His audition: Mike Parker, 23, of Gainesville, Va., performed “So Sick” by NE-YO. It almost appeared his passionate performance would go unrewarded, but then Jennifer Hudson turned her chair at the last second. She praised Mike for not giving up and for continuing to push himself vocally during the audition. His background: Mike says football…
Her audition: Rachel Messer, 19, of Fort Gay, W.Va., auditioned with “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” The song not only allowed her to show off strong country vocals, but her yodeling skills as well. Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson turned, with Blake complimenting Rachel’s love of traditional country music. Rachel opted to join…
Blind audition: Michael Lee, 30, of Fort Worth, Texas, sang B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone.” Adam Levine turned early in the performance, Jennifer Hudson graced Michael with her first shoe-toss of Season 15 and Blake Shelton turned as well. Michael decided to join Team Blake. His background: Michael says he’s been performing since age…
Her audition: Abby Cates, 17, of Cincinnati, Ohio, auditioned with “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara. Pre-audition, Abby said she was hoping Kelly Clarkson would turn for her. And she did, pretty early in the performance. But she wound up being the only chair turn, which surprised Kelly, who said Abby reminded her of…
Don’t forget, American Idol fans, the winner from Season 15 and the stars of Season 16 will be performing at the York Fair in York, Pa., over the next week of so. Season 15 winner Trent Harmon kicks off the shows on the Froggy 107.7 country music stage with a performance at 6:30 p.m. Friday….
Bryana Salaz, a Season 7 standout on The Voice, has a role in a movie scheduled to hit theaters and VOD sites on Friday. The film is “Age of Summer” and Bryana plays the role of Felice, a junior lifeguard in a southern California beach town. She’s not the star of the film. That…
Zhavia Ward has dropped her second single since starring on the first season of The Four. The song is “Deep Down” and landed Thursday along with an accompanying music video that has gotten more than 1.5 million views in just three days. “It really shows my true style and what I represent, which is R&B…
Why Don’t We released its debut album, “8 Letters,” Friday, to rave reviews from fans and an impressive showing on iTunes. That group includes former American Idol contestant Daniel Seavey and had previously released five EPs and scored a Top 30 pop hit with “Trust Fund Baby.” The three singles released since then — “Hooked,”…
Family, friends and fans bid farewell to Aretha Franklin during a service at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit on Friday. Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia were among those who took the stage during a celebration of Aretha’s life. The music legend died Aug. 16 at age 76. Jennifer performed “Amazing Grace.” Fantasia sang “You’ve Got a…
Carrie Underwood delivers a message of love and unity over hate and divisiveness in the new song she released Friday. The song is called “Love Wins” and is the second released from her upcoming “Cry Pretty” album, due for release Sept. 14. Carrie wrote the song with Brett James and David Garcia and said she…
