Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Alex Miller, 17, Lancaster, Kentucky: The first of the budding country stars to be featured in the Season 19 auditions, Alex showed up with a great personality and an excellent original song called “I’m Over You So Get Over Me.” Heck, he allowed Idol to film him singing to cows, then joined right in on the country novelty hit “Boney Fingers” when he walked into the audition room to find Luke singing the tune.

Ammon, 17, and Liahona Olayan, 16, Wahiawa, Hawaii: These siblings auditioned together with a great original called “Listen to My Heart,” written because siblings sometimes get in fights and say things they don’t mean. According to interviews, they also sang solos for the judges. Both advanced, though sister Liahona was clearly the better in terms of vocals and charisma. You might remember them as the teens whose parents decided to move them to Hawaii and live out of tents for a while to learn about their heritage and get closer as a family.

Anthony Guzman, 27, Santa Rosa, Calif.: Idol’s bio bar described him as a Viking enthusiast. Which might explain why he showed up for his Idol audition dress as Thor. Then he launched into a nice rendition of “Cry Me a River.” Luke’s response: “Holy hell, that was a curveball.” But Luke didn’t think Anthony was ready for Hollywood. Katy and Lionel disagreed, though encouraging Anthony to take his music seriously.

Beane, 23, Boston, Mass.: He’s the wedding singer Lionel dubbed “the new modern day Mr. Rogers.” Katy called him a “walking pocket of sunshine.” Those titles aside, he displayed one of the best pure male voices on Seson 19’s fourth audition episode, singing “Wait For The Moment,” by Vulpeck.

Benson Boone, 18, Monroe, Wash.: The guys with 1.3 million followers on TikTok when his audition aired landed a backflip in the lobby with Ryan Seacrest, then a golden ticket singing “Punchline by Aiden Martin. Predicted Katy Perry: “They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone.” Benson said he only started singing seriously a year before his Idol audition.

Caleb Kennedy, 16, Roebuck, S.C.: He performed a partly finished original called “Nowhere.” Katy encouraged him to finish it, vowing it might take him somewhere. All three judges were quite impressed by the young man, who said he wants to become a country music legend. He’s written 120 songs and has a debut single out.

Calvin Upshaw, 26, Marks, Miss.: Incarcerated at one point, Calvin decided to turn his life around, partly because he realizes he’s got to be a role model for his 8-year-old son. He auditioned with “Falling Out of Love” by Calvin Richardson. The judges appreciated the soul-baring emotion in his performance and promised him a fresh start on Idol. Lionel called his audition “so moving.”

Cameron Allen, 20, Moore, Okla.: He was montaged as part of a package on athletes who like to sing. He plays baseball, but there’s a lot more singing than sports on his Instagram. He also has more than 24,000 followers and 300,000 likes on his TikTok (nellanoremac, his name backwards) where he writes “I play baseball and try to be funny. I sing too.”

Cecil Ray, 20, Cameron, Texas: He opened the third audition episode singing “Talkin’ Tennessee.” Luke called him “absolute perfection.” Katy called him “a country Justin Bieber.” He also impressed the judges with a positive spirit, despite losing a friend, a brother and an uncle to suicide. “The only light in the dark was music,” said Cecil, who wants to better himself for his baby daughter, just a month and a half old when he auditioned.

Chayce Beckham, 24, Apple Valley, Calif.: There aren’t any apples in Apple Valley, but there was a ton of grit in Chayce’s audition cover of “What Brings Life Also Kills.” And that might help him stand apart in a very young cast. Chayce’s family called the Idol audition a blessing because it came after a year in which Chayce’s life turn upside down, in which he struggled with alcohol and moved back in with his parents. Luke said Chayce’s first note “had me” and said he’s what Idol is all about.

Colin Jamieson, 22, Boxford, Mass.: He’s the former boy band (Kik-It) member who auditioned right after his best friend failed to land a golden ticket. Colin settled in behind the piano and did better with a cover of Billie Eilish’s “Six Feet Under.” Oh, and he’s now more of a singer-songwriter, having released a solo EP and single in 2020.

Deshawn Goncalves, 19, Cleveland, Ohio: His mom gave birth to him at age 13; his dad wound up in prison. But when he got out, he pointed his son in the right direction. Deshawn wound up with a full scholarship to Jackson State University where he plays tuba in the marching band. But it was his vocals that wowed the judges. Katy called his performance “magic” and said Deshawn has “a light about you.”

