How many times will Carrie Underwood cry during the season 23 premiere of American Idol? The limit does not exist. But honestly, this poignant audition from Idol hopeful Slater Nalley had us on the verge of tears too. The 18-year-old Georgia native wowed all three judges with an original song that he penned for his teacher’s murdered son. Here are three quick facts about American Idol standout Slater Nalley.
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1. He Wrote This Original Song For His Teacher’s Murdered Son
For his American Idol audition, Slater Nalley performed the original song “Traces Of You.” First picking up a pen at age 13, Nalley wrote the mournful country tune in honor of 17-year-old Carter Davis, who was murdered in 2016. Carter’s mom, Michele Davis, was Nalley’s English teacher at The Lovett School in Atlanta. Davis wrote a poem in memory of her son, and her student set it to song.
“I didn’t know Carter before this happened and when Mrs. Davis told us, I just felt this presence come into my life essentially and I knew that I needed to do something,” Nalley said ahead of his Idol audition. “I went home and started working away on little notebook pages and eventually it turned into a song.”
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2. He’s Been At This Awhile
Although he lives in Atlanta, American Idol standout Slater Nalley grew up spending summers in the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan. There, he worked at the local Dune Bird Winery, where he has a host of supporters enthusiastically cheering him on.
“Here he was at 15 years old, singing with the soul and the pain of someone like Chris Stapleton,” coworker Bekah Bell told The Ticker. “He has a lot of maturity in his voice…and there’s this juxtaposition between this young, polite ‘Yes ma’am’ kid and a tortured artist storyteller who can devastate you with a song.”
3. Slater Nalley Is Already Making Music With His Fellow ‘American Idol’ Contestants
While American Idol auditions can be a tough environment, it hasn’t stopped Slater Nalley from bonding with the other hopefuls. Last month, he and fellow season 23 contestant Penny Samar shared their cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
Several days later, Nalley teamed up with contestants Maddie Pruitt and Isaiah Misailegalu for a soaring rendition of Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”
Looks like the American Idol judges have their work cut out for them this year.
Featured image by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
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