Updated 03/03/2009 10:29 PM
Malone "Idol" contestant competes for top 12 spot
FRANKLIN COUNTY, N.Y. -- He might come from a small town, but Nathaniel Marshall, 18, has a big ambition and a fan base back home to match.
"We're all trying to support Nate as much as we can. We know that he would do the same for us. Everyone's involved, everyone knows, in Malone everyone's excited and they're ready to go and just give him the support that he's always given us," said Nate's friend Emma Allen.
Nate isn't a stranger to the stage. In addition to playing in the band and cheering in high school, he was a hit in his school musicals and helped inspire his classmates.
"He always brought a lot of energy and pumped everyone up. Last year was my first year with like a bigger role and Nate gave me the confidence to go forth and just sing out and do what I needed to to make a good performance," said Hannah Gardiner, Nate's friend.
He's kept in touch with the folks back home during his "Idol" experience and says he's extremely excited for the opportunity.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
"He's ready to do this and I think the same confidence he had on this stage, he carries that same confidence on the Kodak stage, which is amazing to me," said Megan Nemier-Green, Nate's musical director and producer from Chateaugay High School.
Nate didn't have an easy childhood, but he worked hard to rise above it and his friends say that's why America should give him a chance to make it to the top.
"He's extremely dedicated to what he does. He loves singing. It’s been his dream. He's been doing it since he was little and he's just wanted to do this his whole life," said Allison Bruso.
"I think he should make it through because it's something he really wants and it’s something that I think he deserves after everything he's been through," said Eric Manley.
"You know when someone is meant to do something and it's just incredible to finally see him so close to achieving that dream because that's what he wants to do and this is a great way for him to step into that spotlight," said Nemier-Green.
Nate performed Tuesday night in the final group of the top 36 contestants. The top three from his group will be chosen on Wednesday night's show and even if he doesn't make it through, he'll have one last chance when the judges bring back a selection of contestants on Thursday's Wild Card show.