Incredibly, this year marks the 20th – yes, the twentieth! Anniversary of Kelly Clarkson’s victory on the first season of American Idol. The series has since launched many other superstars, including Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Chris Daughtry, Jordyn Sparks and most recently Gabby Barrett. But when Kenedy Anderson auditioned this Sunday, Luke Bryan told her, “You can be the biggest star we’ve ever seen.” Lionel Richie declared her “the next big thing in the music business” and Katy Perry announced that the 17-year-old was “born to be a star” before judges handed Kenedy a rare, coveted platinum ticket.
The Platinum Ticket is a new twist this season to celebrate Idol’s 20th anniversary, a “special upgrade” that allows you to quickly track down the “best of the best” contestants right after the first round of Hollywood Week. Only three of those shiny lucky tickets will be given away this season – at the season 20 premiere last week, the first one went to country singer Huntergirl – and the decision should be unanimous among the judges. But Luke, Lionel, and Kathy all agreed after seeing Kenedy’s stunning cabaret-style piano performance of Lady Gaga’s fitting “Applause.”
From the first note, Cathy seemed both pleased and bewildered by the strength of Kenedy’s lungs and the impassioned performance that broke into the wide grin of the Cheshire Cat. Katy later jokingly (or maybe not?) offered to be the golden girl’s manager and producer and declared herself “Kennicat” before whining sharply, “I feel threatened! [This season’s singers] they are younger, they are slimmer, they are prettier… they sing very well! Siri, make an appointment with a plastic surgeon!”
A shocked Katy Perry reacts to Kenedy Anderson’s audition for American Idol. (Photo: Azbuka)
But seriously, Katie was 100% supportive of the high school student, telling her, “Get ready to be your own hero.” Luke said that Kenedy’s audition left him “head spinning”, and he told Kenedy, “I honestly believe your musical journey for the rest of your life just started right here.”
The story goes on
The journey of several other contestants began on Sunday, though as the judges predicted, only a couple of them could make it into the top 10 alongside new leader Kenedy. These were other successful auditions for the second episode of season 20:
Betty Maxwell, 27: “A Moment Like This”/”Jesus Drives”
She won the title of Miss America in 2016 (singing opera in a talent contest) and now she is up for another title: Next American Idol. I suspected that the beauty who walked into the audition room with her crystal crown, whose biggest dream is to be the voice of a Disney princess, and who decided to sing not one but two Idol champion ballads for her audition, would be annoying and trashy. And she really attacked the songs with a desire to please, which is probably the result of years of preparation for the pageant. Cathy advised Betty to “be a little quieter,” and when Betty grinned and boasted that she could play “any kind of music,” Lionel said, “I don’t want you to sing everything. I want you to have style.” But the judges all felt that Betty rings true in the country style in Carrie Underwood’s song, and local country music expert Luke even told her, “You don’t sing like a pageant girl; you sing like a real singer.” I do think Betty had a nice, sultry, rounded tone – or as Cathy put it, “a lot of work.”
Leah Marlene, 20: “Steal My Girl”/”Wishing to the Well”
Okay, here’s the symbolic freaky girl of this season. Katie compared the Illinois Normal Stupid to Katie Turner from season 16; Lionel called it a “ball of energy”; and Luke described it as “entertainment in the form of a small human life form”. But Leah delivered an unexpectedly sweet, heavy vibrato songbird voice on her One Direction acoustic cover, and the Belmont dropout showed some serious songwriting on his second song, an original Allen Stone style. She also really lit up the screen and I can’t wait to see her Hollywood Week antics. “You’re super fun, super quirky, super weird,” Katie cheered. “You handle your weirdness so well and that’s a wonderful part of being an artist,” Lionel added.
Mike Parker, 27: “Strawberry Wine”
A former member of The Voice (he was on ex-idol Jennifer Hudson’s team in 2018), Mike’s soulful, gospel-infused take on the country classic Dinah Carter would probably turn Blake Shelton’s red chair into another show. His performance was raw, unassuming and sincere, and his “silky” vocals gave Luke “goosebumps”. An impressed Luke said that Mike had shown the potential to be a “truly amazing” country artist and advised him to stay in that direction rather than focusing on R&B, while Lionel (himself a soul/country crossover performer) told Mike, “Simplicity is king…your voice scream, that texture in your voice is gold. You have everything to make this happen.”
