At the time the audition and Hollywood episodes of American Idol 8 were edited for airing, Felicia Barton was just one of many who didn’t make it through the grueling rounds of cuts. In her place was petite Joanna Pacitti, who was recently disqualified after her many ties inside the music industry became public information.

Now, Idol watchers have been presented with a Top 36 contestant they’ve barely seen and never heard on FOX. So, just who is this Felicia Barton anyway? Find a clip after the jump.

In this video, Barton is singing at the Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. Barton auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky, but lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia at the time. The singer, 26, entertains with her tunes at bars in the area. Barton is also married and has a son (age unknown), making her one of many mothers in the Top 36. Barton first performed publicly at the tender age of two, and she’s got the chops to prove it.

Want to hear more of this unsung singer? Felicia Barton videos abound on YouTube, and within the next three weeks she’ll perform in the flesh on the big Idol stage.

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)