideas and backstage things," she said.

Viewers can expect to see Sellars on "Idol's" Hollywood episodes, which will air on Feb. 5, 6 and 12.

Indiana's track record with "Idol" finalists includes Amanda Overmyer, a resident of Mulberry who competed in 2008.

Adam Lambert, a 2009 finalist, was born in Indianapolis and moved with his family to San Diego at a young age. David Cook, the 2008 champion, made multiple references to his Hoosier ties when an "Idol" tour visited Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Oklahoma resident Cook spent the summers of his youth in Kokomo. His brother Adam, who succumbed to brain cancer in 2009, lived in Terre Haute.

Sellars said she's setting aside college plans to pursue a music career for at least one year.

"When everything started rolling, I thought to myself, 'I have a studio in my basement. There's always time (for college), because I'm so young,' " she said.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.