Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Samantha Ray reacts to the judges’ feedback on American Idol Season 23. (ABC Photo)

American Idol has already leaked the audition of Samantha Ray, one of the singers to be featured on Sunday’s final audition episode of Season 23.

Samantha, 22, of Ila, Ga., impressed the judges with a cover of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance.”

She breezed to Hollywood with three “yes” votes from judges who were impressed not only with her vocals, but with her emotional connection to the song.

In her bio clip, Samantha explained that she and her sister Taylor were big fans of Idol and Carrie Underwood growing up. They’d watch the show together and sing together.

Taylor died of a drug overdose last February. Samantha said she was thinking of her while performing the song.

Her story brought tears to the eyes of Carrie, who called Samantha’s performance “really special.”

Idol’s bio bar identifies Samantha as a stay-at-home mom.

She doesn’t appear to have released music, but has posted an original called “You Never Even Loved Me” on social media.

Here’s Samantha’s social media links. Below are brief bios of four other singers we might see Sunday.

Samantha on social media:
Instagram
TikTok

Cal Buckley of American Idol Season 23 (ABC Photo)

Cal Buckley: He’s from Aurora, Ontario, plays music in L.A., but also — get this — serves as executive director of Woodfield Nature Camps back in Muskoka, Ontario. The 300-acre camp is “dedicated to helping families heal from serious illness by immersing them in nature.” Since 2022, the camp has served 200 families dealing with childhood illness at no cost to those families. As for music, check out one of his originals here.

Cal on social media:
Instagram
TikTok

Kaleo Knight of American Idol Season 23

Kaleo Knight is a 16-year-old Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and actress. She released a debut single called “Piano” in September. She followed up with “Running Cold,” a collaboration with Aidan Marley, in January. She said they’d been working on that project for about a year and a half.

Kaleo on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook

Trenton Wright of American Idol Season 23

Trenton Wright: He’s a 24-year-old from Helena, Montana, who’s just started writing songs and posting them to TikTok. Head here to check out “Simplified,” inspired by the story of fellow Idol contestant Freddie McClendon. Trenton’s a graduate of Central High School in Helena, then obtained a degree in aerospace engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Trenton on social media:
Instagram
TikTok

Yani of American Idol Season 23

Yani: On TikTok, she describes herself as a singer who improvises about her daily life in absurd musical ways. Like writing a song about leaving a pot on the stove while running errands on Valentine’s, which you can check out here. She’s also lead singer for Yani the Band, which takes popular songs and recreates “them into something you like even better,” according to the band’s website. They’ve got lots of East Coast shows booked for this spring.

Yani on social media:
Instagram
TikTok