American Idol has been showcasing auditions from this season of the show, and on a recent episode, a restaurant singer named Kaeyra greatly impressed judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. The singer opted for a rendition of Chris Stapleton's 2020 tune, "Cold," from his Starting Over album.
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Kaeyra played piano as she sang, and the judges were drawn to her voice which featured a unique rasp and vibrato. The singer put on an impassioned performance of the song, and it yielded a standing ovation from Bryan.
"I wasn't expecting that," Bryan told the singer. "You don't sound like anybody else. You can tell you've sat at the piano. You can tell that music's been in your world. It was great. It was really great."
When talking to the judges, Kaeyra explained that she performs at a restaurant four days a week singing cover songs. Perry complimented her voice, but she also commented that she would like to hear Kaeyra sing some more upbeat tunes in the future.
"All the world is not a steakhouse," Perry said.
Richie echoed her comment, saying he hopes to hear Kaeyra apply her voice to another type of song.
"If we can get that moody voice you have and put it across a fast song, mid tempo song, slow song, you've got all the range you need to make an artist out of this," he said.
When voting, Perry said that Kaeyra is an "artist" and that music is in her blood. She voted "yes." Bryan and Richie agreed, and the three judges sent Kaeyra through to the Hollywood round.
American Idol airs every Sunday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC. The latest episode marked the final round of auditions, and the show will begin its grueling Hollywood week on the next episode.
