A new season of American Idol is in full swing, and there have been tears. With one contestant overcoming a horrific accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, to another performing a song for his teacher’s murdered son, emotions have run high this season. Most recently, Carrie Underwood teared up (again) for this contestant’s heart-wrenching tribute to her sister.
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“I’m Teary-Eyed”: Carrie Underwood Reacts to Emotional Lee Ann Womack Cover
For Samantha Ray, growing up in the tiny town of Ila, Georgia was “awesome,” mostly because she had a built-in singing partner: her younger sister, Taylor. Both fans of American Idol, the siblings loved harmonizing with one another.
“Me and her both loved Carrie Underwood, so impressing her is, like, the top of the line for me,” Ray, 22, said ahead of her audition.
Taylor was top of mind for the stay-at-home mom as she belted Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance.” As she wrapped up the song, Ray told the judges that she lost her sister, Taylor, to a drug overdose in February 2024.
“Losing her hurts a lot,” Ray said. “I’m here for her.”
“What do you think, Carrie?” Luke Bryan asked the season 4 champion as she struggled to compose herself. “Should I go to Lionel?”
“I’m teary-eyed, and he just goes right to me!” griped Underwood, 42.
Next, Lionel Richie admitted he was emotional “from the first note.”
“Every once in a while, we just run across some people who have the absolute trigger on emotions,” said the “All Night Long” singer, 75. “You did it perfectly.”
Underwood added, “We didn’t know what you were thinking about, but we knew you were thinking about something. And that’s being a storyteller. That pulls people in, and that was really special.”
Kelly Clarkson Didn’t Know ‘American Idol’ Was a TV Show
Nearly a quarter century after the show premiered, Kelly Clarkson’s career remains forever intertwined with American Idol. The Burleson, Texas native was just 20 years old when she won the inaugural season. However, Clarkson revealed during a March 27 appearance on Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast that she wasn’t initially aware she was auditioning for a TV show.
“I didn’t even know it was a TV show until my third audition. Like, we were literally trying to pay our bills,” she said. “We’re like, ‘Oh, this might work. I might meet someone or whatever.’ Nobody knew it was gonna amount to anything.”
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