Turlock native talks ‘American Idol’ success, response to family’s addiction struggle
Turlock native Ash Ruder got what every auditioning contestant on “American Idol” wants — a Golden Ticket to Hollywood Week.
But before the Pitman and Turlock Christian high alum could perform in front of the celebrity judges again, she had the little business of her final exams to finish.
The 22-year-old, whose audition aired last Sunday on ABC, touched show judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan with a heartfelt song written about her father’s recovery from addiction. But as she prepared for her next step on the show, which was filmed months ago, she also had to ace her finals.
Ruder is a senior studying music and business at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California. But her finals week coincided with Hollywood Week. So in between practicing and filming she was also studying for and taking her tests. She managed to take most of her exams on her first quarantine day on set. But one could only be arranged for 3 a.m.
“That was my hardest exam, too — advanced science. But by the grace of God I passed it,” Ruder said in a phone interview from Southern California, where she is living while attending school.
Since she debuted on the show last week, the video of her performance has racked up more than 1.2 million views. She wrote and dedicated the song to her father, Bryan Christenson, who came with her to the audition. Ruder was open about her father’s struggles with alcohol and drugs throughout his life, and celebrated his almost three years of sobriety in the song.
“The coolest thing that has come out so far is the amount of people who have come to me with their stories about struggling with the same thing I have. So many have told me about their struggles, some have lost family members to addiction, some have seen the same redemption and healing I’ve seen,” she said. “It’s very cool to see our story is encouraging people and helping people heal.”
But she said a few people took her to task for discussing her father’s addiction and the pain his absence caused growing up. But, she said, since her father’s recovery, he has been an open book about his struggles.
And those sentiments are echoed by Christenson himself, who lives in Turlock with his wife and Ruder’s mother, Julie. He was kept in the dark about his daughter’s intention to sing the song she wrote about him, and so was confused when producers invited him to come in to be part of the filming. But once she started singing, he called the experience “overwhelming.”
“It’s awesome to have a daughter that still loves her father after a life of turmoil,” he said in a phone interview from Turlock. “I am fine talking to anyone who wants to talk to me about those issues. I’ve been dealing with them my whole life.”
Christenson — who works at Modesto’s Mistlin Honda with his son and Ruder’s brother, Adam — said having their family’s story play out on national television has made them closer. He’s spoken with his parents, who didn’t know the extent of his two decades of addiction, and had other family members share their stories with him.
“I’ve been hearing from people with the same circumstances in their life. I’ve heard from people who have lost their parent. So it’s rewarding to me to think I stopped in time before I became a goner,” he said.
He’ll, of course, be rooting for his daughter when she returns to “American Idol.” Performances are pre-taped, but Ruder said she doesn’t know if she appears in the upcoming episodes yet. Hollywood Week episodes are set to air back-to-back March 21 to March 22.
This year’s Hollywood Week was also different because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Contestants were tested regularly, had to stay in their rooms and their performances were done without an audience.
One of the more unexpected responses to her audition, Ruder said, is how many fathers have reached out to her and shared their stories, even cried with her. She has become a bit of a “dad whisperer” thanks to her song.
“My initial thoughts were I just really hope this is honoring to my dad,” she said. “I think it’s empowering in a way. Generally speaking men are known to be tough guys who are not emotional, so to see a man who is so strong and tough but also can cry is very unique. It’s OK to cry. It’s OK to let your feelings out. That’s ultimately what healed my father and my relationship, him being open and vulnerable and honest. It’s OK to share deep hurts and happinesses.”
For more on Ash Ruder visit www.instagram.com/ashruder.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
