‘American Idol’ sneak peek: Slater Nalley’s emotional audition has Carrie Underwood sobbing in Season 23 preview
American Idol returns to ABC for Season 23 on March 9, but fans will get an early preview after the Oscars telecast this weekend. In the extended audition clip below, hopeful Slater Nalley delivers a soul-stirring performance that moves judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan to tears.
Slater's high school English teacher, Mrs. Davis, introduces him to the judges, explaining, "He wrote a song for my son (Carter Davis) that was killed eight years ago. Slater had heard the story about my son and I had written a poem. The second year that I taught him, I asked, 'Would you mind looking at the poem? I would love to see what your thoughts are and how you turn a poem into a song.' He did, and two weeks later he wrote the song. That's what he's going to sing today."
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Next, Slater enters the audition room with his guitar in hand and introduces himself as a 17-year-old from Atlanta. He says, "I'm very grateful for [Mrs. Davis] and I'm glad that I could offer such a small notion — I'm glad it's helped so much." Titled "Traces of You," Slater calls his song "the most deep thing I've ever written about." Although Slater did not know Carter personally, he felt his presence "come into my life" when Mrs. Davis described him. "I knew that I needed to do something," he reveals. "I went home and started working away on little notebook pages. Eventually it turned into a song."
Mrs. Davis adds, "For Slater to not have known Carter, and to write this song — it captured Carter. It captured that person that I wish was still in my life. Our faith carries us. It felt like there was light and hope."
As Carter belted out the emotional song, Carrie began sobbing — eventually grabbing tissues to wipe away her tears. "Every single person that hears that can fill in that memory with somebody that's in themselves," she says. "I couldn't have imagined you doing that any better." Lionel adds, "That one line, 'Your life was like a river running home,' that's the one. Very powerful." Luke says, "You just stick to walking out on stage and singing with your heart, and the rest will take care of itself." With that, Slater earned his golden ticket to Hollywood.
ABC will air the 30-minute special preview episode of American Idol following the Oscars on March 2 at 10:30 p.m. ET. Since it began airing on ABC, American Idol has been a top unscripted series on ABC in total viewers. The eighth season of American Idol on ABC and the franchise's 23rd season overall officially premieres with a two-hour episode on March 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and airs next day on Hulu.
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