3 Quick Facts About Samantha Ray: The ‘American Idol’ Singer Who Brought Carrie Underwood to Tears

Samantha Ray is bringing her talents to American Idol. Ahead of the show’s episode on March 30, the competition series posted Ray’s audition on YouTube.

Ray’s audition, during which she performed Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” showcased her amazing performance capabilities, powerful vocals, and emotional connection to music.

So who exactly is the 22-year-old stay-at-home mom from Georgia? Read on for three quick facts about the singer.

She Posts Amazing Covers on Social Media

View this post on Instagram

Ray, who boasts nearly 40,000 followers on TikTok, often takes to social media to show off her pipes. Country covers like Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” The Chicks’ “You Were Mine,” and Keith Urban’s “Messed Up As Me” make up the majority of Ray’s posts.

However, she’s also covered songs by Maroon 5 and Sia, proving her impressive range.

She Lost Her Sister

During her American Idol audition, Ray spoke highly of her late sister.

“I’ve been singing since I was little, watching this show with my sister,” Ray said. “Growing up was awesome because I had somebody to sing with. She was my music partner… Me and her both loved Carrie Underwood, so impressing her is the top of the line for me.”

After performing a stunning rendition of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” Ray revealed that it was her sister she was thinking about as she sang.

“I was thinking about my sister a lot. Earlier this year in February, I lost her to a drug overdose,” Ray told the judges. “Losing her hurts a lot because she was a year younger than me. We were very close. She had two little boys and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking. I’m here for her.”

Her Audition Made Carrie Underwood Cry

It wasn’t just Ray’s impressive performance that wowed the judges, but her story too. In fact, a “teary-eyed” Underwood had to compose herself before praising the singer.

“We didn’t know what you were thinking about, but we knew you were thinking about something,” Underwood told Ray. “That’s being a storyteller. That pulls people in. That was really special.”

Richie agreed, telling Ray, “From the first note, I was trying to compose myself because every once in a while we just run across some people who have the absolute trigger on emotions. You did it perfectly.”

After Bryan praised Ray’s performance as “very listenable,” all three judges agreed that they wanted to send her onto Hollywood.

American Idol airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.

Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless