Casey Bishop of ‘American Idol’ collaborates with Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada

It’s Casey Bishop’s first single since “American Idol,” and the Estero teen could barely contain her excitement.

“I am feeling amazing,” Bishop said Friday, April 22, the day she released her new single “Bad Dream.” “Today just felt like a holiday. I’m so excited.

“I’ve just had, like, butterflies the entire day. I literally got no sleep last night.”

“Bad Dream” gives her fans a chance to hear what she’s been working on since leaving “Idol” in May 2021. She made it to fourth place on the TV singing competition.

Previously: ‘American Idol's' Casey Bishop opening for Fogerty in Florida, new EP coming in 2022

More: American Idol semifinalist Casey Bishop performs in Fort Myers

Bishop has been flying back and forth to Los Angeles to producer/singer-songwriter Chris Greatti’s home studio for about 10 months. They hope to release an EP sometime later this year.

What is Casey Bishop's new song 'Bad Dream' about?

Bishop, 17, co-wrote the paranoia-filled “Bad Dream” with Greatti and popular actor/singer Willow Smith, daughter of movie stars Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Bishop was particularly blown away by Smith, she said.

“She’s incredible,” she said. “She is so, so talented. It’s mind-blowing, and she’s such a nice human being.”

“Bad Dream” is Bishop's first official single featuring her as a co-writer, she said. She didn't write on her previous single, “Love Me, Leave Me," released while she was still competing on “Idol."

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This new song feels more like her kind of music, she said. In other words: It rocks. But it also has a pop feel to it.

“I love it so much,” she said. “I really love it. It’s personal to me.”

“Bad Dream's" lyrics could be interpreted as being about the paparazzi or possibly a stalker: “I don't wanna figure out why you have been takin' pictures of my house,” the chorus goes. “No I don't wanna figure out why you're in the hallway, comin' towards me now.”

Bishop declined to say much about the song’s inspiration, preferring to keep it ambiguous.

“I don’t want to say, specifically, what it’s about,” she said. “But something happened that led to me struggling with paranoia, basically.”

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What can Casey Bishop fans expect from the EP?

She recorded the song about three months ago, she said. Meanwhile, she’s still working on the EP with Greatti, best known for his work with Yungblud, Blink-182, Poppy and Grimes.

So what can fans expect from the EP? A little bit of everything, Bishop said. Some songs rock, some are high-energy and danceable, and some are more ballad-like.

“Honestly, there’s a lot of different sounds in there,” she said. “None of the songs sound the same at all, I don’t think. They’re all very different.”

As for what happens after the EP, Bishop didn't give many details. “Making music right now is the focus,” she said. “And hopefully a tour in the long run.”

"Bad Dream" was released on New York’s 19 Recordings, “Idol’s” official record label, and its publishing partner BMG. It’s available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and elsewhere.

Bishop competed for three months on "Idol" and sang everything from Soundgarden to Judy Garland. She made it into the show's semifinals, but was voted off May 16. Country singer Chayce Beckham eventually took the top prize.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Will Smith's daughter and Casey Bishop co-write new song 'Bad Dream'