‘American Idol 21’ episode 1 recap: Auditions begin in New Orleans, Las Vegas and Nashville [Updating Live Blog]
“American Idol,” the iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, will return to airwaves for another season on ABC. Helping determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Emmy Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest is also set to return to the beloved competition series for the show’s sixth season on ABC and 21st overall.
Tonight the first batch of auditions from New Orleans, Las Vegas and Nashville will be shown. Aspiring pop stars sing their hearts out in hopes of earning a golden ticket to Hollywood, and if they really stand out, a platinum ticket, which allows them to skip the first round of competition during Hollywood Week. Read our full recap of the Season 21 premiere, airing February 19 (8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC), below.
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8:00 p.m. — Previously on “American Idol”! Country singer Noah Thompson became the 20th winner in franchise history when he defeated Huntergirl and Leah Marlene in last year’s finale. His debut single “One Day Tonight” peaked at #48 on Billboard’s country singles chart. Noah earned a People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Competition Contestant in 2022, which he lost to Selma Blair from “Dancing With the Stars.” But enough about last year, let’s find America’s next singing superstar!
8:08 p.m. — Luke, Katy and Lionel are at the judges’ table and there’s no time to be wasted. The first audition of the evening is Haven Madison, a 16-year old from Clarksville, Tennessee, who will be accompanied by her father, the lead singer of a Christian band. Haven has basically grown up on a tour bus and is ready to step out on her own performing an original song called “15.” She has a beautiful, raw quality to her voice that prompts Lionel and Katy out of their seats at the end of her performance. Dad is in tears. Lionel calls Haven’s songwriting ability “incredible.” Katy says, “The vocal decisions you make are so on another level.” Luke calls her “really special.” Haven receives the first golden ticket of the season!
8:20 p.m. — Next up is Lucy Love, a 28-year old from Holly Grove, Arkansas. She performs Marvin Gaye‘s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” with a little more theatricality than needed, but her voice is on point. She heads straight to the judges and looks each of them in the eyes as she sings. Lionel says if he stripped all of that personality away, there’s an artist in there. The comment startles Lucy, who comes from a long line of people who never had the opportunity to make something of themselves. She didn’t have a father and her mother was in and out of her life. Music is Lucy’s refuge and what has held up her self-esteem. Now that she’s a mother of two, she wants to change her family’s generational cycle. In an effort to show her true artistry without all the theatrics, she sings another song – Donny Hathaway‘s “A Song For You.” Her performance brings Katy to tears and Lionel remarks, “You showed up.” Katy calls her a “Mary J. Blige on fire.” Luke says he had written her off, but he respects his fellow judges for making Lucy dig deeper and pulling that out. Lucy is headed to Hollywood!
8:30 p.m. — Prior to the next audition, Katy slams an entire cup of coffee and screams, “I’m ready to rock!” Then we see a trio of performers who all share the same names as the judges. None of them can sing very well so the panelists won’t have to worry about any up-and-comers stealing their sunshine.
8:38 p.m. — Colin Stough is an 18-year old from Gattman, Mississippi. He lives on a property with his mother and step-father, not far from his grandparents, aunt and uncle. They’re a close family unit but Colin’s biological father abandoned him for drugs and alcohol. Colin copes with his emotions by working with horses and singing. For his audition, Colin performs “Simple Man” by Leonard Skynyrd. The judges are smiling from ear to ear as if they know they have a star on their hands. Luke shouts, “This what ‘American Idol’ is all about!” Katy says Colin has the “stardust.” He’s headed to Hollywood!
8:45 p.m. — Lyric Medeiros is a 21-year old from Honolulu, Hawaii and was born and raised on the island of Oahu. Her father, Glenn Medeiros, had a hit song in the 80s called “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You.” While dad might be the pop star in the family, Lyric has a passion for country and auditions with “Love Me Like You Mean It” by Kelsea Ballerini. Katy is not impressed and screams, “Girl! You flew 10 hours to be cute and safe?! As of right now, you’re flying 10 hours back.” Next, Lyric sings “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood. Luke tells her to show some grit by “making an ugly face” before stating, “You’re too pretty for an ugly business.” Katy lunges for the singer in the middle of her audition, engaging in a physical altercation to pull some passion out of her prey. It works. The judges want to see Lyric go toe-to-toe with some “brawlers” so they send her off to Hollywood!
