American Idol Press

If you you were stunned Sunday night when the indecisive “American Idol” judges called for a fan vote to determine whether Grace Leer or Lauren Mascitti captures the final spot in the show’s Top 20, just consider how the singers felt...

ABC7's Chris Alvarez spoke with Bay Area native Grace Leer today, after her performance last night. The Danville native was on the doorstep of reaching the top 20 but the judges couldn't decide, so now her advancement lies in the hands of the voters. Luke Bryan told her on the show, "We are going to turn it over to America to watch your performance from last night, we are going to let them vote who makes it into the top 20."

Grace Leer was an accomplished player and leader for Mustang Soccer, but her authentic singing voice has taken her to even greater heights. Leer, who helped San Ramon Valley win three consecutive North Coast Section soccer titles before playing at Cal, has added to her growing resume as a performer on “American Idol” this season, soaring in her return to Idol after first appearing on “American Juniors” at the age of 11 when she became the talk of Danville.

It was nearly midnight by the time Grace Leer and her band leader and songwriting partner, Kyle Clouse, packed into the car to begin their five-state, nearly 600-mile journey from Nashville to Milwaukee. Leer drove the first shift, and when it was her turn as the passenger, she found that she couldn't fall asleep.

American Idol's Top 20 finalists turned into the Top 21 on Sunday's show as judges could not decide between two similarly stellar contestants. Instead, they left the vote to America, telling fans to decide which one would go through by voting either online or by text message before next weekend's episode. Country singers Grace Leer, 29, and Lauren Mascitti, 28, said they 'really bonded' during their time in Hawaii, where they participated in the show's final judgment round.