‘American Idol’ Recap: Katy Perry Breaks Down Crying as Auditions Continue
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
American Idol Season 21 returned on Sunday night with another round of auditions. At the end of the new episode, judge Katy Perry broke down in tears after hearing a contestant’s story of surviving a school shooting. The episode also featured two touching father-daughter moments.
Katy Perry Breaks Down on American Idol Season 21
The final audition of the night came from 21-year-old Trey Louis, who sang “Stone” by Whiskey Myers. His performance impressed the judges, who gave him a standing ovation. After singing, Trey shared that he survived the Santa Fe High School shooting in 2018. He added that he “lost a lot of friends.”
Perry broke down crying over Trey’s story, resting her head on the judges’ desk. She then shared a passionate statement about gun violence in the United States, saying “Our country has f*cking failed us … I hope that you remind people that we have to change.”
Her fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were also emotional over Trey’s audition. The entire panel voted “yes” to giving Trey a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. All three judges also gave Trey a hug before he left.
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Auditions Feature Touching Father-Daughter Moments
Sunday’s episode also featured not one but two emotional father-daughter moments. The first came during 15-year-old Kaylin Hedges’ audition. Kaylin’s father is in the army and stationed overseas, so she doesn’t get to see him much.
Kaylin sang “I’m Already There” by Lonestar in honor of her dad. After her impressive performance, the judges showed Kaylin a video message from her dad. But that wasn’t the only surprise. Her dad actually came to her audition in person. Not even Kaylin’s mom knew about it.
The judges made the moment even more special by choosing to give Kaylin a Platinum Ticket. This will allow her to skip the first round of Hollywood Week. It’s the second Platinum Ticket the judges have awarded this season.
Later in the episode, McKayla Stacey auditioned for the show. She’s the daughter of Season 6 American Idol contestant Phil Stacey. Her dad accompanied her to the audition, where former judge Paula Abdul spoke to them via video chat. McKayla sang “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles, earning a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.
What did you think of Sunday night’s auditions? Let us know in the comments below.
It is a shame he had to go through that, but don’t really understand what that has to do with him going on the show, and personally don’t blame the country for school shootings.