Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Abby Lebaron, 19, Springfield, Utah: She’s the social media manager who doesn’t have much of a social media following because she doesn’t like to show off. But she showed off exquisite vocals covering Kodaline’s “All I Want.” Naturally, she got a lecture in having more self confidence. And 3 yeses to advance to Hollywood.

Alana Sherman, 23, Lakewood Ranch, Fla.: We saw just a small snippet of her audition; she sang “Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa. She’s a graduate of Louisiana Tech University where she played tennis and the daughter of football coach Ray Sherman. More relevant: She was featured on a Brandon Gomes’ song (“Somber”) on MTV’s “Siesta Key.”

Alanis Sophia, 19, Wesley Chapel, Fla.: Her mom had Alanis when she was 19 and named her after Alanis Morrissette. This Alanis placed second on La Voz Kids at age 12 and later signed with Big Machine Records with hopes of fusing a Latin sound with country music. She’s the charismatic young woman that performed “Anyone” by Demi Lovato while holding a toy American Idol mic form her childhood. Katy complimented her on her combination of talent and confidence.

Althea Grace, 21, Chicago, Ill.: The very last auditioner we met, Althea is the young woman who auditioned with an original called “Saturday Morning,” written while her then 11-month-old daughter was in the hospital, needing a liver transplant to survive. She got the transplant. And Althea got her golden ticket thanks to what Luke described as “a Stevie Nicks quality” and what Lionel called “a cut-through voice.”

Alyssa Wray, 18, Perryville, Kentucky: She dazzled the judges with her soaring vocals while singing “I Am Changing.” Her performance got the pimp spot in the fourth audition episode, and Katy labeled it a potentially historic Idol moment. A 6-foot-2 former basketball player, Alyssa said she perceived being different as a disadvantage growing up, then decided to use what made her different as “my super power.”

Amanda Mena, 18, Boston, Mass.: She kicked off the second audition episode with a powerful, crystal clear, pitch-perfect rendition of The Beatles “Once There Was a Way,” earning a unanimous vote to advance. Idol didn’t air a bio clip on Amanda, but she was identified as a horse handler in the bio bar.

Andrea Valles, 23, Houston, Texas: We didn’t get much of an introduction to Andrea. She’s a bilingual artist who released an EP called “Mi Casa” in 2019 and followed up with another called “On Sight” in December. She performed “Landslide” and a bit of “Dance Monkey” for the judges, a sure sign of versatility. Said Luke: “We’re in the star-finding business. That’s a star.”

Anilee List, 20, Los Angeles: She’s the young lady inspired by Idol Season 10 standout James Durbin. Both have Tourette Syndrome, and Anilee said seeing him succeed on the show provided a major confidence boost when she was young. More importantly, Anilee wowed the judges with her cover of Aaron Taylor’s “Blue.” Lionel called her “amazing.” Luke said he gave her six degrees of “chill bumps.”

Ash (Ruder), 22, Turlock, Calif: She’s the self-described daddy’s girl whose father struggled with addiction most of her childhood. But he got sober two years ago and they’ve mended their relationship. With dad looking on, she performed an original song she wrote about him, bringing tears to the eyes of everyone in the room.

Ava August, 15, Orange County, Calif: At age 9, she attended a Katy Perry concert dressed as a banana. More importantly, at age 15, she already has three singles out and her 2020 “Daybreak” is excellent. She was excellent on Idol too, performing an unreleased original (“Neighbor Boy”) and sounding much older. Lionel called it “an old-soul sound that comes out very fresh.”

Brianna Collichio, 15, Spencerpoint, N.Y.: Diagnosed at birth with Cystic Fibrosis, health complications nearly scuttled Brianna’s Idol audition. But the show was able to reschedule and she appeared before the judges to perform an impressive version of “Scars to Your Beautiful.” This young lady released her first song (“Never Let Me Down”) at age 13. Katy called her a “walking miracle” and a performer who gives others hope.

Cameron McGhar, 16, Clanton, Ala.: She’s the wholesome beauty who was raised by her grandmother and prodded out of her shell by entering pageants. She sounded robotic on her first audition song, much better on “You Ain’t Woman Enough” and was able to convince Katy Perry and Luke Bryan to give her a chance in Hollywood.

Casey Bishop, 15, Estero, Fla.: She marched into the audition room with very little performing experience and decided to perform Motley Crue’s “Live Wire” a cappella. She also sang “My Funny Valentine.” Luke Bryan compared her audition to Alejandro Aranda’s — which is the highest praise in Idol’s mind — and called her “the damn winner of American Idol.” Lionel said “the sky is the limit” for young Casey.

Cassandra Coleman, 24, Columbia, Tenn.: Before Idol, she’d only performed online because of her nerves, fears and insecurities. Cassandra won the judges over with her cover of “The Way It Was” by the Killers, but the real magic happened when she slipped behind the piano and performed “Apologize.” I mean, wow. Said Katy: “I think you have the voice of an angel and a presence that’s pure.”

Celeste Butler, 23, Oceanside, Calif.: She was a singer on a cruise ship for six months right before the pandemic. Celeste impressed the judges with a cover of “Best of My Love.” Last summer, she collabored with Jacob Martin on a song called “No Peace” in response to the death of George Floyd.

Christian McGuckian, 21, Easley, S.C.: She works as a maid, but was in an accident that left her with a couple of broken ribs. If that crash had been worse, “I would not have gone out happy with my life” because she didn’t pursue her dreams of singing, Christian said. She was overcome with a bad case of nerves in the audition room, but Luke assured her she has “magic country stuff” in her voice.

