Watching American Idol and singing songs with her sister was something that contestant Samantha Ray had been doing since she was a very young girl. So singing in front of Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
“I’ve been singing since I was little watching this show with my sister,” said the 22-year-old stay-at-home mom from Ila, GA. “Growing up was awesome because I had somebody to sing with. She was my music partner. I would sing songs; she would sing songs; or we would sing songs together and do harmonies. Me and her both loved Carrie Underwood, so impressing her is the top of the line for me.”
For her shot at a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, Samantha chose “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack.
“What were you thinking about when you sang that?” Luke asked.
“I was thinking about my sister a lot,” Samantha said. “Earlier this year, in February, I lost her to a drug overdose. Losing her hurt so much. She’s a year younger than me and we were very close. She had two little boys and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking. So, I’m here for her.”
“You did a great job,” Luke told her. “What do you think Carrie?”
When Carrie was too choked up to answer immediately, Luke asked, “Should I go to Lionel?”
Carrie said, “I’m teary-eyed. It goes right to me.”
While Carrie tried to collect herself, Lionel said, “From the first note, I was trying to compose myself because every once in a while, we just run across some people who have the absolute trigger on emotions. You did it perfectly.”
Carrie finally was able to talk, and said, “We didn’t know what you were thinking about, but we knew you were thinking about something, and that’s being a storyteller. That pulls people in. That was very special.”
Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke BryanDisney/Eric McCandless
Luke added, “It’s nice to hear somebody sing a classic like that, but you did it your own way. You didn’t overthink it. It felt very listenable. It’s a yes for me.”
And, of course, Samantha also got yeses from Lionel and Carrie, sending her to Hollywood.
“Winning would mean absolutely everything to me,” Samantha said. “This is my dream. I love this show.”
American Idol will air on both Sunday and Monday this week at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Stream next day on Hulu.
