Cardinale was born in Hammond, Louisiana, to Agnes and Anthony Cardinale. In 1991, when she was six years old, she and her family moved to Ponchatoula. She has an older sister, Lori. She is a 2003 graduate of Ponchatoula High School, where she was a member of the advanced choir. During her run on American Idol, she was a university student majoring in radiology. In addition to singing, she also plays guitar, piano, drums, and the fiddle.[1]
Cardinale appeared at Ponchatoula's Strawberry Festival shortly after her elimination; she thanked her hometown for their contributions that helped her place twelfth out of hundreds of thousands of auditions. However, her contract with 19 Entertainment prevented her from singing at the fair, so she played the drums instead. A year later at the festival, on April 8, 2006, Cardinale put on an hour-long show of cover tunes and original songs.
Cardinale became the model and spokesperson for the Bill Hood Automotive Family in Southern Louisiana.[3] In 2006, she released a maxi single featuring the songs "Drive" and "Nothin' Like a Dream" in Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest.[4]
In late 2007, it was announced that Cardinale had signed with Aria Records Nashville; she began work on her debut album with record producer Paul Jackson.[5]
The 2007 self-titled album by Stephen Cochran features a duet with Cardinale.[6]
She returned to her college studies, but switched to double majors in journalism and psychology, with a minor in songwriting, at Belmont University; graduation was anticipated for 2011. She continues with occasional Idol-related performances, such as the American Christmas show at Lincoln Theatre in Napa County, California in 2009.[7]
In early 2015, Cardinale signed with Silvercreek Records in Nashville.[8][9]
Cardinale was a part of the "American Christmas" album and 2005 RCA album, "The Showstoppers". She is a member of Musicians On Call and St. Jude Partners of Hope.[citation needed]