Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Trace Casanova, 22, Charlotte, N.C., performed “Wild One” by Jerry Lee Lewis and “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot: He put a humorous lounge spin on “Baby Got Back” and sure came across as a fun, seasoned performer. Carrie Underwood said she likes him and the fun attitude he brings to the show. Luke Bryan voted no on a golden ticket. But Lionel Richie praised the joy and humor he brings to the stage. He advanced on a 2-1 vote.

Here’s more about Trace:

* He’s a lounge singer, based on Charlotte, N.C., from Gastonia, N.C., who spent time studying at the Musical Theatre at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.

* He was featured in a pre-season American Idol Season 24 promo called “We Like Big Singers and We Cannot Lie.” In fact, he starts the promo, singing a couple line of “Baby Got Back” (aka “I Like Big Butts”). The judges seem thrilled and amused.

* Trace announced his Idol audition in a mid-November social media post, calling it a “wonderful experience” and writing that he couldn’t wait for fans to see it.

* In a 2025 interview with Bold Journey, Trace says he’s always enjoyed performing and got a lot of his personality from his mother, who made her living as a bartender in a biker bar for years.

* Even in middle school, Trace played the role of weatherman for the news teams. “I had my own theme song, did a dance, sang the weather report. Kids thought I was a hoot.”

* As an adult, he’s been involved in musical theater, performs music and does his own one-man shows, like “A Casanova Christmas” and “Bring Me Back to Gastonia” from earlier this year. The latter is described as “an evening of his best crooning songs” paying homage to Gastonia.

* Trace says he performs Sinatra-style jazz covers. And he performs a lot. A show schedule on Instagram shows 19 appearances in October 2025.

* Trace says he writes plays and music, but hasn’t recorded much of that music. He has one song on Apple Music, “Voluptuous Lady” from 2024. It’s something of a tongue-in-cheek novelty tune. You can check out a snippet of the song in the TikTok below.

Keep checking back daily for more profiles of Season 24 contestants

Trace on social media:
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YouTube

@tracecasanova00 Open Mic at The Evening Muse Orginal Song “Voluptuous Lady” by Trace Casanova #charlottemusic #musician #milfman ♬ original sound – tracecasanova00