Madison Moon just paid tribute to an iconic American Idol performance. During the show’s Hollywood Week episode, the 21-year-old singer chose to perform Heart’s “Alone” to impress the judges.
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Moon picked the choice because of Carrie Underwood’s performance of the song, all the way back when she was competing on Idol in 2005.
“When I saw Carrie’s Idol performance of ‘Alone,’ it introduced me to the band Heart,” Moon told the cameras before her time on stage. “This is a very challenging song. Especially [because] I take it up a whole step, so I’m doing it a key higher.”
“It’s kind of insane that I’m going to sing it in front of Carrie,” she added, “so I’m hoping for the best.”
Moon got an incredible reaction from the judges, with Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie all standing up to applaud her performance.
“You are the only person on planet earth who has ever raised the key on that song,” Underwood marveled. “All I’ve got to say is dang!”
Moon’s performance was enough to get her through to the next round. However, she’ll have to survive one more cut to make it into the Top 30.
Remembering Carrie Underwood’s Epic Heart Cover on American Idol
In a 2025 YouTube video, Underwood looked back at her Top 11 performance of “Alone,” which came during No. 1s week.
“I remember I’d always loved the song. I’ve always loved Heart,” Underwood said. “I feel like it was one that was kind of in my back pocket from the beginning, even before I knew what the themes were going to be… I’d say it was the right choice.”
At the time of her performance, Underwood explained, “Throughout this entire competition, I’ve kind of been the country singer, and I wanted to take a risk and break out of my shell a little bit.”
After Underwood’s time on stage, Randy Jackson called it one of her “best performances yet,” while Paula Abdul said she handled the track “brilliantly.”
“Carrie, you’re not just the girl to beat, you’re the person to beat,” Simon Cowell said. “I will make prediction: Not only will you win this show, but you will sell more records than any previous Idol winner.”
American Idol airs Mondays on ABC.
Photo by Disney/Connie Chornuk
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