North Dakota Native Advances to Hollywood Round of American Idol

During Thursday night's episode of American Idol, 18-year-old Fargo native Andrina Brogden advanced to Hollywood to continue her pursuit of becoming America's next pop star. Brogden auditioned in Omaha, where she sang Beyonce's 'Halo'.

Andrina's smoky vocals are sure to set her apart from other contestants, although it was evident she was battling some nerves. Jennifer Lopez praised Brogden's abilities, but felt she was singing with some fear. Harry Connick, Jr. called her a "way better than average singer, but not strong enough for American Idol". Keith Urban also saw Andrina's potential, saying "I think you have a lot of stuff going on that's raw. Because you're from a little town, you need to be exposed to some bigger opportunities and be around some people, and I've got the feeling that you're going to rise the occasion."

It's evident that Andrina doesn't lack confidence, as she expressed her desire to make a name not only for herself, but our state as well:

I honestly think I can be the next American Idol. I think just being myself, this natural North Dakota girl ready to make it big. I want to be the first American Idol from North Dakota and put ND on the map.

The judges' decision was split, but in the end, our ND girl moved on to the Hollywood round! This isn't that big of a surprise, however, seeing as how it was rumored weeks ago that Andrina had already been placed in the top 15 girls.

American Idol tweeted out their support for ND's golden girl:

Take a look at Andrina's audition in its entirety: