Luke Bryan Thinks ‘American Idol’ Contestant Mary Jo Young Is Among His Top 10 [Watch]
Luke Bryan sure knows how to communicate a lot while saying just a little. To wit, the country music star and American Idol personality chose his words carefully when joining his fellow celebrity judges in resoundingly approving contestant Mary Jo Young's Idol audition on Sunday night (Feb. 28).
Young will head for Hollywood after getting an emphatic "yes" from Bryan and his co-judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry during the third week of auditions for American Idol's 19th season (its fourth on ABC). But that's not all that Bryan had to say about Young's singing — the "I Don't Want This Night to End" entertainer took things a step further when giving his concise review of her try-out.
"Top 10, I think," Bryan said. "It's a 'yes' from me."
Even still, Young's performance was significant for reasons beyond Bryan's praise. It marked the first time that the 19-year-old budding TikTok star from Cleveland, Ohio, had sung in front of her mother ... or pretty much anyone else, for that matter!
"Mary Jo has come a long way since her fourth grade talent show yodeling days," a video description reads. "Not only was this American Idol audition the first time Mary Jo has 'genuinely performed for anyone' since fourth grade, but it was the first time she performed in front of her own mother! Thanks to Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, Mary Jo and her mother are able to share a very special, magical moment in the audition room."
Young's story so far is every young singer's fantasy: She had "never sang and then started posting on Twitter and TikTok and got a little bit of attention," she tells Cleveland's News 5. After 5 million TikTok likes and a popular Tate McRae cover, American Idol casting agents reached out.
American Idol Season 19 auditions continue on March 7 and 14 before Hollywood Week begins with a genre challenge on March 21. The TV singing competition airs on Sunday nights at 8PM ET on ABC.
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