Carrie Underwood Recreates ‘Before He Cheats’ with ‘American Idol’ Hopeful as Auditions Continue
Photo by: Disney/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Idol Season 23 returned on Sunday night for another round of auditions, as the judges handed out even more Golden Tickets to Hollywood. During the show, one hopeful singer performed judge Carrie Underwood’s song “Before He Cheats,” inspiring a pretty destructive bit.
American Idol Hopeful Sings Carrie Underwood’s ‘Before He Cheats’
For her audition, 22-year-old Sophia Humbert performed “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood on the piano. She put a unique twist on the song, removing a lot of the anger in Underwood’s original. However, there was no denying that Sophia has a great voice.
Underwood praised Sophia’s talent, but she thought the song was missing its signature “rage.” Although she said she would never do what she sings about in the song, Underwood explained that it’s the kind of music that allows you to “sing your way through it.”
Fellow judge Luke Bryan told Sophia that she needed to “amp this thing up.” So Sophia and the three judges went outside to smash up a truck like Underwood did in her “Before He Cheats” music video. They donned safety goggles and gloves, while Sophia grabbed a baseball bat.
Sophia sang the song again, but this time she used the bat to smash the truck’s headlights as she performed. The judges helped her finish things off, shattering the truck’s windshield and windows. Sophia jokingly told the judges, “I get it now.” She received three “yes” votes to move on.
SEE ALSO: SINGER WITH EMOTIONAL BACKSTORY AUDITIONS FOR ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ IN EARLY RELEASE CLIP
Carnie Wilson’s Daughter Auditions for the Show
In recent years on American Idol, we’ve seen the relatives of some pretty famous musicians try out. Last year, Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter Emmy Russell competed on the show. This season, Backstreet Boys star Brian Littrell’s son Baylee Littrell got a Golden Ticket from the judges.
During Sunday’s new episode, a singer named Lola auditioned for the show. She’s the daughter of Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips fame. That means her grandfather is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Lola brought her mom and her aunt Wendy Wilson (also from Wilson Phillips) into the audition room with her.
The 19-year-old’s dad Rob Bonfiglio played guitar as the trio sang the Wilson Phillips hit “Hold On.” Underwood was loving it, but she said she wanted to hear Lola sing by herself. So she went on to sing “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves.
Lionel Richie said she seemed nervous, but added that her “voice is there.” Bryan praised the “pureness” in her voice, but questioned whether she’ll be able to belt. Underwood said her voice has “an honesty.” All three judges voted to “yes” to giving Lola a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.
Singer Performs Original Song for Late Father
Sunday’s new episode of American Idol ended with an audition from 19-year-old Freddie McClendon, who shared that his father was killed in an intentional car crash in 2023. He said he “wanted to tell the story of his life” instead of only thinking of him as “the true crime story of the week.”
Freddie sang an original song called “You Never Loved Him,” showing off a unique voice as he strummed his guitar. The performance brought tears to Underwood’s eyes, as she called him “brave.” Bryan compared Freddie to Paul Simon.
All three judges voted “yes” to giving Freddie a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. He said he was “beyond blessed” to have moved the judges so much with his performance.
American Idol Season 23 will return next week for the final round of auditions before Hollywood Week. What do you think of the season so far? Let us know in the comments below.
