American Idol is back — and boy are you going to need tissues for this premiere.
At the sixth season premiere of ABC’s incarnation of the reality singing competition, judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan returned along with a host of other contestants with inspiring stories hoping to secure a golden ticket to the Hollywood Week phase of the competition win.
One of Sunday’s candidates may look familiar to you.
Kya Monee’ competed in Season 4, earning three yeses from the judges and securing a coveted gold ticket. She was eventually cut during Hollywood Week, but not before delivering a chilling duet of Rihanna’s “Stay” with contestant Willie Spence that earned a standing ovation from all three judges and made Perry cry. Spence finished second and died in a car accident in October 2022 at the age of 23.
“This song meant so much to me,” Monee said of the duet. “From then on, we grew into a very, very close friendship.”
It was Spence, she says, who encouraged her to come back and give Idol another try.
“Three days before he died, Willie said to me, ‘You have to go back. You have to chase your dreams,’” she said, adding that Spence was supposed to accompany her to her audition that day. “It’s just really hard not to have that support anymore.”
Lionel Richie calls Kya Monee’s tribute to Willie Spence ‘divinely guided’
Monee’ kicked off a performance of “I’m Here” from the musical The Color Purple. She sobbed through tears during the performance to a standing ovation from the jury.
“What you gave us was all we tried to say to all these kids,” Richie said. “This performance was so emotional, so heartfelt, so divinely directed in the glorious name of our dear brother Willie.”
Bryan agreed, “A way of paying tribute to him and a way of celebrating what you guys had planned to do together… You guys just sing like Willie’s still here.”
American Idol runner-up Willie Spence dies after car accident at 23: “I’m in shock”
Perry added her performance was “on another level.”
“It was so connected to the pain,” she said, “but we also feel connected because you were authentic, just like him.”
Suffice it to say, it was a resounding yes vote.
The episode ended with a montage tribute to Spence and a few words from Richie, “He was a beautiful angel that God brought into the world and he was the beacon of what ‘American Idol’ is about.”
‘Idol’ alum Lauren Daigle gives contestant Megan Danielle the surprise of a lifetime: ‘Coming full circle’
Monee’ wasn’t the only “Idol” returnee.
Christian singer Lauren Daigle, who auditioned multiple times for “Idol” and made it to Hollywood Week, came back to surprise contestant Megan Danielle, who auditioned with Daigle’s song “You Say” and looked up to Daigle for inspiration. Daigle said it felt like a moment to come full circle to come back.
“Your story reminds me so much of my own,” Daigle told the contestant, who is also a Christian music singer.
Danielle is also following in Daigle’s footsteps by going to Hollywood after receiving three yes votes from the judges.
“You have that edge in your voice,” Perry said to the waitress. “It’s so authentic.”
Luke Bryan was brought to tears by the contestant’s tribute to his late father
Another successful contestant was Iam Tongi, who dedicated his audition to his father, who had died months earlier.
He sang James Blunt’s “Monsters,” about a son saying goodbye to his father, and made all three judges cry.
“You make these grown men cry,” Perry said. “Your voice is just so great.”
Bryan said the audition reminded him of the loss in his own life.
“I can’t handle your heart breaking because of your father,” he said. “I love you and I just want to see you enjoy this whole thing.”
Richie called Tongi’s delivery “phenomenal”.
“You bring that into the world and you’re going to break a few souls,” he added
Who won the platinum ticket? Teen prodigy Tyson Venegas stuns Lionel Richie
Tyson Venegas, a 17-year-old who was inspired to make music after seeing a Richie concert with his mother when he was young, had a moment that came full circle when the jury gave him the platinum ticket awarded. Venegas put on impressive vocal runs to Billy Joel and Tony Bennett’s “New York State of Mind” while accompanying himself on the piano.
The platinum ticket not only sends a singer to Hollywood – it also allows them to ride through the first round of Hollywood Week without being eliminated.
“I inspired him back then,” Richie said. “He just inspired us today.”
“American Idol” returns next Sunday at 8 p.m. ET with another series of auditions.
All 20 ‘American Idol’ winners, ranked. What is your favorite prize?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The ‘American Idol’ judges sob through the contestant’s tribute to Willie Spence
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