BATON ROUGE- A line wrapped around the building and the pouring rain didn't dampen the spirits of these American Idol hopefuls.

Some arriving before sunrise to make sure they got their voices heard.

"I've been here for a couple of hours now. About a few hours actually," said Baton Rouge-native Devin Taylor. 

Taylor is a bit of a jack of all trades. 

"I write and record my own music, so I think it's just something that's meant to be and I hope I'm what they're looking for."

Others, like Leeza Greff, have been focusing on just singing for their whole lives.

"I came up here to win," she said. 

Greff drove up from New Orleans to fulfill a life-long wish. 

"I'm doing this for my mom because she passed away when I was 11 and her dream was for me to be a singer."

Inside 18-year-old Alayna Lott is one step closer to Hollywood.

"I'm kind of shaking. I'm so excited," said Lott. 

Just like last year's winner, Laine Hardy, Alayna is from Livingston Parish, and she's hoping for lightning to strike twice. 

"I think I have to go through a couple more steps, a couple for processes to go to the next round and then to tv auditions--meet Katy Perry--that would be cool. We'll see."