‘American Idol’ Recap: Luke & Carrie Are ‘At Odds’ in Week 3 Auditions

There were also some emotional moments, an entire rock-themed segment that delighted Underwood, and more. Scroll down for a full recap of the third night of Auditions.

Jordan McCullough

After growing up singing in church, Jordan McCullough came to American Idol with “Goodness of God” as his audition song.

“You have been given an incredible gift,” Underwood said. “I love that you use it.” She also noted that she had chills “pretty much the whole time” Jordan was performing.

Bryan praised the hopeful’s “classic-sounding voice,” while Richie added, “The university has been waiting on you. It’s mesmerizing to watch you perform. It’s not just standing there singing. You actually have stage presence, which is something we can’t teach.’

It was unanimous yeses from all three judges, sending Jordan onto Hollywood Week.

Noah Orion

Noah Orion had the most unconventional audition of the season so far. The judges were shocked to hear loud rock music coming from outside the room, and when they went outdoors, they discovered Noah and his band performing on top of a school bus.

Since Underwood had been waiting for some rock and roll contestants, she was thrilled by the performance of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spaces.” Noah received his golden ticket to move on.

Zayuh Moro

Zayuh Moro, another rocker, performed “Hemorrhage” by Fuel, and Underwood was so excited by it that she jumped out of her chair.

“I think you’re great,” Bryan agreed. “I think even if we can get you channeling more, like, ‘I am a rocker,’ [Carrie] will be even more ecstatic.”

There was agreeing all around on this one, and Zayuh earned his ticket to Hollywood Week.

Brett Carlisle

Closing out the rock and roll segment was Brett Carlisle, the singer of a rock band called Great White. He sang one of their original songs for his audition.

Brett also received a golden ticket to Hollywood Week, with Richie gushing, “Especially when you rock, you’re going to be the poster child for this.”

Madison Moon

Madison Moon arrived with a rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep,” and told the judges that she likes to sing pop-rock music. Madison noted that she often performs with “harsh vocals,” but dialed it back for her audition.

The performance left Underwood wanting “more,” and she asked Madison to show off those “harsh vocals” in a a second performance. This time, the 21-year-old performed “The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars, and it went over much better.

“Bottom line is you’re one of the best voices we’ve heard so far,” Bryan gushed. Richie said he had “goosebumps” from the performance, and all three voted for Madison to get a golden ticket.

Before she left the room, Underwood told the contestant, “You’re one of my absolute favorites. Top 30. I’m calling it. Let’s do this.”

Philmon Lee

Philmon Lee had previously been signed to a major label, but his career was shelved when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He came to American Idol for a second chance and auditioned with “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Michael Bolton.

“That was a great interpretation. Wonderful job,” Richie assured him. Underwood called the performance “surprising,” as she pointed out, “You just walk in and you’re so chill and calm and then you open your mouth to sing, hands in your pockets. I was pleasantly surprised.”

Bryan added another rave review, telling Philmon, “We’ve had 10 people today that look like they’ve been trained to sing, and you look like you were born to sing. When we get somebody like you, it’s pretty dang exciting.”

All three judges voted yes, which means Philmon punched his ticket to Hollywood Week.

Livy

Livy, a Texas Roadhouse server, auditioned with one of Underwood’s own songs, “Love Wins.” Bryan wondered if Livy was “pushing too hard” with her vocals, and Underwood agreed that she may have been “a little bit.”

Underwood added, “You have such a big instrument and I feel like sometimes if you start out of the gate going 100 mph, there’s nowhere left to go.” The judges tasked her with singing a more soft and relaxed version of the chorus, which Underwood said was “really nice” and “so much more emotional.”

The country singer voted yes, telling Livy she’s “excited” to see what she does in the next round. Bryan said, “You’re a good enough singer to not have to push so hard. Really focus on capturing the emotion like you did the second time around. I’m a yes.”

Richie was an “absolute yes,” as well, which meant that Livy got that golden ticket.

Miyoko

Miyoko, an anime singer from Ukraine, had the judges at their first major disagreement of the night.

After she sang in Japanese, Bryan said he “loved her,” while Underwood admitted, “I thought it was very good. I love your energy. But in this arena, we do not have anime night. So I’m not sure if this is the avenue. But I enjoy your uniqueness.”

Bryan pointed out that Underwood previously voted through another unique contestant (Trace Casanova), who sang a lounge singer version of “Baby Got Back,” and Richie admitted that was a “good point.” He added, “There’s show business and there’s entertainment. We don’t want theater. We want a pop singer. I think the only way you’re going to know what we’re talking about is to put you in the class.”

Bryan and Richie ended up voting yes, so even though Underwood said no, Miyoko still got her golden ticket.

Vincent Fondale

Underwood and Bryan were also at odds over Vincent Fondale, who came to the audition room with his band and sang their original song “The Sound of Giving Up.”

“I’m really excited about you,” Underwood smiled. “You have this beautiful voice. I have no words.” When Bryan said he was “a little on the other side of the fence,” she was incredulous. “Are you serious?” Underwood asked.

Bryan explained, “You’ve got big notes, but I thought when you’re doing the tender stuff, it’s almost not really connecting with me all the way. It’s not reaching me and pulling emotions out right now.”

Luckily, even though Bryan said no, Underwood and Richie said yes, so Vincent is moving onto Hollywood Week. However, Bryan couldn’t ignore the disagreements between him and Underwood, and joked, “It’s Nicki Minaj all over again!”

(Minaj famously had several disagreements with fellow judge Mariah Carey when they were on the panel in Season 12).

