‘American Idol’ Season 16: Auditions Part 2 Recap [SPOILERS]

After the premiere of “American Idol” Season 16 last Sunday night, we now head to the second part of the auditions where many aspiring singers showed up as well. They didn’t only share their talents, but they also shared inspiring stories to the judges and viewers. Here’s a recap of what went down.

Mara Justine

The second part of American Idol audition kicks off with Mara Justine, a 15-year old girl who always dreamt to audition for the show. She sang “Love On The Brain” by Rihanna. Without any further explanations, the three judges said “Yes” which means she’s going to Hollywood. It seems that Mara’s performance didn’t only impress the judges, but it also made them speechless.

Trio of teenagers

Meanwhile, there were these three young aspiring singers with the name Andrew Weaver, Christina Jones, and Griffin Tucker who proved that their voice has what it take to be part of American Idol.
Andrew Weaver sang one of Ed Sheeran’s greatest hit songs “Thinking Out Loud.” Luke said that he is a James Dean singing artist.
Dallas, Texas’ Griffin Tucker, on the other hand, amazed the judges (especially Lionel) with his voice and ability to play the piano. Katy said that he is good and he sang like a 7,000-year-old person.
Christina Jones, an 18-year old girl from O’Fallon, IL sang beautifully even with the rubber bands on her braces. That’s quite impressive, isn’t it? All of them got tickets to Hollywood!

William Cassanova

We move on to William Cassanova from Washington, DC who sang his version of “A Song For You” by Donny Hathaway. His smooth and heartfelt performance stunned the audience and was able to pass the audition. Katy said that he has a great voice and is a fantastic singer who’s not afraid to look into people’s souls.

Michelle Sussett

After New York, we now go to Los Angeles. Michelle Sussett from Miami has been in the States for three years and three months but is originally born and raised in Venezuela. Michelle auditioned to make people dance, laugh, and enjoy music. She was able to make the judges dance with her as she sang her rendition of Selena’s “Techno Cumbia.”

Katy said that Michelle has no fear, not annoying, and she makes people happy. The judges love her personality too. Katy, however, wasn’t sure if she can compete well in the show but her fun performance was enough for them to send her to Hollywood.

Misha Gontar

Another entertaining auditionee showed up. But unlike Michelle, Misha Gontar, a Ukranian singer-songwriter didn’t make it to Hollywood. Richie explained that he is a monster rapper of Ukraine, but he doesn’t know where to put his performance in “American Idol.” At least the judges agreed that they enjoyed his performance.

Brandon Diaz

This 21-year old guy from Ashburn, Virginia sang “Unaware” by Allen Stone. Brandon Diaz said that his performance is for his dad who’s always there for him.

Since his dad is a musician, it’s not a surprise to see him singing as well, and he has a great voice too! Richie said that he is amazed by his clear falsetto while Katy added that he is the best male singer they have seen so far.

Trevor Holmes

Trevor Holmes captured Katy Perry’s heart during his audition in American Idol. He didn’t just have the looks, but also a good attitude. Trevor works as a construction worker to help his mom who’s suffering from lupus. He said that aside from being a part-time construction worker and a part-time songwriter, he also wants to be a full-time musician.
Before he even starts singing, Katy said that if he doesn’t go to Hollywood, he can hang out with her instead. Then he proceeded and sang “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young where he changed the word baby to Katy. So instead of saying “Baby, I’m crazy about you, he said, “Katy I’m crazy about you.”

But sad to say, Katy got her heart broken after Trevor’s girlfriend came and kissed him in front of Lionel and Luke. But don’t worry Katy; you are Trevor’s ultimate crush!

Laine Hardy

Laine Hardy could be the luckiest auditionee now. This aspiring country singer is excellent, and despite the shyness and nervousness he felt, he made it to Hollywood. Luke said that Laine might even win “American Idol.” So yes, it looks like Luke is a fan!

Gabii Jones

Her dad only gave her thirty days to achieve her dream in American Idol. Gabii Jones, a 20-year-old girl from Saint Louis, didn’t disappoint her dad and was able to go to Hollywood. Gabii sang Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” beautifully. Lionel said that Gabii’s fundamental core is exciting. Katy also said that she has a unique dimension to her voice.

Cameron Theodos

From being a basketball coach, Cameron Theodos tried his luck in “American Idol” to pursue a singing career. But despite Cameron getting the chance to go to Hollywood, Lionel said Cameron needs to improve his voice more.

Thaddeus Johnson

Thaddeus Johnson from Oklahoma came back after being part of “American Idol” Season 9. Thaddeus didn’t just change physically, but his voice also got a whole lot better. It seems like Thaddeus took the time to nurture and improve his singing skills and abilities.

After being in “American Idol” Season 9, Thaddeus admitted that he got depressed. But during his performance, Thaddeus proved that he deserves another chance. He sang “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia and was successful in getting three yeses from the judges.

Rissa Watson

Rissa Watson, from Apache, Oklahoma, is a high school student and is set to run her family’s furniture business. Her dream, however, is very far from her supposed future, because instead of being a businesswoman, she wants to be a singer. Rissa sang Adele’s “When We Were Young” and was able to get the ticket to Hollywood.

Garrett Jacobs

Another teenager showed up in American Idol audition. 17-year-old Garrett Jacobs put his spin on James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” Luke said that he has the potential to grow and Katy said he has a good voice, so he’s going to Hollywood!

David Francisco

Lastly, we have David Francisco. His story served as an inspiration to everyone. Just three weeks after David moved to Nashville to pursue music in 2016, he got hit by a car and was paralyzed from the waist down. David thought that after being paralyzed, everything was over for him. He said that after the incident, David cried every single day.
One night, however, David felt his foot move a little. Then after two to three months, he had a lot of improvements, and it continued until today. His girlfriend encouraged him not to give up.

So after everything he’d gone through, he auditioned for “American Idol” and sang “Isn’t She Lovely” by Steve Wonder. Katy cried, Luke was moved, and Lionel called David’s spirit an inspiration. Lionel said that he wanted him to be proud of himself, and passed the audition.
“American Idol” continues next Sunday, March 18th at 8/7c on ABC.