Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Iris Herrera, 19, Newaygo, Michigan, performed “You Are My Sunshine.” She delivered an amazing opening, earning quick chair turns from John Legend, Michael Buble and Kelsea Ballerini. That was wonderful turn-around from her first audition. Kelsea loves the connection she made with her soulful and infectious vocals. Michael called her successful return to the show “the coolest thing ever.” John called it a four-chair turn performance and noted he turned first. Iris decided to join Team Kelsea.

Here’s more about Iris.

* A singer-songwriter from the small town of Newaygo, Mich., she appeared on Season 26, auditioning with Fleetwood Mac’s (Stevie Nick’s) “Gypsy,” but failed to turn a chair.

* Gwen Stefani and Michael Buble were both amazed at how much like Stevie Nicks she sounded. Both encouraged her to audition again. Said Michael: “You come back, sing a song that isn’t Stevie, the chairs are going to turn, without a doubt.”

* Taking to TikTok after the audition aired, Iris assured her new followers that the audition was “not the end of my musical journey at all. Just a small little hiccup.” Oh, and she said she’s a huge fan of Stevie and Fleetwood Mac, but said she really wasn’t trying to mimic the superstar’s sound.

* As for that invite to audition again, Iris clearly jumped at the chance pretty quickly. Auditions for Season 26 and Season 27 were filmed pretty much back to back.

* Iris said she wanted to audition with a song more authentic to her this time around. “I slowed it down. I made it a little more smoky.” It’s also a song her grandmother said to her children, so she has a personal connection to “You Are My Sunshine.”

* Check out the posts on her TikTok and Facebook, and you’ll quickly hear that Iris has a distinct sound and can impressively cover a wide range of artists, from Miley Cyrus to Tyler Childers.

* In her Season 26 Voice bio package, Iris described herself as a pretty typical 19-year-old who lived with her mom and two younger siblings, Manny and Lili. Her parents divorced when she was 13.

* Judging from her Facebook posts, she’s been performing live since at least 2022. She also played spots at Newaygo High School.

* In fact, on one day in March of 2022, she helped the girls basketball team win a district championship AND sang the national anthem to kick off the Michigan state wrestling finals.

* “Music was a way to freely express who I am,” she told the show. “I hope to spread light and joy.”

Iris on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube

@iris.herreraa Enjoy out silly willy mess ups❤️ #fyp #music @Christian McNeese ♬ original sound – iris.herreraa