American Idol 2025 Premiere Recap – We’re Live Blogging the Season 23 kickoff featuring judge Carrie Underwood!
American Idol season 23 kicks off in earnest tonight (March 9) with judges auditions from Nashville, Los Angeles and New York City. Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, joins veterans Lionel RIchie and Luke Bryan on the judges panel. Ryan Seacrest hosts. Who will make it through to the Hollywood Round? We’re live blogging here.
American Idol 2025 Contestant Preview: Ones to Watch
American Idol 2025 Spoilers: Top 24 Season 23 Contestant List & Song Picks
Unsurprisingly, the premiere starts off with clips of Carrie Underwood as a child and on to clips of hopefuls as children. This is American Idol!
Kolbi Jordan – 26 – Epiphany by Chrisette Michelle
Kolbi auditioned in Nashville and as the show will reveal, she received one of three American Idol Platinum tickets. The singer is from Tulsa, Oklahoma where she works as an HR specialist. She loves Gospel and vintage R&B. And she really loves the iconic Patti Labelle. Lionel notes he’s got Patti on speed dial.
Her vocal is strong but effortless. Her big notes aren’t forced or phony. Her phrasing, as she weaves in and out of her head tone, is gorgeous. Her fluttery high notes are something else. She sings with an alto tone, but her range is incredible.
Afterward, Lionel gets Patti on the line. “There is a young lady here who has been really sangin'” He introduces them. “Hi beautiful!” Patti greets her. Kolbi is overwhelmed . The veteran singer wishes her good luck. Carrie calls Kolbi’s voice “incredible” and compliments her vocal dynamics. Lionel calls her instrument crazy great. He also loves her personality. – 3 yeses The show teases Kolbi receiving her Platinum ticket which will air later on in the epsode
Breanna Nix – 25 – Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood.
ABC previewed this audition last week. Breanna’s little son Emerson, sits on Carrie’s lap as his mama auditions. The singer describes herself as a “stay at home mom.” After the birth of her son, she was determined to lose weight to be at her best.
Breanna chooses to cover Carrie’s first massive hit, “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Like Carrie, Breanna has a strong tone and rangy voice. She performs as her husband accompanies her on piano. She impresses the judges with her big notes on the chorus. Emerson is very sleepy!
Carrie is moved by her performance. After saying earlier that she’s not a crier–here she is crying. Luke says “You did a great job with that.” Carrie calls her voice beautiful and is honored that she covered her song. Lionel was a little worried, but was sold by the time she hit the chorus. – 3 yeses
OH LOOK! Carrie is shilling for VISA in a commercial. Aliens!
Joey Ciccone – 27 – Falling by Harry Styles
He stops halfway through the song. “I feel kind of sick,” he admits. He gets down on one knee while producers bring him water. Coming to his aid, Luke and Lionel note heat was radiating off of his body. They chalk it up to nerves. And here, Carrie has the opportunity to empathise with a contestant. “I know what you’re going through,” she says, soothing the contestant.
Crews Wright – 17 – Fireman by George Strait
Ahead of his performance, Crews works the judges panel with his “charm” which includes flirting with Carrie. “I’m old enough to be your moma,” Carrie declres. He’s from a small town in Alabama which he claims is known as Snuff City. Yee haw.
His twang is really thick, as in, put on unnecessarily. That, along with tan exaggerated country nasal. He seems older than 17. But he’s obviously still finding his own thing at this point. Still, Carrie enjoys singing along as he performs. Crews and Lionel convince Luke to join Crews on stage to sing a little. He sits at the piano as both sing the George Strait classic. Carrie sings along from her seat. It’s a HOOTENANNY.
Lionel declares Crews is going places. All judges say yes – 3 yeses
Isaiah Misailegalu – 17 – Song for You by Donny Hathaway
Isaiah lives in Las Vegas and comes from a big Samoan family. He shares with the panel that he’s been singing for as long as he can remember. He hasn’t performed live much yet.
He’s reminiscent of winner Iam Tongi also a contestant with Pacific Island roots, from a few years ago. I bet he is also LDS. He’s voice is unique, featuring a sweet tenor tone and soulful phrasing. Lionel is losing his mind as he tosses off tasteful adlibs.
Carrie can’t believe he’s 17 years old. “It sounds like you’ve been doing it for ever. So well done you liar!” Luke notes some of the beautiful subtle flourishes he utilized. He also calls himself Samoan Silk. The moniker is helpful as that last name is a mouthful! – 3 yeses
Kam’Ron Smith – 21 –
The singer is a sprinkler installer and farmer! The show joins him mid-performance. Carrie is loving his country stylings. “I like you!’ Carrie remarks. Lionel loves his sound. He mentions that Carrie knows EVERY SONG. She claims they call her “Jukebox Carrie.”- 3 yeses
Insite – 18 – Freak on a Leash by Korn
His real name is Koban. Oh boy He’s covering Korn, which means a heavy metal/punk like vocal totally unsuitable for American Idol. I’m sure he’d do fine fronting a rock band. CARRIE KNOWS ALL THE WORDS TO THIS KORN SONG. She loves heavy metal, everyone knows by now. She has shared stages with several heavy metal bands like Guns n Roses.
Lionel doesn’t know how the show would fit him into Disney Night. Carrie asks him to sing something softer. She joins him on stage for a rendition of “Bodies” by Drowning Pool. And she knows the song. She shouts ONE TWO THREE FOUR. This is funny. The judges feign cluelessness as if they aren’t aware of her headbanging collaborations. The judges all say yes! Insite reacts like he didn’t expect it. – 3 yeses
Baylee Littrell – 21 – Waiting for Myself to Die by Baylee Littrell
Look who is next, Nepo Baby Baylee Littrell, son of Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys. He’s shared the stage with his dad since he was a kid. He “opened” for the boy band when he was only 9. His dad’s fame awed him. As a teen, he was intimidated. Brian says, in his video package that Baylee is “10 times more talented” then he is.