Lanii

High school student Lanii came to the audition alone from Arizona. She opened up about her dad’s hospitalization with liver failure after years of addiction. Lanii sang Demi Lovato‘s “Tell Me You Love Me,” and the judges were blown away.

“You have an incredible voice,” Underwood raved. “I don’t even know if you know what you could be capable of, but you completely owned that. That was awesome.”

Bryan praised the teenager for being “so open with us and not hiding anything,” and applauded her for being “so authentically you,” which he noted was “really special.”

It was unanimously a yes from all three, so Lanii will have to get back on that plane from Arizona for Hollywood Week!

Jackie Bluebird

Jackie Bluebird found herself in the Season 24 Auditions after Ryan Seacrest and Season 6 contestant Melinda Doolittle went on a search for hopefuls on the Belmont University campus. She sang “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse.

Underwood warned Jackie that she can “get some more air underneath those higher notes,” and asked her to “surprise us next time with a big vocal song.” Bryan agreed that he worries about the “bigness” of Jackie’s voice.

However, all three judges were willing to “roll the dice,” which means Jackie received her golden ticket to move forward.

Nyla Martin

For her audition, Nyla Martin performed “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin. Underwood said she couldn’t believe Nyla is only 17 years old after hearing her sing.

Bryan and Richie were in agreement that the teen’s performance was impressive. “There were some moments where you dialed it back, really beautiful notes. Really nice,” Bryan said. “You can tell singing means a lot to you and this moment means a lot to you. I want to see how much you can grow in this competition.”

Unanimously, Bryan, Richie, and Underwood gave yes votes to Nyla for Hollywood Week.

Christian Brown

Christian Brown came to his audition with dad Marty Brown, a country music singer/songwriter who is best known for the song “I’m From the Country and I Like It That Way.”

He performed one of Marty’s songs,”Wildest Dreams,” and Marty got emotional on the sidelines. Richie was hooked, and told Christian, “I want to hear more from your vocals!”

Underwood praised the “surprising range” in Christian’s voice, and noted that he has a “weapon in [his] arsenal” with the high notes he can hit. Bryan told the contestant that he has “all the tools to see some rounds in this competition,” but warned him to “really dig more and more” as he moves forward.

With that, Christian punched his golden ticket to Hollywood.

Julianne Post

Julianne Post sang an original song called “Long Live the Lost Boys,” which detailed how she’s felt like a misfit in her life.

Richie raved over the performance and told Julianne that he’d gladly buy the first copy of the song. He quickly voted yes, but Underwood wasn’t sos ure.

“You are super duper unique, but I’m trying to see where you would fit in this context of artist today,” she explained. “Can we channel all of that uniqueness into something where you can be you and your artistry, but it also make total sense to the listener?” She admitted that she might look “real dumb” if she’s wrong, but ended up voting no.

Bryan was also “very confused” about “what to do with this little creative creature,” but wound up voting yes. With those yeses from Bryan and Richie, Julianne secured the golden ticket.

Trew the Star

Trew the Star got emotional while opening up about the death of his mom after she got clean following a years-long battle with addiction. He channeled that emotion into his performance of “Nothing Can Change This Love” by Sam Cooke.

Underwood gushed, “You have a commanding voice, but I think my favorite part was your delivery. It was completely intentional. It wasn’t trying to barrel over the song and show us all your big notes. You were just delivering a story to us and it was very believable.”

Bryan said this was the first audition that gave him “full body chills the whole time,” and all three judges voted yes for Trew to move on to Hollywood Week.

Kutter Bradley

Kutter Bradley kicked off a group of contestants from Alabama. He performed 3 Doors Down’s “Here Without You” for his audition.

“I love your voice,” Richie said. “I love your confidence. That little growl you have is signature to you.” It was a yes from all three judges, so Kutter received a golden ticket for Hollywood Week.

Kayla Finch

Kayla Finch came in with an audition of Jennifer Hudson‘s “One Night Only,” and while the judges weren’t entirely blown away, they had faith in her.

“I’ll give you a chance,” Bryan said, before voting yes. Underwood added, “You need to know what you’re capable of. If you gotta push a little more, you gotta squeeze that tushie!”

Kayla ended up earning the golden ticket and will be making her way to Hollywood Week.

Kiera Howell

Kiera Howell performed “Don’t Tread on Me” by We the Kingdom for her audition and noted that she enjoys singing Christian rock music.

“I feel like there’s a lot of versatility in there,” Underwood said. “Just in your tone. And sometimes you have this kind of grittiness in your voice. I could head you singing country. I feel like I could hear you singing some Stevie Nicks. I like your voice a lot.”

Bryan warned Underwood that Kiera may have broken her note-holding record, then told the contestant, “You’re very spunky and you got a great energy to you. Just sing smart. Make sure you sing smart.”

Underwood agreed and warned Kiera to keep her song choices “young and fun and spunky” moving forward. She’ll get a chance to do just that, as all three judges voted for her to move onto the next round.

After Kiera left the room, Underwood noted, “She’s got a little Gabby Barrett kid of quality in there.”

Roelle

The final audition of the night was Roelle’s. Roelle moved to the United States from Puerto Rico about six months before her audition and hadn’t seen her family in that entire time. She performed “Maybe” by Sienna Spiro.

In addition to hearing the judges’ rave reviews, Roelle was also given another surprise: a visit from her mother. Roelle’s mom walked into the room after she sang, culminating in an epic, emotional reunion.

“We’ve heard that song quite a few times now and that’s the first tiem I’ve heard someone give me the right experience with the song,” Bryan said. “You just really made that song come alive to me.”

As Roelle embraced her mother, she learned that she was moving onto Hollywood Week with a golden ticket.

American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC

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