A contestant from the Season 23 premiere of “American Idol” received encouragement from a special “Idol” alumna.
Baltimore artist Gabby Samone stepped into her audition with a vote of confidence from Jennifer Hudson, the superstar who placed seventh in Season 3 of the singing competition. Since then, Hudson has garnered international acclaim, and is one of only 21 EGOT winners.
The 22-year-old artist first caught Hudson’s attention in 2020, when the “Idol” superstar commented on an Instagram video of Samone.
“After all the hard work, someone like her noticing me just made me feel so good,” Samone said. “It made me feel like I’m not doing all of this for nothing.”
Hudson later invited Samone to join her as a guest on her daytime talk program, “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” in 2022. She also encouraged Samone to pursue “American Idol” when Samone asked for her thoughts about auditioning.
“She said, ‘go for it, you should definitely do it,’” Samone recalled.
Hudson’s instincts were right. After flaunting her soaring vocals during a rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin, Samone received a standing ovation from judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan.
“I’m sitting over here trying to control myself,” Richie said, wiping his eyes.
“That was spectacular,” he added. “I’m so happy for you, your family, and certainly for this show, because you need to be heard.”
All three judges agreed to send Samone to the next round of the competition.
