MAHOMET, Ill. (WCIA) — A teenager from Mahomet is taking her singing talent nationwide with an appearance on American Idol.

Lexi Tieffel auditioned for the popular singing show last November. She could not comment much about the audition and how she did, but she confirmed that she auditioned in Nashville, and she sang “A Girl Crush” by Little Big Town.

“That initial audition, just being in there, I just had so much adrenaline,” Tieffel said. “It was not a lot of nerves, it was more just like, I was in a panic like ‘Oh my god, I’m about to meet these amazing stars that I have looked up to for so long.'”

The judges for Season 23 of the show, whom Tieffel met, are Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood.

“I can’t even believe that I stood in their presence,” she said. “I met Luke’s wax figure as well as Carrie’s wax figure in Madame Tussauds, so to be with the real version in an audition room is insane.”

17-year-old Tieffel has been singing her entire life, starting with mini shows for her parents. She took voice lessons for a few years, and she now performs at various events and venues around the area.

Those events and venues have included the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, charity events, Fighting Illini basketball games (singing the national anthem) and the Mahomet Music Fest. Tieffel will be performing at the latter later this summer, opening for headliner and fellow TV singing contestant Gina Miles.

The idea of taking her talent to American Idol came from a previous singing engagement. It all started when a video of Tieffel singing at Rod Sicker’s Red Hot Winter was sent to someone in Tennessee.

“They were like ‘You should try out for American Idol. Why haven’t you thought about that?’ I had the idea in my head and then a lot of other people at that time period were asking me about it,” Tieffel said. “So, I prayed, and I said ‘God, I’m going make a sign and if you show me it, let’s do it.’ My sign was a rainbow, and I saw a rainbow that same day.”

Tieffel said she is most excited to see her American Idol journey unfold on TV, and she is so excited that it will air. She didn’t know if it would when she first auditioned.

Her audition will air Sunday night at 7 p.m. on ABC.