Iowa’s American Idol is Overwhelmed, “Thrown into the Fire”

After only few weeks as the new American Idol, Maddie Poppe is already admitting to feeling "overwhelmed" by the Hollywood pace, the young star-in-the-making told the Des Moines Register in a recent interview.

It seems Maddie is only half-joking that she now understands why "Britney Spears shaved her head", an obvious reference to Spear's early-years of erratic behavior, triggered by the pressures of fame, fortune and fan expectations.

Poppe is currently recording her debut album and preparing for the Summer American Idol tour. The routing of that tour allows Maddie to honor her contract to perform at this year's Market After Dark event in downtown Cedar Rapids on Saturday August 25. So far, it is the only Summer appearance of Maddie that Iowa is likely to see, until a further leg of the tour is announced.

According to the Des Moines Register, the pace of it all creates a pressure that the young singer expected but perhaps did not fully anticipate.

The in-depth interview here paints Maddie as a strong young woman, one whose growing awareness of empathy and understanding for others makes it possible for her to see a not-often-visible light into the perils of instant fame and potential fortunes.

[source: Des Moines Register]