‘American Idol’ Samantha Ray Brings Carrie Underwood To Tears
American Idol has just released its latest season with a whole new batch of contestants earlier this month. With these new faces comes a bunch of new emotional moments with their family, friends, and even the judges. Recently, one contestant could be seen bringing judge Carrie Underwood to tears with an emotional tribute to a loved one.
‘I Hope You Dance’ Led To An Emotional Moment On American Idol
American Idol came out with its twenty-third season earlier this month. Naturally, this means a whole new list of contestants. However, there are still some familiar faces.
Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie have returned as judges but joining them this season is former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, now a judge on the show that made her a star. In fact, Underwood was part of an emotional moment on the show.
As noted by Country Now, one Idol hopeful fans have seen is Samantha Ray, a Georgia native and stay-at-home mother. Before she started to sing, she shared a special reason why winning the competition series would mean “absolutely everything” to her.
Ray noted that she realized her love for music at a young age while watching American Idol and singing along with her sister. She also highlighted one past contestant in particular.
Ray shared, “I had somebody to sing with. She was my music partner. I would sing a song, and she would sing a song, or we’d sing a song together, do harmonies. Me and her both loved Carrie Underwood, so impressing her is like the top of the line for me.”
For her audition, Ray performed Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance.” However, while they applauded the rendition, the judges noted that there was a hint of sadness in her performance.
Bryan asked Ray, “What were you thinking about when you sang that?” She explained that she was thinking about her sister, who passed away in February due to an overdose.
Ray shared, “Losing her hurts a lot because she was a year younger than me. We were very close. She had two little boys, and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking. So, I’m here for her.” Images of Ray and her sister then appeared on the screen.
Carrie Underwood Needed Time To Compose Herself Before Sharing Her Thoughts
When Bryan turned attention to Underwood, she could be seen in tears. She noted, “I’m teary-eyed, and [you] go right to me.” Needing a moment to collect herself, she then passed things on to Richie.
Richie noted, “From the first note, I was trying to compose myself because every once in a while, we just run across some people who have the absolute trigger on emotions. You did it perfectly.”
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Underwood composed herself and shared her thoughts. She noted, “We didn’t know what you were thinking about, but we knew you were thinking about something, and that’s being a storyteller that pulls people in, and that was really special.”
In particular, Bryan highlighted how Ray made the song her own, while still keeping the original’s emotion. He noted, “You don’t really overthink it, and it felt very listenable. It’s a yes for me.”
Ultimately, Richie and Underwood also gave Ray a “yes” each. This secured her a ticket to Hollywood.
Another round of auditions will take place on March 30, 2025, on American Idol. Afterwards, the ticket holders will move onto Hollywood Week.
Did you see the clip of Ray’s audition on American Idol? Have you been keeping up with the latest season of the competition series? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest reality TV and celebrity news.
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