American Idol's Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in tears after emotional audition

20 February 2023 , 03:08

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Luke Bryan was in tears on American Idol (Image: abc)

American Idol returned to our screens on Sunday evening and it wasn't long until a hopeful had the judges in tears.

Iam Tongi, 18, stood in front of the judges in Las Vegas in a bid to get a golden ticket for Hollywood - and left Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan reaching for the tissues with his beautiful rendition of Monsters by James Blunt.

It was a performance that tugged at the heartstrings after the Hawaiian native had opened up on the death of his father just months earlier.

As the judges tried to get to know the contestant, he revealed his dad, Rodney, was his inspiration but sadly passed away last year. He said he could still hear him harmonising with him on each tune and was always keen on his son auditioning for the long-running singing contest.

Lionel Richie was tearful during Iam's performance (abc)

After taking a moment to compose himself, high school student Iam - who moved to Seattle with his mum - began playing the guitar and let his voice do the rest.

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Throughout the performance, the camera panned to Lionel Richie, with the veteran singer constantly wiping his eyes.

And it wasn't just the My Destiny singer who was caught in the moment, with fellow judge Luke dabbing his eyes with a tissue.

The hopeful impressed the judges (abc)

After he finished his audition he received a standing ovation as Lionel said he worried wether the judges would make it through the song.

Katy Perry complimented him on his performance, labelling him a "great storyteller". She said: "You sang it, you delivered it and you're making these grown men cry.

"You hit a nerve and that's what great storytellers do."

After opening up on his own heartache, Luke added: "Gosh man, you've got a great voice. You did everything perfect and I love ya, and I just want to see you have fun in this whole thing."

Luke Bryan embraced Iam after his audition (abc)

Lionel took to Twitter immediately after the audition aired to say he and Luke "went through an entire box of tissues" during the song.

And fans were also quick to praise the performance. One user commented: "Amazing voice!!! Had me in tears … I was remembering my late Father too. Wishing you all the best this season on #AmericanIdol."

Another added: "What an audition! Hard not to cry," while a third said: "My box of tissues needs a refill, too. That was absolutely beautiful."

Jamie Roberts