Photo: (ABC/Eric McCandless)
Luke Bryan and the rest of the celebrity judge panel — Katy Perry and Lionel Richie — were “hooked” on one American Idol hopeful’s original song during her audition for the smash-hit competition show.
Haven Madison is a 16-year-old high school student from Clarksville, Tennessee, located approximately an hour away from Nashville. Accompanied by her father’s acoustic guitar, Madison delivered a heartfelt performance of her original song, “Fifteen.” The powerful ballad captures the widely-relatable feeling among ambitious teens who tire of hearing that they’ve “got time” to achieve their goals, even though they’re confident in their dreams now.
Madison captivated the panel of judges with her original music. Richie beamed, Perry’s jaw dropped and Bryan hung on every word the Tennessee native performed. Her father was emotional as the judges praised his daughter’s audition.
“I don’t see anything wrong except the world doesn’t know anything about you, but they will,” Richie told Madison. “That was incredible, and I’m so happy you came to American Idol.”
Perry applauded Madison’s authenticity and her vocals as “on another level,” and Bryan hailed her ability to connect with other teens as “really special.” He added in his Instagram caption that Madison “hooked us with her original song ‘Fifteen’ and we can’t wait to hear more.”
Instagram users echoed the praise in the comments as Bryan shared Madison’s audition video on Friday (February 17). Some gushed over the powerful Taylor Swift vibes, and said they had chills from the audition. One commented said “our kids need this. 🔥,” and another raved: “Unbelievably brilliant. So much talent. Amazing song ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.” One Instagram user even predicted Madison would win the entire season.
American Idol is set to premiere Sunday evening (February 19) on ABC, streaming on Hulu.