The season 21 auditions of American Idol wrapped up Sunday night (March 26).
Videos by American Songwriter
The episode featured the final slew of contestants who were hoping to earn a golden ticket to Hollywood. Among the group was 22-year-old Fire Wilmore, who was given a second chance by judge Katy Perry on last week’s show.
For her first audition, Wilmore sang Bruno Mars’ “Talking to the Moon.” Though she touched the judges with her backstory – Wilmore is a single mother – her performance left them less than satisfied.
“I wanted your voice to be more,” Luke Bryan said at the time. “You’ve lived in such complicated backgrounds and scenarios, maybe this show, and we as judges could push you and encourage you to really go for it. Vocally though, it wasn’t as good as I was hoping.”
Nevertheless, Perry decided to let Wilmore take another shot at the big time at the Nashville auditions. Wilmore did indeed come back for her second chance and brought with her a powerful new side to her voice.
This time, Wilmore took on Adele’s “Love in the Dark.” The performance showed clear improvement as she belted out the chorus. Nevertheless, Lionel Richie was still unsure if she earned a spot on the famed competition show.
“I was pulling for you so badly there,” Richie said. “You took a hard lick on your first time around. You do have a great tone in there, but I’m really not sure.”
Bryan changed his tune telling Wilmore she has something special.
“You have come back in here with a completely different mindset,” he said. “Are you the best singer we’ve seen? Not at all, but there’s just stuff about you that I’d really like to push you on. You’ve got a lot left to discover.”
Perry mirrored that sentiment. “[Something] has shifted,” she said. “I think you’ve lived a lot of your life in protection mode. Being able to open back up again, that’s the gift. Take that note, and maybe you’ll actually really surprise us and yourself.”
It was enough for Wilmore to leave with a golden ticket in her hand. Check out the audition below.
(ABC/Eric McCandless)
