EPHRAIM—A young married couple who met at the Snow College music department is turning their passions into a career.
And so far, the recently wedded singer-songwriters, Grayson and Lizzy O’Very, are finding out they have what it takes to make it on the big stage.
They have, in fact, performed on one of America’s biggest musical television programs—American Idol.
And Lizzy made it through to American Idol’s second round of Hollywood Week. She advanced into a tier of 40 other top contestants who dreamt of being crowned this season’s American Idol.
Lizzy was finally eliminated on the show Monday, March 29, after singing a song called “Signs of the Times” by Harry Styles.
The O’Very’s journey on American Idol started when Grayson and Lizzy were invited to audition for the preliminary stages of the reality show this fall. They were flown out to California and the two singers performed original pieces in front of American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.
Grayson, 23, who plays the piano, performed his original song “Numb,” while his wife, Lizzy, 20, who plays the accordion, performed a song she wrote called “Sun I Will Rise.” Both songs can be heard on the internet.
Her style of singing has been called dreamy and ethereal. She is competing in the Indie genre.
Grayson called his music “alternate pop” in earlier interviews. The Deseret News reported that both musicians are a far cry from mainstream. And Lizzy didn’t think either one of them would make it past the first round.
Both singers impressed the panel of three judges enough to receive a “golden ticket” to advance to the next round called Hollywood Week.
Although Lizzy’s voice continued to impress the judges in a duet challenge and she advanced even further into the competition, the O’Verys discovered something even more important. They realized “their dreams to make it in music” were possible.
“So many people think it’s difficult to make a living as a musician,” Grayson said. “It’s a funny stigma. But with all our experiences in California, especially among some of the most successful musical artists in the world, it really comes down to audacity more than talent, if anything.”
Grayson’s plan for the future is to be a professional producer and artist. His wife has similar aspirations. She has dropped out of the music program at Snow College to spend more time songwriting, playing, recording and teaching music.
“It was quite a reality check,” Grayson said of the American Idol trip. “This is how the world works; you don’t have to be the biggest star in all of history to be a successful musician; you can be good at your craft; and still make a decent living and support your family off of it.”
Grayson is majoring in commercial music at Snow College and he expects to graduate in about a year. In the meantime, he helps pay the rent at his Ephraim house and studio by working as a personal mentor.
His wife, Lizzy, also supplements the budget by teaching singing and songwriting. Since her success at American Idol, Lizzy said she has seen a bump in her social media engagement and hopes the buzz will help her teaching business as well.
“My students have been cheering me on,” Lizzy said. “And so that’s been a fun process.”
Lizzy’s family moved from Arizona to Lehi about six years ago. On the couple’s website overystudios.com, she mentioned that “she grew up in a super creative family loving all of the arts, including painting, drawing, dance and music.”
She picked up the accordion and continued forward with her voice lessons and “discovered she had a passion for songwriting.”
She enrolled in the music program at Snow College and met her husband Grayson at an orientation meeting in 2019. In August of 2019, the couple married in the LDS Payson Temple.
Grayson was born and raised in Riverton and attended Riverton High School before attending Snow College. His mother is a piano teacher and his dad is a singer; so his home was always filled with music and songs, he wrote on their website.
He said he loves singing and playing the piano, which led him to develop a passion for songwriting.
Grayson and Lizzy plan on working on their musical artistry in Ephraim until Grayson graduates from Snow College, and then they will likely move to Utah County. Both of the songwriters are looking forward to raising a family in the future.
But for the time being, they are living the dream—the dream to make it happen in the world of music.
