Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 100 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Morgan Wallen, + more!
American Idol is currently in its 21st season of television. Even though the show has switched networks and judges in the past, one thing that stands the test of time is the talent that it produces. As we all know, American Idol has brought us country powerhouses including Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and more.
Pretty much anyone can score an audition to American Idol, but to make it to air on television and get all the way to the Hollywood rounds, you need some solid talent. Accompanying that solid talent with other things certainly can help. One of those things is when your father is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and joins you at your audition.
Kaya Stewart was on the March 26 episode of American Idol, and standing next to her was Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart. Katy Perry said, “Oh my God, Blast from the past,” when she saw who her dad was. Lionel Richie then added how he and the Eurythmics were just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
Kaya then spoke about how she went on tour with her dad before she was even born, when she was in her mom’s tummy, and that music was in her DNA. Her dad was so proud standing next to her holding a guitar as she explained that they wrote the song that she was about to sing, called “This Tattoo.”
Anyone who watches American Idol knows that this was a risky move to sing an unfamiliar song, but her and her dad nailed it and impressed the judges. Lionel Richie said her performance was, “great; in the midst of all this you slayed it.” Luke Bryan also commented that he could tell she was comfortable and had grown up being on stage.
The judges sent Stewart on to Hollywood Week, but unfortunately, she was forced to bow out of the competition when she fell ill, according to People.
American Idol airs at 8PM ET Sunday nights on ABC.
PICTURES: See Inside Carrie Underwood’s Beautiful Post-‘American Idol’ Home
Carrie Underwood invested her money wisely after winning American Idol in 2005. One of her first big purchases was a 3,099-square-foot home in the well-to-do Nashville suburb of Franklin, Tenn. Underwood paid $384,000 for a luxurious 3-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom stone and stucco home in a private gated community.
The house features a library, a vaulted ceiling and lovely amenities throughout, but while it’s very nice, it’s certainly not the kind of home you’d picture for a budding country superstar. Underwood wound up being a huge success right out of the gate with her debut album, Some Hearts, and she sold the home in Franklin for $372,500 in 2007, when she purchased the Brentwood mansion that she would later share with her husband, Mike Fisher.
PICTURES: ‘American Idol’ Producers Selling Spectacular $22 Million California Winery
American Idol producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick also have a longtime wine business, and they are selling their spectacular California winery for $22 million. Their stunning winery, Villa San-Juliette, is located near Paso Robles, Calif. According to the listing, the luxury 160-acre estate includes two Tuscan-style residential villas, pool, a tasting room and state-of-the-art vineyards and winery facilities. There are also extensive lush lawns with dazzling views in every direction.
Country ‘American Idol’ Stars Who Disappeared
We cheered for them. We voted for them. We followed them. Then, these seven American Idol stars vanished. Or, at least it seems like it.
What happened to some of country music’s best American Idol contestants over the last 20 years? This list of country American Idol stars who disappeared includes a winner, a runner-up and a third place finisher, plus several early cuts who enjoyed radio success before losing touch with fans.