Claudia Conway, 16, Washington, D.C.: She’s the daughter of Kelly Anne (Trump advisor) Conway and George (anti-Trump) Conway. She said she wants to get away from the political controversy and drama and pursue music. Her version of Adele’s “When We Were Young” earned her yeses from Katy and Lionel. Claudia was thrilled to be going to Hollywood rather than D.C.

D.J. Johnson, 18, Longview, Texas: She’s the young lady whose mom abandoned her family and put the story to music with the heart-wrenching original called “Scars.” She broke down in the middle of the performance, but was able to complete the song with her dad in the audition room and brought all the judges to tears in the process. Lionel called it a hit song and D.J. got three yeses for Hollywood.

Erika Perry, 26, Orange County, Calif.: She’s the young woman who calls herself “ET” and auditioned with Katy Perry’s “ET.” Her reasons for auditioning: Her ex had just dumped her, accusing her of having no drive or motivation and she was determined to prove him and all the other haters wrong. It was a close call, but she got yeses from Katy and Lionel and a chance to address her ex by showing off her golden ticket to Hollywood.

Grace Kinstler, 20, Chicago, Ill.: She got the pimp spot in the Season 19 premiere, singing “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “Natural Women.” Her dad, her biggest fan, had passed away the February before, but she wore a necklace into the audition room in his honor. She got rave reviews from the judges. Luke said her audition ranked with the greatest in Idol’s history.

Hannah Everhart, 17, Canton, Miss.: She’s the country gal who looks a bit like Katy Perry, eats a full slab of ribs and appreciated the smell of cow poop because it reminded her of home. But she also delivered a nice cover of Johnny Cash’s “Wayfaring Stranger,” then followed up with a more impressive rendition of “At Last.” The judges were clearly intrigued by her talent and her personality.

Heather Russell, 20, Toronto, Canada: She covered Katy’s “Harleys in Hawaii” with a few too many frills for my taste. But there was certainly not denying her vocal talent. She held one glory note forever. Lionel complimented her phenomenal control. Luke called her “one of the better singers we’ve heard this year.,

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.

Laila Mach, 15, New Paltz, N.Y.: Inspired by Gabby Barrett, Laila marched into the audition room brimming with confidence and performed an original that she dubbed an “angrier” version of Gabby’s monster hit, “I Hope.” Katy dubbed it deranged, but said Laila has “exactly what it takes to be in this competition and go far.” She also has an EP and excellent album out. At 15.

Liv Grace Blue, 17, Studio City, Calif.: She’s the Katy Perry fan who performed an acoustic version of “I Kissed a Girl” for the judges. And it was pure magic once she hit the chorus. Said Katy: “I see something very special in you. I see a little of myself in you.” Liv was clearly touched by the sentiment. She’s also pretty shrewd at the social media game. Her clip was interspersed with Ava August’s. No problem: Liv posted her full cover to YouTube.

Madison Watkins, 25, Fayetteville, Ark.: Her nickname is moo-moo because she grew up in Arkansas. She’s also got singing show experience from America’s Got Talent at age 21. And music already out, including a 2020 EP and a catchy 2021 single and music video (“Blinded”). So it was no surprise that she dazzled judges with an original called “Your Little Girl” and dedicated to her dad. Said Katy: “I think you are what we look for on American Idol.”

Mary Jo Young, 19, Cleveland, Ohio: Asked by Katy where she performs, Mary Jo’s response was priceless: “Oh, my, no. I’ve never performed.” Except for posting to TikTok (277,000 followers) and Twitter. She displayed distinctive powerful vocals singing “You Broke Me First” (Tate McRae) and “Bruises” (Lewis Capaldi), prompting Luke to predict she has Top 10 potential. The judges brought Mary Jo’s mom into the audition room so she could hear her daughter sing in person for the first time.

Nia Renee, 17, Little Rock, Ark: She’s the young lady who walked into the judges’ room in the middle of some cow-tipping antics. Her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” quickly got the show back on track. She showed off power, control of her powerful vocals and smile that lit up the room. Katy dubbed her “the queen of soul” at age 17.

Re’h, 27, Houston, Texas: She’s in the National Guard and lead vocalist in the Army 40th Infantry Division Band. You’ll most likely remember her as the woman who showed up for her audition wearing an overcoat, then returned wearing sunglasses and a slinky silver dress to belt out Donna Summers’ “Bad Girls.”

Ronda Felton, 19, Milwaukee, Wisc.: She’s the daughter of a single mom, forced to move around a lot and sometimes homeless. Ronda said she stayed positive because she always had her mom and music. She performed “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls and showed off powerful, nuanced vocals, probably the best we heard on the third night of auditions.

Samantha Sharpe, 25, Basking Ridge, N.J.: She’s part of the Sharpe Family Singers consisting of a mother, dad and four singing siblings. They bill themselves as the Modern Day Partridge Family and have put out a Christmas album. But Samantha told the judges she’d also like to pursue a solo career and showed off her powerful voice covering Sia’s “Titanium.”

Vahhley, 23, Brooklyn, N.Y.: At the time of her audition, Vahhley and her young son had been living in a homeless shelter for eight months. Her dad is also homeless. Vahhley auditioned with an emotional performance of Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time.” Then her son adorably raced into the audition room in the middle of his mom’s feedback. Luke called the fight in Vahhley “incredible.”