Who Is McKenna Faith Breinholt? Meet the ‘American Idol’ Season 22 Singer in the Top 8

McKenna Faith Breinholt is making a statement as a contestant on season 22 of American Idol. Who is the singer and talented rising star?

Who is McKenna Faith Breinholt?

McKenna is a rising artist on season 22 of American Idol. She hails from Arizona and works as an esthetician while also pursuing her music career. McKenna has sung in church and at local fairs, weddings and restaurants.

Prior to trying out for American Idol, McKenna auditioned for America’s Got Talent and had a much different experience. “Everything felt staged,” she admitted while discussing the NBC show. “This is really cool, just seeing the behind-the-scenes and how intentional everything is and how genuine everything is.”

What Happened to McKenna Faith Breinholt’s Birth Mom?

McKenna opened up about her adoption story on American Idol. “I found out I was adopted as early as I was able to understand it,” she admitted during her audition.

The Breinholts adopted McKenna after her mom “struggled for several years” to get pregnant, the singer revealed. When McKenna turned 21, she asked her parents for more information about her birth family.

Although McKenna’s adoption was closed for most of her life, her parents revealed that her birth mother, Amy Ross Lopez, had died. After finding out her birth mother’s identity, McKenna learned that Amy was also a musician and had performed in a band. “It was a lot to process but I instantly knew where I got my ear from and where I got my voice from,” McKenna shared. “It all clicked.”

McKenna’s birth mom was diagnosed with lupus when she was 23, which is why she put McKenna up for adoption when she found out she was pregnant at 25. She died in 2013 due to complications from the illness.

Before her death, Amy was a member of the musical duo Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl with her husband Derrick Ross, who died by suicide after Amy’s passing.

McKenna Faith Breinholt’s Reunion With Her Biological Family

During the rising star’s Idol audition, her adoptive family surprised her by inviting her birth family to the performance. They had a long-awaited reunion, as McKenna had already been in contact with her birth mother’s family before auditioning for the singing competition show.

Amy’s brother Matthew Lopez also has a musical background as a member of the band Due West. In a 2024 interview, he revealed that his family was searching for McKenna at the same time she was looking for them.

“My sister searched ‘McKenna Arizona,’ and the first thing that popped up was McKenna Breinholt, a beautifully talented singer/songwriter with a large social media presence,” he shared.