Auditioning for American Idol must be highly stressful for everyone. No matter how talented you are, you’re still an unknown person singing in front of some of the world’s most successful musicians.
But for Alyssa Raghu, the stakes were even higher.
Not only was she stepping up to prove her skills as a singer, but she was returning after missing out last year.
However, Raghu delivered a stunning performance that impressed all three of the judges.
The video begins with the judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan covering the third judge, Katy Perry’s, face with cards.
The next guest’s performance is supposed to be a surprise.
The auditionee, Alyssa Raghu, runs in, showing none of the nerves that many others display. Although surely she must be feeling them inside.
Then Raghu starts playing her acoustic guitar and singing.
“Sometimes I get my head in a dilly, feeling so lost, and ticking you off,” she opens with.
But Perry can’t calm down. She’s that excited over the cover! This makes Raghu stop.
“I don’t know if I can keep going or not,” states Raghu.
Raghu auditioned for American Idol in 2018.
Back then, she was only 15 years old. Still, her talent meant that she was able to make it to the top 25.
Possibly what lost her a place in the final was her inexperience with large crowds.
But now she’s had a whole year of preparation.
Raghu is 16 and has noticeably more confidence than last year.
The judges gave Raghu tons of advice. Unlike some contestants, she took in every word of it, coming back better than ever before.
Even though she’s still two years away from being an adult, Raghu exudes more confidence than people twice her age.
And even with school, she’s been focusing on getting back onto American Idol constantly. Since last season, she’s been taking dance classes every weekend.
She’s also performed over 200 shows for large crowds.
Does she even have any time left to be a teenager?
But her work has clearly paid off.
“When I got eliminated, I realized it was very new to me. And every single critique you gave me, I worked on that for the past year.” – Alyssa Raghu.
Raghu tells the judges that nowadays she’s so much happier with how she moves and dances.
Then Raghu picks her guitar up and starts her cover all over again.
For the first minute or so, the judges are in an awed silence. The performance is just that good.
Then Luke Bryan says “You didn’t do that last year.”
“No, she did not,” Lionel Richie agrees.
Then Raghu finishes her song. The judges are clearly impressed.
There’s no doubt that they’re going to let Raghu through to the next round. But the praise that they give her is just stunning!
“My first chill bumps of the day,” Bryan says.
“I’m a little teary eyed up here,” Richie says.
However, Perry has some minor criticism.
“The guitar playing was still not on the level of your voice. Your voice was so good.” But if that’s the worst that anyone has to say, then that’s still amazing!
Could Alyssa Raghu win American Idol this year? She seems certain to do better than being in the top 25, at the very least!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
