Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kaylin Hedges with her parents at the American Idol auditions. (ABC Photo)

Twenty-one seasons in, American Idol still knows how to pull on heartstrings.

Sunday’s episode featured Trey Louis, survivor of a 2018 mass shooting at Sante Fe High School in Texas that claimed the lives of eight students and two teachers.

It featured Jon Wayne Hatfield, who dedicated a song to the grandfather who helped raise him, but feared he’d lose his grandson’s support once he came out as gay. Those fears, of course, proved unfounded.

It featured McKayla Stacey, who was born on the day her dad Phil auditioned for Season 6 of American Idol. In fact, an Idol camera crew followed Phil to the hospital for his reunion with his wife where he met little baby McKayla for the first time more than 16 years ago.

And it featured Kaylin Hedges, a 15-year-old who’s endured long separations from her father, who serves in the Army overseas. As she spoke about how he’d missed her last nine birthdays, viewers had to figure Idol might have a surprise up its sleeve. I know I did.

But I still got choked up when Kaylin’s dad showed up in the audition room to surprise her. After she performed a song dedicated to him.

It’s moments like those — plus undeniable talent — that keep us watching American Idol into its 21st season.

Sunday, Idol introduced us to 12 more Hollywood bound singers in its second audition episode of Season 21. In addition to the aforementioned four, we met Matt Wilson, Stefan Benz, Nutsa Buzaladze, Jeverson, Alessandra Aguirre, Aiden Adair, Caroline Kole, Ashley Tankard, though some of those introductions were quite brief.

I’ve already posted profiles of Trey, Kaylin, Nusta, Stefan, Matt and Caroline, most of whom have already released music. Follow the links in the blog to learn more about them and their music.

Now, my picks for Sunday’s Top 5 auditions.

1. Matt Wilson, 21, Buffalo, N.Y.: Matt’s been working as a teacher’s assistant at a day care and had pretty much given up on his dreams of becoming a singer before his wife Melissa prodded him into auditioning. Smart young lady, because Matt dazzled the judges with his cover of “For Tonight” by Giveon. He showed off a wonderful warm tone, plenty of power on the chorus and nice range as well. Which earned him a standing ovation from the judges, who praised his vocal purity and believability. I wasn’t surprised. Remember, he was one of the three singers up for America’s Golden Ticket in the run-up to Season 21.

2. Trey Louis, 21, Sante Fe, Texas: He’s a mattress salesman who showed up in the audition room with that heart-wrenching backstory and a voice that had Lionel whispering, “oh, I love that” just a couple of lines in. That voice had a touch of soul, lots of grit and even more authenticity. He seems a bit more rough around the edges than Matt, but given some Idol coaching and the humility he displayed when the coaches reward him with a standing ovation, I can see him going far in the competition.

3. Kaylin Hedges, 15, New York, N.Y.: Before her dad showed up in the audition room, she put her own stamp on “I’m Already There” by Lonestar. She delivered it with tons of emotion, showed off the power in her voice and the wisdom to practically whisper other lines in the song. Yep, at age 15. The judges were so impressed, they rewarded her with the only platinum ticket awarded to singers who auditioned in Nashville. That will allow her to skip the first day of the Hollywood round.

4. Caroline Kole, 25, Nashville: This young lady has been Nashville based for 10 years and says she’s experienced lots of “almosts.” She took a gamble, auditioning with Katy Perry’s “Firework.” The gamble paid off thanks to her impressive vocal. So well in fact, that Katy predicted she could be Top 24 material. Katy did encourage her to add some “fangs” to her likeable bubbly personality. Oh, did I mention Caroline already has lots of music out.

5. Jon Wayne Hatfield, 21, Goshen, Ohio: I’ll never understand other singing shows’ reluctance to have singers audition with originals because doing so leads to moments like this. Jon performed “Tell Me Ray,” a song he wrote when his granddad became something of a recluse after his wife’s death. Turns out, it’s a fine, fine song, and Jon Wayne — with his granddad looking on — sounded great on it, showing off a nice country tone with a touch of twang and plenty of rasp. He brought his grandfather to tears. And was rewarded with a golden ticket after a unanimous vote by the judges.

Here’s a photo gallery of the singers who advanced to Hollywood.

McKayle Stacey is congratulated by her dad Phil after earning golden ticket at the American Idol auditions. (ABC Photo)

Ashley Tankard, 23, of Durham, N.C., performed “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae to earn her golden ticket on American Idol (ABC Photo)

Caroline Kole, 25, of Nashville, Tenn., performed “Firework” by Katy Perry to earn her golden ticket on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Jon Wayne Hatfield, 21, of Goshen, Ohio, performed an original called “Tell Me Ray” to earn his golden ticket on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Aiden Adiar, 19, of Clover, S.C., gets pointers from Lionel Richie en route to earning a golden ticket on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Alessandra Aguirre was among the singers to earn a golden ticket on Sunday’s episode of American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Jeverson was among the singers to earn a golden ticket on Sunday’s episode of American Idol (ABC Photo)

Kaylin Hedges, 15, of New York, earned Nasvhille’s platinum ticket on American Idol after her performance of Lonestar’s “I’m Already There” (ABC Photo)

Matt Wilson, 21, of Buffalo, N.Y., performed “For Tonight” by Giveon to earn a golden ticket on American Idol (ABC Photo)

Nutsa Buzaladze, 25, from Georg9a (the country), performed “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston to earn a golden ticket on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Stefan Benz earned a golden ticket on American Idol Sunday night. (ABC Photo)

Trey Louis, 21, of Sante Fe, Texas, performed “Stone” by Whiskey Myers to earn a golden ticket on Sunday’s episode of American Idol (ABC Photo)