Eliza Catastrophe to represent Spokane on American Idol, while singing about sardines

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane woman’s song about sardines is taking her all the way to Hollywood. 

Eliza Catastrophe is a server at Fleur De Sel Creperie on the lower South Hill. She’s appearing on American Idol this Sunday and unleashing her love for tiny fish. 

Catastrophe doesn’t just sing about sardines. 

“I bought some cans of sardines as promotional items,” said Catastrophe. 

She carries cans of them in her purse. It’s what she gave to American Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan when she met them last fall. 

“I watched the show when I was younger but it was actually my dad and my grandparents who really wanted me to audition,” said Catastrophe. 

So she did last September when producers came to Spokane. 

“It went a lot better than I expected and I was invited to audition in front of the judges in L.A.,” Catastrophe said. “The owners of the creperie here sponsored my trip so I got to go and audition and I had a great time.” 

Catastrophe had just one chance to wow the superstar judges. She could have picked any song but instead, Catastrophe wrote her own. 

“I brought that patented spunk that us Spokanites have,” she said. 

But why sardines?

Catastrophe says her dad used to burn the oil from the cans- something that fascinated her. 

“The only way he would show me this trick is I had to eat the sardines,” Catastrophe said. 

She developed a taste and they became a part of her childhood. Finally, she combined her love of music and canned fish and wrote a song in just one day. 

“It annoyed my roommate so bad, he hated it and it got stuck in everybody else’s head,” said Catastrophe. 

And this Sunday, people around the country might have it stuck in their heads, too.    

You can watch Eliza and see how her audition went this Sunday at 8 p.m. on 4 News Now. 

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