Two-time American Idol contestant Alyssa Raghu went for the trifecta on Sunday, singing “just for giggles” and advancing to Hollywood just moments after the roommate she came to support got rejected.
You only get one shot. Okay, maybe two. How about three? American Idol alum Alyssa Raghu has not only auditioned multiple times, but she’s made it all the way to the Top 8 before — and now she’ll try again.
The 21-year-old singer originally auditioned back in 2018 when she was 15 or 16 years old, returning again the following season. In both cases, she advanced beyond the audition, making it to the Top 50 and Hollywood Week in Season 16 and all the way to Top 8 in Season 17.
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Now, for Season 22, she was outside the audition room in support of her best friend and roommate Julia Davo. The 20-year-old artist wanted to be the next big female rock star, but she was a little heavy-handed on David Bowie’s “Life on Mars,” leading to familiar advice.
Like they told a teenaged Raghu, the panel felt that Davo just wasn’t ready yet. They even told Raghu to bring her back “when she’s absolutely ready in your eyes.” The exchange reminded Raghu of something they’d told her.
“I know you said that my voice was going to grow until it was 21. You said that when I was, like, 15,” said Raghu. “Just for giggles, I’d love to sing you something.”
When the judges proved game, Raghu belted Mariah Carey’s “My All.”
It was still a “no” for Davo, who was absolutely unreadable standing by throughout Raghu’s performance. Then Raghu went really bold, showing that she wasn’t done hustling. “I have never competed on the show as an adult, so I don’t know if that’s out of the question.”
“Are you telling me that you want to audition for this season? Like six years later?” Perry asked her incredulously.
“I know it’s in your hands,” said Raghu. “But it’s, like, why not?”
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But while it may have been her all in her adult voice, Katy Perry just wasn’t sold. Calling it a “really weird plot twist,” Perry said she thought Raghu could advance but still didn’t have what it might take to win it.
“If you were going to go to Idol one more time, I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you could win,” she argued. But it wasn’t strong enough to overcome Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Richie argued, “We have nothing to lose and you have everything to gain.”
Maybe she can pay close attention to Raghu’s journey and learn from it. She tried one last shot to get on, but the decision was already made.
On the way out, Raghu asked Davo if she wanted her to throw the ticket away, but Davo pushed back with tears and a hug, telling her she deserves it. If nothing else, Davo and every other former contestant are learning that it never hurts to come back, no matter how far you made it.
Okay, maybe former winners don’t need to be coming back … though an “All-Star” season would be both pretty wild and completely defeat the whole purpose of the show. So Season 25?
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