American Idol Audition: Laila Mach Proves Songwriting Talent with Original That’s a More Deranged Version of “I Hope”
A little bit of a story. Fifteen year old Laila Mach from New Paltz, NY is one of the first American Idol auditioners I knew about. I saw her little Instagram audition submission of “Always Remember Us This Way” and from there on out I believed that Laila was destined to be a hopeful we would hear from. Laila does not have the most powerful voice, but she’s very artistic and makes you feel the dark lyrics she’s singing.
Whenever you see past Idol competitors pop up during a hopeful’s audition, like the successful season 4 winner Carrie Underwood and ABC Idol’s famed Gabby Barrett did for Laila on Sunday night’s (March 7) episode, you know something big is coming. The young singer performed a spin-off she wrote, based off of Gabby’s hit “I Hope.” Somehow, she made her version darker and angrier.
The piano ballad contains lines that make heads perk up just like Gabby’s chart topping hit. Lines like “I’m hoping for some other things” and “I hope you drive off a bridge” and “I hope to see you fall,” take break up revenge to another level. It’s a bit tough to digest, I’ll admit. Laila does know how to deliver a raw vocal. Yes, it was imperfect, and her high notes could use a little bit of polishing, but her rawness is intriguing. She has several originals, so maybe we will see more later in the competition.
When she is done singing and the judges ask how she thinks she did, Laila says, “I think that’s the best I’ve ever sang that, and I’ve been practicing all week”. She has a confidence about her that says “composed and ready.” It does not come off as cocky. Judge Lionel Richie said that she had him “completely fooled,” while Katy Perry called the original a more “deranged” version of Gabby’s country hit. Overall, the judges admire her confidence and songwriting skills.
Laila releases her audition song titled “Drive off a Bridge”
Laila just released her audition song now titled “Drive Off a Bridge”. I like the studio a bit better composition wise, but the audition version was a bit more raw. It depends what you prefer. Listen to it HERE. I noticed there is a lyric in there that makes the song come full circle: “Don’t actually drive off a bridge in the middle of the night. My mind is just broken, so I’m just not thinking right”. This girl can surely write. This line explained the song better.
Laila has a somewhat strong YouTube presence with 31.2K subscribers. Here is her viral cover of “Be Alright” by Dean Lewis from 2 years ago. It has 1.4 million views to date. I can see why it went viral, as at only 13 years old, she delivered a raw and pain-filled vocal beyond her years. Find the talented 15 year old on Instagram and Tik Tok.
American Idol Audition: Laila Mach sings her original “Drive off a Bridge”