8:52 p.m. — Zachariah Smith is a 19-year old from Amory, Mississippi and lives just miles away from Colin, who auditioned 20 minutes ago. He works at the family-owned restaurant “Bill’s Hamburgers,” which has been passed down for over 75 years. He sings “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp, Zachariah is a passionate performer who Katy can already tell is “going to be so fun.” Luke tells him to burn his apron. Lionel loves his rasp and growl. Zachariah is heading to Hollywood!
9:05 p.m. — Iam Tongi is an 18-year old from Kahuku, Hawaii, but now lives in Seattle. His father Rodney passed away just months before this audition and is the person who taught Iam about music. Iam sings “Monsters” by James Blunt, sending everyone into a flood of tears. Katy calls him a “great storyteller” and Luke says, “I cannot handle your heart breaking.” The judges are blown away by this young standout and he’s going to Hollywood!
9:15 p.m. — After a fun moment with Katy dressed as a Las Vegas showgirl, auditions continue with Michael Williams, a 21-year old from Mason, Ohio. Anyone who watched Season 18 of “The Voice” might recognize this artist, who made the Top 17 as an 18-year old that cycle as a part of Nick Jonas‘ team. He continues the reality TV competition circuit tonight with an audition of “Talking to the Moon” by Bruno Mars. Katy begins fidgeting with her hair and then not-so-discreetly hides her wedding ring — clearly smitten by this young heartthrob. Lionel says, “You’re not just a pretty face.” Katy compares Michael to Shawn Mendes and Harry Styles, stating, “You’re Top 10 material.” He’s headed to Hollywood.
9:25 p.m. — Megan Danielle is a 20-year old from Douglasville, Georgia. She works as a waitress with her mom at a small Southern soul food restaurant. Megan’s grandpa was her biggest fan and he passed away about a year ago. When she was 18, Megan was singing in local bars and realized it wasn’t what she was passionate about. Her heart is in Christian music and that’s the path she wants to take forward. Tonight, Megan is singing “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. Lauren, who competed on “American Idol” three times but never made the live shows, is here to surprise Megan. It’s a fun moment to see! Luke thinks Megan is an “unpolished diamond” and Lionel says she just needs to push through her shyness. Megan is headed to Hollywood!
9:38 p.m. — Tyson Venegas is a 17-year old from Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up with a speech delay and listening to music by The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder helped him develop his vocabulary. Tyson sits at the piano and sings “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel and almost instantly gives Katy goosebumps. He is killing it behind the keys and the judges are blown away by his voice. They call his mother into the room and announce Tyson is this season’s first platinum ticket winner! With the Las Vegas platinum ticket out of play, just two remain — one in Nashville and one in New Orleans.
9:48 p.m. — Jack Nicora is a 19-year old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who enters the audition with his bird, Mango. Jack loves Doo Wop music and hopes he can give it a resurgence on the airwaves. Jack sits at the piano and sings “In the Still of the Night” by The Five Satins. He’s a gifted a pianist, but the judges are so busy dancing around I’m not sure they’re even listening to his voice. Katy says Jack should work on his breathing and Luke compares him to a cruise line singer. It’s going to be a “no” for Jack tonight.
10:00 p.m. — The last singer of the night is Kya Monee, a 21-year old from Austin, Texas. She competed on Season 19, where she made it to Hollywood Week and made many friends. One that was closest to her was the late Willie Spence, who was her duet partner during one of those Hollywood Week rounds. Kya is still emotional over Willie’s death, and says before he died he encouraged her to return and try again. He was actually supposed to attend this audition with her, and helped her pick out the song, “I’m Here” from “The Color Purple” musical. She struggles belting this power ballad out through the emotion, but there’s not a dry eye in the room. Kya is headed back to Hollywood — and that’s a wrap for this first episode of Season 21!
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