‘American Idol’ Teenage Hopeful Brings Fellow Contestant to Tears by Auditioning With Her Song

Music has immense power, a fact that was proven on Monday’s season premiere of American Idol.

During the episode, 16-year-old Lainey Grace stepped up to audition for the show. The Alabama teen told judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood that she started performing to get out of her shell.

Grace, who has 12 siblings, opted to show off her skills with a cover of Kyndal Inskeep’s song, “Honest”.

None of the judges had heard of Inskeep before, and Grace revealed that she discovered the Nashville musician through one of her siblings.

As she began playing piano and wowing with her impressive vocals, a woman made her way into the audition room. That woman was revealed to be Inskeep, a 29-year-old musician who decided to audition for this season of Idol.

Even the Contestants’ Jaws Were on the Floor Following Lainey Grace’s Audition

Inskeep was floored by Grace’s impressive performance, and the songwriter broke down in tears as the teen did her tune proud.“You have some vocal chops,” Richie complimented the teen, before Underwood noted that Grace was “timid” but had “a lot of potential.”

Bryan agreed with his judges, saying that Grace had a “tone and sound in your voice that’s undeniable” before voting to pass her through to Hollywood.

Underwood was on the opposite side, though, stating that Grace wasn’t quite ready for Idol just yet. Before Richie cast his vote, the judges called Inskeep into the room, and the women performed “Honest” together.

After the sweet duet, Richie was impressed but stated his belief that Grace didn’t “have a master” of her art just yet.

Grace left the audition without a Golden Ticket, but thrilled that she got to meet and perform with Inskeep.

The elder singer, however, did earn her ticket to Hollywood with a performance of her original song, “Praying of a Trying Daughter.”

“You got stuff,” Underwood complimented. “I like the song. I love your voice. It felt like we were in your world.”

Richie agreed, stating, “You’ve got artist written all over you, and I’m loving every minute of it.”

With that, Inskeep earned her ticket to Hollywood.

American Idol airs Mondays on ABC.

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