Season 22 of American Idol is finally underway and the competition is already heating up. This season has already seen some stellar performances in the audition stage. However, Noah “The Singing Barber” Peters delivered an audition that will go down in Idol history. After all, no other contestant has ever given a haircut while auditioning.
Videos by American Songwriter
Long before auditioning for American Idol, Peters made a name for himself as a singing barber. He started as the only barber in his small hometown of Benton, Tennessee. He just happened to sing while he worked. “Used to be just me singing, getting on people’s nerves, but now people come in just to hear me sing at the barbershop,” he said during his intro video on the show. Later, he found viral fame on TikTok with videos that showed off his charm, vocal skills, and haircutting ability.
Not only is Peters the only American Idol hopeful to cut hair during his audition, he may be the only person to sing two songs for the judges. He started with a great rendition of “I Won’t Let Go” by Rascal Flatts. Then, the Idol crew brought out a barber chair and last year’s Top 3 finalist Colin Stough.
Stough took his place in the chair for a trim and harmonized with Peters on a rendition of “Broken Halos” by Chris Stapleton.
Of course, the Singing Barber walked away with a Golden Ticket.
The Singing Barber Wows American Idol Judges
The judges clearly enjoyed the entire performance. They shared words of wisdom and praise with Peters before giving him the good news.
“When you were cuttin’, you were kind of not thinking about [singing] and it was oozing out of you,” Katy Perry said. “I really want you to visualize that when you sing, that you’re just back at the shop, just giving trim. I just don’t want you to overthink,” she added. “You’ve got some sweetness to your voice, some soul, some purity. But it’s definitely going to need a blunt edge here and there, or some layers. Either way, it’s going to need some chippity-chop.”
Lionel Richie was the next to weigh in. “Don’t get psyched out. You have a quality in your voice that’s fantastic. But, more importantly, relax. I know that’s hard to say. Trust in who you are and what you sound like. You stay true to your lane and you’ll be onto something.”
Now, Peters gets to add Stough to his client list and hang a framed Golden Ticket in his barbershop. Only time will tell if he’ll get to add American Idol winner to his list of achievements.
Featured Image: YouTube
