Kaeyra spends four days a week working at a restaurant, where she performs cover songs for four hours each night. Needless to say, she has a lot of experience singing.
But her musical experience dates back much further than that. Her mother is a piano teacher, and she inspired Kaeyra to pursue music from a young age.
Kaeyra’s passion for performing led her to audition for American Idol. She took a seat at the piano and delivered a soulful rendition of Chris Stapleton‘s Grammy-winning song, “Cold.” The song gave her the opportunity to showcase the naturally gritty, yet beautiful tone of her voice.
The judges were mesmerized by Kaeyra’s performance. Luke Bryan seemed to be her biggest fan. He rewarded her with a standing ovation after she finished singing.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” he said. “You don’t sound like anybody else…it was great, it was really great.“
That meant a lot coming from Luke. He and Chris have been friends for years. Chris even co-wrote Luke’s #1 song, “Drink a Beer,” and sang background vocals on the track.
Katy Perry and Lionel Richie agreed with Luke’s comments. But both of them wanted to hear what Kaeyra could do with a faster song. Lionel said he’d love to hear how her “moody voice” would sound on something with a quicker tempo.
Looks like Kaeyra will get the chance to deliver on their request…because the judges voted to send her to Hollywood!
Head below to watch Kaeyra sing “Cold” and let us know what you think.