At just 19 years old, “American Idol” contestant Lanii from Phoenix, Arizona stepped onto an airplane for the very first time and traveled alone to Nashville with nothing but her voice, her courage, and a deeply personal reason for auditioning for the competition show. The high school student delivered a raw, powerful performance during Week 3 that left judge Lionel Richie moved to tears.
Lanii revealed she was auditioning for her father, who was in the ICU fighting for his life. “This is all for him. I’m doing this for him,” Lanii told the judges trio Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. “He believed in me, and I’m here, and I want this more than ever now.”
Read on to find out whether Lanii’s audition earned her the life-changing golden ticket to Hollywood Week.
Watch Lanii’s Emotional Performance
Speaking to the cameras, Lanii opened up move about her relationship with her dad.
“I’m very insecure about my voice, but my dad believed in me when no one else did,” she said. “He saw it in me, even when I didn’t see it in myself.”
Lanii went on to call her dad “the kindest person in the world,” before revealing that he’d been battling addiction since before she was born. “There were so many nights I would just cry from watching my dad stumble upstairs,” she said. “And he would say, ‘Tonight’s going to be my last drink’ every day.”
Her dad eventually stopped drinking, but he unfortunately developed liver failure and ended up in the hospital. “He is currently awaiting a transplant,” Lanii explained. “I really want my dad to be in my future, but this could be my last chance to show him his daughter tried for him.”
For her audition, Lanii delivered a rendition of Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me.”
“You have an incredible voice,” Underwood told Lanii. “I don’t even know if you know what you could be capable of, but you completely owned that. That was awesome.”
“You’re just out here being so real and open with us. You’re not hiding anything. You’re not trying to be something you’re not. You’re just being authentically you,” Bryan said. “There’s just something really special about you. How brave you are to get on a plane and come out here and roll the dice and just sing your little heart out. That’s what this show’s about.”
Richie wiped away his tears along with Lanii, “You walked in this door with all this bubbling personality and gave us an artist… It’s pretty uplifting to see the human spirit. You’re a perfect example of it.”
After earning three “yes” votes from the judges, Richie and the other judges got up from their table and went over to hug the young singer.
“We love you. We’re the family,” Richie said. “Welcome to the family.”
Another Highlight From ‘American Idol’ Week 3 Auditions
DisneyDuring Week 3 auditions, the judges heard a loud noise coming from outside the audition room. When they went outside, they were met with a school bus parked outside with contestant Noah Orion, lead singer for Wall of Sound, standing on the roof with the rest of his band.
“In front of you is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll audition you have seen in the history of ‘American Idol,'” Orion told the judges. “I know you like rock ‘n’ roll, Miss Carrie. All right, ‘Ace of Spades’ coming in hot, baby.”
As the band played their rendition of Motörhead’s song, Underwood sang along to every word.
Orion also received a golden ticket to Hollywood Week.
