Watch Luke Bryan & Katy Perry Sing Original Song Written by ‘American Idol’ Hopeful

American Idol hopeful Aniston Pate wowed the judges with her original song, performed during her audition for the show, which will air on March 3. She impressed them so much, that Katy Perry and Luke Bryan actually sang a part of her song.

Videos by American Songwriter

The native Texan sang her original song, “Hummingbird,” which she shared that she wrote with a friend about her mom. Aniston has a clear, country voice that Lionel Richie compared to Dolly Parton. Her song was a sweet and heartfelt ode to her mother, with lines like “She’s my hummingbird / flying a million miles a minute / Just to make sure / her baby gets where I need to be gettin’,” and “I wouldn’t be here without her.”

Katy Perry sat wide-eyed while Aniston sang, with Luke Bryan muttering “wow” during her American Idol audition. When she finished, Bryan noted, “That’s a great one, really good.” He continued, “I got like four things I want to tell her to do to it, but…” trailing off with a smile. Getting advice from Luke Bryan on your song seems like a milestone moment, and Aniston shouted, “Come on, give it to me!”

Bryan went ahead with his suggestions. “Did you think about ‘my mama, my hummingbird’?” he said. Aniston sang it, and decided she liked the suggestion of adding an extra “my” to the line. Bryan crooned the line, and Aniston said, in disbelief, “Luke Bryan just sang a song that I wrote,” looking around like she needed confirmation that it just happened.

[RELATED: Lionel Richie Likens ‘American Idol’ Contestant to Country Icon Dolly Parton: “Is That You, Dolly?”]

American Idol Judges Give Young Songwriter Suggestions on Her Original Audition Song

Katy Perry then joined in with her own take on the line. “Katy Perry sang a song I wrote too!” Aniston said, again in supposed disbelief.

“I thought it was great,” Luke Bryan said then. Lionel Richie joined in on the praise. “You were about halfway through the first verse,” he said, “[and] I [wanted to] open my eyes and go ‘is that you Dolly?'”

Aniston exclaimed her continued disbelief with an “Oh my gosh, what?” at the compliment. While Aniston has a ways to go as a performer and songwriter, she already has a leg up by getting some feedback on her original song. It’s not hard to assume that she’ll grab a golden ticket to Hollywood, but fans will have to wait until Sunday (March 3) to see if she officially joins American Idol.

Featured Image via YouTube/American Idol

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