Dzaki, 20, Las Cruces, N.M.: We saw a snippet of him performing Kane Brown’s “Good as You” in the third audition episode, but it was the briefest of appearances.

Graham DeFranco, 27, Rockwall, Texas: After Graham performed “Part One” by Band of Horses, he got a scolding from the judges for not fully investing in his musical talent. Luke said he has one of the “most listenable” voices the judges have heard. He also called that voice “world class.” Graham makes his living as a pilot for a land surveying company.

Hunter Metts, 22, Franklin, Tenn.: He’s a software engineer, but would prefer to make his living singing. He also expressed interest in auditioning before, but couldn’t because his sister worked for Disney. Well, his sister Maddie quit her job and he wound up singing “All the Pretty Girls” in front of the superstar judges. You might say the Idol judges were impressed. Katy and Luke called him Top 10 material.

Jason Warrior, 25, Chicago, Ill.: He’s looking for redemption after a vocally impressive but career damaging appearance on The Four on FOX when he came off as quite full of himself. The Idol judges encouraged him to put the past in the past after he impressed them with his cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” Lionel called it one of the best vocals the judges have heard.

Michael Gerow, 16, St. Louis, Missouri: Another of the auditioners who showed up in the fourth audition episode with an original. In Michael’s case it was “Nice Boy,” a song about teen love gone wrong. Lionel loved his vulnerability. Katy called him an exceptional singer with “swag” and Top 10 material.

(Philip) Murphy, 27, Baltimore: His “The Painted Man” was the best original performed on the fourth audition episode, which featured several. Katy said the Seattle-based street performer seemed too novelty for Idol. Luke and Lionel disagreed. The latter was especially taken by Murphy’s joy of performing. Born half-blind, Murphy has said his goal is to someday open a homeless shelter to help others.

Tryzdin Grubbs, 15, Columbus, Ohio: He hails from a family of athletes; his father is a football coach. But Tryzdin says he always wanted to sing, though that led to bullying in school. The judges thought his cover of “Before You Go” was tentative. They were much more impressed when he followed up with “Nobody” by James Arthur. “You’ve got fireworks,” Lionel said after the second song.

Willie Spence, 21, Douglas, Ga.: Willie auditioned with “Diamonds” by Rihanna. It’s the same song he was singing in high school a couple of years ago when a friend filmed it and the video went viral. That landed Willie a spot on the Steve Harvey show, a social media following (360,000 followers on Instagram) and the opportunity release a debut single (“So Gone”). More recently, he had a health scare, which prompted him to shed about 180 pounds and get his weight down to 400. The judges loved his vocal.

Wyatt Pike, 19, Park City, Utah: He’s a rarity in that his audition song — “Best For You” and written for his sister — is already released. It was part of Wyatt’s “Brand New Boy” EP, which came out last May. Hailing from a ski resort town, Wyatt said he started gigging there at 13. He even brought along the old beat-up suitcase he’s been using as a tip jar ever since. That’s where Luke placed Wyatt’s golden ticket to Hollywood.

Xavier Washington, 22, Atlanta, Ga.: He’s a student at Yale who was featured in a short segment in the third audition episode. He appeared on The Terrell Show after finishing second in a Race to the Blue singing competition in 2020. At Yale, he’s performed with Shades of Yale and the Yale Glee Club.

Yurisbel, 25, Miami, Fla.: “We need something to wake us up,” said Katy in the second audition episode. In walked Yurisbel, who loves hip-hop and dance, entertains at a Polynesian restaurant in Miami and wants to be a Latin star like Pitbull. He even auditioned with Pitfull’s “Fireball.” Katy voted no on Hollywood; she was overridden by Luke and Lionel, who called him “the mascot of fun” in Season 19. Here’s betting the fun ends far short of the finale.

Zachary D’onofirio, 19, Wesley Chapel, Fla.: He made it to Hollywood in Season 16 and returned to turn in a solid version of The Beatles “Golden Slumber” on piano. But the judges weren’t sold until he brought Catie “I Got a Boyfriend. I Can’t Believe It” Turner into the room and they performed an adorable duet of Harry Styles’ “Falling.” The judges want more confidence from Zach the soloist.