Julia Gagnon walked up to a house in Raleigh, North Carolina last week, to meet a brother she only recently learned existed.

Emotions had been swirling during her thousand-mile drive from Maine, as she thought about what would happen and what she might say to him.

“I said ‘My brother!’ and then ‘I think I stepped on your foot,'” remembered Gagnon, 23. “I was very nervous and the whole thing was surreal.  I wondered if we’d get along. But it turns out we’re like twins, down to some very small mannerisms and how we see the world.”  

Gagnon’s brother, Alex Gentry, already knew who she was, although he had no idea they were related. He watched “American Idol” in 2024, when Gagnon was one of the finalists and a fan favorite week after week. He knew from her interviews on the show that she too had been adopted from Guatemala.

“I remember thinking that’s cool, that’s a coincidence,” said Gentry, 22, from his home in North Carolina on Thursday. “Then to meet her, a stranger who is blood-related to you, is very emotional.”

Gagnon’s parents, Jim and Meg Gagnon, had hired a private investigator when she was 18 to find her birth family. The investigator found Gagnon’s birth mother and two half brothers in Guatemala. Gagnon was also told there was a possibility she had another sibling, from the same set of parents.

Her birth mother, Sara Ramos, died in 2024. At the time, some of Ramos’ photos were posted online by her family, including one of an infant boy less than a year old.

Gagnon thought the boy might be her brother. She decided to post the photo on social media, along with her story and pleas for information. An Instagram post in late September was shared by an adoption group on Facebook and seen by Gentry’s foster family, who had cared for him in Guatemala as a baby. Gentry’s foster mother confirmed the photo was indeed him — she bought him the outfit he’s wearing — and shared it with him.

Gentry reached out to Gagnon on social media, and confirmed Ramos was their birth mother. Then they started texting. But they didn’t talk on the phone until a day before they planned to meet.

Gagnon drove to North Carolina with her fiancé, Nate Haven, and two friends. On the trip, they meandered through various states and towns to visit other friends and family and soak up their emotional support.

Gagnon and Gentry soon found out they had a lot in common, including music. She sings professionally and he deejays at clubs and events. They both made elaborate videos on Instagram to share their joy at meeting each other.

They discovered they had both been inspired by an Australian movie called “Lion,” based on the true story of a boy adopted at the age of five, who uses Google Earth to find his birth family 25 years later. During the three days Gagnon spent with Gentry and his family, they decided to watch “Lion” again with friends and family.

“That’s when most of the crying happened,” said Gentry.

Gentry hopes to come to Maine to visit Gagnon and hear her sing. She’ll be performing in December as part of the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s “Magic of Christmas” shows. He also plans to come for Gagnon and Haven’s wedding in Maine, planned for next June.

And Gagnon says she won’t be so nervous the next time she makes the thousand-mile trek to North Carolina.

“It’s such a blessing that I found him and could get to him so quickly,” said Gagnon. “I’m sure I’ll be back down there soon. “