Baylee sings an original song that features Christian and Gospel overtones. He’s a decent singer. He’s better than dad, who never made it big as a solo artist. “You’re really good,” says Carrie. “You went there emotionally.” Brian joins him in the audition room to sing a duet on his original. Harmonizing is where it’s at for Brian. Carrie compliments Baylee keeping up with his dad. Lionel notes he has his “own lane.” – 3 yeses
Lillie Zitaly Rhoden – 20 – Rebel Yell by Billy Idol
The show features a short clip of Lillie belting out “Rebel Yell.” No, Carrie doesn’t join her on stage, but the judges send her to Hollywood. Well. Not Luke – 2 yeses. 1 no
Shane Dan Turner – 28
In this case, Lionel said no and Luke said yes to Shane’s acoustic stylings. The audition precedes a montage of mixed reactions to contestants from the judges.
Pat Johnson – 26 – Need it (Original song)
He’s been watching American Idol since he was 5 years old and admits he wanted runner-up Bo Bice to win at the time. However, he insists he’s all about Carrie today. He calls himself an “Idol Superfan.”
Time for a little shtick! Ryan puts on his game show hat to pit Pat and Carrie in a friendly trivia game. Ha ha. Pat beats Carrie to “Who finished in 3rd place on season 4” Vonzell Solomon. “I was there!” Carrie says, somewhat embarrassed. But then, Carrie aces the remaining season 4-centric questions.
So are we gonna hear this kid sing? Finally he performs an original song accompanying himself on guitar. His tone is pleasantly raspy while also emotional. He needs to work on enunciation, however. Carrie is trying to figure out the kind of artist he is. “Be yourself,” Lionel advises. The judges believe he has potential. Lionel says yes, Luke says no. Carrie is torn, but eventually says yes, of course. – 2 yeses 1 no
Che – 28 – Mirror by Madison Ryann Ward
He’s from the UK, but not mentioned in his video package: The singer finished in 3rd place on The X Factor UK a few years ago. Che is a soulful singer, similar to Teddy Swims. “You can do some crazy stuff with your voice,” notes Carrie. The judges feel he oversang, but they want to give him a chance. After Luke suggests it, they sing “Taking it To the Streets” together. – 3 yeses
Gabby Samone – 22 – Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin
In her video package, Gabby mentions a viral video that led her to appear on The Jennifer Hudson Show. Gabby does a hilarious imitation of the season 3 alum. The singer has been a Jennifer fan for a some time now. After her appearance, Jennifer kept in touch and urged her to audition for Idol.
Gabby does her own thing with the song, which is a good thing. She has a few pitchy moments, but once she settles into the song, the singer shows off an impressive range marked by several unexpected adlibs.
Luke notes her nerves, but feels she got over that eventually and possesses star quality. Lionel is very excited. He thought she started off weak but then became spectacular. “You’re warm without doing anything,” Carrie observes. She calls her a diamond who needs a little polishing. Lionel chose her as one of his favorite auditioners in a recent clip. – 3 yeses
Ian Ward – 28 – I Wanna Know What Love Is by Foreigner
He describes himself as “the Broadway Rocker” and Indeed, he has the big booming of an 80s rocker like Steve Perry. He’d be perfect for a Jukebox Musical.
Lionel is on his feet. Luke calls his voice “theatrical” and not his thing. But he can’t deny his voice. He attempts a duet. He fails. Carrie of course….easy peasy. – 3 yeses
Abi Bowen – 24 – I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt
She lives on a farm in Tennessee. She’s been watching American Idol for as long as she can remember. After her mom passed away, she decided to give the competition a go. Abi doesn’t sing live at all and suffers from big time stage fright. She’s so nervous, that she wears sun glasses and turns her back to the panel as she sings.
If she can’t sing in front of people, maybe a live singing competition isn’t for her? Her voice is OK, but pitchy. She’s obviously inexperienced. The judges get up to stand in front of her. Her eyes are closed, so she doesn’t realize the judges are this close until the song is over. She’s startled.
“You know this is a TV show and people are going to see you,” Carrie reminds her. Lionel thinks she “has something in there.” Her son Stetson and her husband join her in the audition room to hear the judges’ verdict. Carrie is tempted to send her on, although she’s worried she’ll drown in Hollywood. They all say yes to a person that isn’t remotely ready for a TV singing show. Ok then. – 3 yeses
Kolbi gets a Platinum Ticket
The judges call Kolbi to invite her to sing at a Tennessee Titans game in Nashville. She has to have known something was up. They played the New England Patriots that day. She sings as the judges and host stand behind her on the field. And then Ryan hands Kolbi the coveted Platinum Ticket which will give her a few extra perks during the Hollywood Round. Kolbi is excited. Wee hoo.
Slater Nalley – 17 – Traces of You (Original Song)
ABC teased this emotional audition recently. Slater wrote a song about his English teacher, Ms Davis’ son, who tragically died six years ago. The teacher wrote a poem for him after he passed and asked Slater to write a song based on her words. Nevertheless, Ms. Davis was blown away by his work. It was as if Slater knew him, but the two had never met.
The country song is heartfelt and so emotional, that the panel is teary by the end. Slater sings with a compelling storyteller voice beyond his teen years. He knows how to deliver a song with passion. Carrie is so emotional, she pulls out a tissue. Luke comforts her.
“I couldn’t have imagined you do any better,” says Carrie. Lionel calls the lyrics “powerful.” Luke advises the young singer to “stick to walking on stage and singing with your heart.” Of course, Slater is going to Hollywood. – 3 yeses
