Someone tries out for American Idol and was rejected by the judges. This is a predictable bedtime story. Since the beginning of the shows run on Fox, we’ve seen talentless gimmicks pushed through to the audition process while worthwhile talent is pushed aside. It’s an obvious attempt at ratings that unfortunately causes enough mild-mannered humor for ratings to skyrocket each year. It’s a shame. We all watch with disappointment each year as talent is turned away and can’t do a thing about it but yell at the TV and continue gushing over the celebrity judges (I do love Jennifer Lopez).

For once we’re seeing a revival of this wrongdoing through the success of an original song called “Lydia” that 22 year old Jessica Bassett elegantly sang in front of the national audience. She was turned away, but her song, which was released on iTunes on Friday February 7th, 2014 has skyrocketed through the Apple charts in Canada and the United States.

2020k Fun fact: The last entry in my teenage journal contemplates trying out the American Idol audition process, only to come to terms at the end of its entry that the disillusioned process and strict winning contracts would cause more artistic imprisonment than one could bargain for. A few days ago, I contemplated once more with friends before ultimately coming to the same conclusion. Jessica’s success only reinforces this notion that hard work does not go unnoticed.

It seems that a lot of this wouldn’t be possible without the help of Ellen DeGeneres, who’s went to bat for her  the second the American Idol judges declined to progress Bassett along. In fact, a quick Google of the songwriter and song title pulls up almost The Ellen Show links exclusively.

We’re here to give her an extra push. This song is too good to be ignored and we want more.

In Jessica’s words, the song’s inspiration is a cinch, but it’s delivery is anything but. “It was a couple months ago and my best friend Lydia had written on Facebook that she was having an awful day and that just didn’t sit well with me – she’s my best friend. So, I sent her a video of a song I was written and she loved it. It made her feel better, luckily.” Strictly guitar and vocals, the live performance of “Lydia” lies in a realm that recalls that of more accessible Stan Getz compositions or other jazz/pop wonders of yesterday, interpolated with a more 21st century vocal delivery.

Currently, Jessica Bassett has a phenomenal YouTube channel full of cover songs and a humble Twitter handle that shows she’s currently in the studio cooking up something.

“Lydia” and its artsy artwork is currently available for $0.99 on iTunes and is also streaming on Beats Music.