Kelsey Dolin, 18: “In Pieces”/”Where We Were Young”
The poignant moment of the night was the courtesy of this shy, small-town Southern woman who had a tough childhood due to her mother’s drug addiction and was eventually raised by her grandparents. Kelsey’s grandmother, who died last year, used to encourage her to sing in public, but Kelsey never did – until now. Dedicating Kelly Clarkson’s aching ballad about parental abandonment to her late grandmother, Kelsey had a great natural voice, but she delivered a wooden, nervous performance that sounded like a high school concert. Cathy encouraged her to “step on the gas” for Adele’s song, and as her confidence grew in real time in front of the judges, tears filled Lionel’s eyes. “It completely baffled me,” Lionel sighed. “Do you know how many bad notes you hit? Zero. You have this pure, beautiful voice that has never been challenged, never pushed, never uplifted or loved,” Luke said. I’m really worried that Kelsey will panic and flounder in Hollywood, but I’m rooting for her. “You are special and you deserve it,” Katie said.
Luke Taylor, 20: Ring of Fire/Frosty the Snowman
Singing in a deep, deep sub-baritone that made season 10 winner Scotty McCreery sound like Tiny Tim (“He sings lower than Cash!” chuckled Lionel during his cover of “Ring of Fire”), Luke T. was an absolute scream. After Luke Bryan announced him as “the next Burl Ives”, he even agreed to sing a Christmas carol on demand. But the judges rightly questioned the guy’s versatility and whether he could be anything more than just an “impractical” novelty. “If you don’t give us those others [higher] notes that this is just a ruse,” Cathy said bluntly, while Luke B. admitted: “I don’t think it will go to the end.” Katy actually refused, but her fellow judges wanted to give the big, bear-like boy a chance. I hope Luke T takes their advice and sings Barry White later this season.
Aaron Westberry, 20: “2016”
An Owen Wilson-esque indie jerk with Harry Styles’ sloppy haircut circa 2010 and what Luke called a “burning tone” in his Owl City-like thin voice, Aaron is just a tough guy who has this thing despite to what Luke called him “one of the most limited singers we’ve ever sent to Hollywood.” Cathy told Aaron, “Your voice makes us melt. He doesn’t have that crazy range. He doesn’t need crazy range.” Luke said Aaron’s birth was “on par with James Taylor” and of course, 20-year-old Aaron didn’t even know who Sweet Baby James was. (Feeling old already?) But he had that vibe; he also reminded me a bit of Alex Lambert from Season 9. If Aaron can bring more passion to his performances, as advised by the judges, he could be a season 20 heartthrob and/or a dark horse.
Allegra Miles, 18: “Stained”
“I want to go down in history for being the first to say yes,” Lionel said after being blown away by the piano singer’s original Tori Amos-style song. Well, technically he’s not the first: Allegra is another veteran of The Voice. However, she competed in the remote 2020 season of The Voice due to COVID-19 and was never able to perform live on that show, so here’s the chance she deserves. Everything about you looks like an artist, Luke told her.
Christian Guardino, 21: “A song for you”
This Long Island-raised Italian with a flamboyant personality seemed like a jocular member at first, but he had a booming voice that wasn’t a joke. An old-fashioned, soulful singer with masterful performances, Christian performed such a stellar Donny Hathaway cover that Lionel literally ran to hug him, yelling, “We found him!” All three judges gave Christian a standing ovation, and Luke said his voice was “touched by hands from above. … I don’t know if we saw it so naturally this year.”
Lady K, 25: Awakening
A resident of Lionel’s hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama, Lady K grew up poor and recently lost her brother to suicide. Choosing Katy Perry’s triumphal anthem, which symbolized her path to survival, she jumped into her act and then humbly told Katy, “It was everything for me to be able to do this right now.” Lady K was so grateful for this opportunity that she brought letters of thanks to all the judges, whether she did well or not – a classy act! But she was also a great singer. Kathy said Lady “reinvented” the song, adding, “It’s like your heart is shining through your vocal cords.” Lady Kathy’s note, which Kathy read after Lady left the audition room with her golden ticket, read “Thanks for reminding me I’m a firecracker.”
The journey of the 20th season of American Idol continues next Sunday with new auditions.
Learn more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Follow Lindsey on Facebook TwitterInstagram, Amazon
