Many “American Idol” hopefuls bring family members to their auditions, but few folks walk into the room accompanied by pop-rock royalty.
For her Season 23 audition, Los Angeles singer Lola Bonfiglio was joined by her mother and aunt, Carnie and Wendy Wilson — also known as two-thirds of the pop supergroup Wilson Phillips. (The third member, Chynna Phillips, is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas).
A knack for music clearly runs in the family; Carnie and Wendy are the daughters of Brian Wilson, co-founder of The Beach Boys. Wilson Phillips’ 1990 debut record has sold over 10 million copies, and the group has netted three No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Hold On,” “Release Me,” and “You’re in Love.”
For Bonfiglio’s audition (which also featured her father Rob on guitar), the family performed “Hold On.”
“You can tell that is a thing with families — it’s like everybody’s genetically designed to just sound good together,” said judge Carrie Underwood.
Bonfiglio also went solo to perform “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves, which earned her praise from the judges, despite it being out of her “comfort zone.”
“You have an honesty in your voice and in your presence,” Underwood added. “I want to see you own your talent and everything that you have to offer, because you have a lot to offer.”
The pair of performances earned Bonfiglio a unanimous “yes” from the panel of judges, who all voted to send her to Hollywood.
“No matter how far I get, I’m just excited to push myself and grow, as the judges said,” Bonfiglio concluded.
