New York — One of the saddest moments ever on American Idol came at the end of the season 21 premiere.
Kya Monee has returned to the idol stage to audition for the second time. Kya appeared on American Idol in 2021 and sang an unforgettable duet with this season’s runner-up Willie Spence.
They remained close friends under his death in a car accident the previous October.
“I want to thank you so much for pairing me with him. He was actually supposed to be here today for my audition. It’s so hard not to have that support anymore,” Kea tearfully told the stewards. “I know he wants me to be here.”
They even chose her audition song together – “I’m Here” by The Color Purple.
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were in tears at the audition.
Another emotional moment came from Iam Tonji, who lost his father just a few months earlier. His father taught him music and he always wanted me to try out for an idol.
Anna dedicated his performance to his father, Rodney.
A small-town kid from Mississippi drew raves for his performance of “The Simple Guy.” Colin Staff said his mom signed him up for an idol audition.
“That’s what American Idol is about, right there,” Brian said after his performance.
“You’ve got the magic in you, 100 percent,” Perry added.
And the first platinum ticket of the season went to 17-year-old Tyson Venegas, who covered “New York State Mind”.
After the performance, his mother said that one of Tyson’s first gigs was for Lionel Richie.
She said, “He (Lionel) inspired you and that’s where he learned how to sing from his heart.”
Richie said the judges took inspiration from him this time around.
“That performance was spot-on on a professional level,” said Ritchie.
The platinum ticket means that Tyson will skip the first round during Hollywood Week.
You can watch more “American Idol” premieres now on Hulu.
Find out who will get a ticket to Hollywood next Sunday at 8/7c on ABC and streaming on Hulu.
The complete list of past American Idol winners
2002 – Kelly Clarkson
2003 – Robin Stoddard
2004 – Barrino’s Fantasia
2005 – Carrie Underwood
2006 – Taylor Hicks
2007 – Jordin Sparks
2008 – David Cook
2009 – Chris Allen
2010 – Lee Deweze
2011 – Scotty McCreary
2012 – Philip Phillips
2013 – Candice Glover
2014 – Caleb Johnson
2015 – Nick Fradiani
2016 – Trent Harmon
2018 – Maddie Pop
2019 – Lynn Hardy
2020 – Just Sam
2021 – Chase Beckham
2022 – Noah Thompson
Copyright © 2023 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
https://abc13.com/american-idol-kya-monee-willie-spence-iam-tongi/12849233/
