Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kaeyra of American Idol Season 21

Sunday marks the final audition episode of Season 21.

Then it’s off to Hollywood for the contestants we’ve met since the Feb. 19 premiere.

* Kaeyra is the stage name for Caroline Baran, a native of Algonquin, Ill.

* She’s 21 and describes herself as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on Spotify. She plays piano, guitar and drums.

* She’s also one of several Season 21 contestants who has already released music, including a six-song EP classified as R&B and Soul that she released in May 2021. Check out the music video for “All I Know” below. And if you want an even better idea of Kaeyra’s vocal prowess, she performs the entire EP live in this video.

* The EP is called “11:11.” At the time, Kaeyra wrote on Instagram: “I haven’t put out music in almost three years now and really took that time to find myself as an artist and dive deep into what i want my music to sound like and what i want to say. I feel like finally I am in a position where I feel confident in my music and want it to be heard.”

* Her mother ran a music school, so Kaeyra grew up around music. “My childhood was just filled with music,” she told The Daily Herald in Chicago.

* By age 12, Kaeyra was in a band, singing and playing bass guitar. “I just remember the first time I was on stage and I was like, ‘Yup, this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” she told ABC7 in Chicago.

* At age 14, using her real name, she was featured in a Postmodern Jukebox performance of “Time After Time” that went viral. So did a follow-up video of “Nothing Else Matter.”

* At age 16, she earned a spot on Season 13 of America’s Got Talent with a soulful version of “Take Me to Church” that’s still available on YouTube.

* Her parents are from Poland, and Kaeyra has returned there to perform on multiple occasions, including once for the nation’s president in Warsaw.

* More recently, Kaeyra has performed at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago and performed the national anthem for the Chicago Bulls.

* American Idol has already released her audition, a wonderfully soulful version of Chris Stapleton’s “Cold.” Luke Bryan complimented her on an original sound and she received praise from all three Idol judges.

Kaeyra on social media:
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