A contestant on American Idol got the surprise of a lifetime during her audition. Waitress Megan Danielle performed “You Say,” Lauren Daigle‘s 2018 multi-week, platinum-selling No. 1 hit, and was surprised by Daigle, who joined the hopeful singer during her audition.
Daigle, who auditioned for American Idol in 2010, 2011 and 2012, not only surprised Danielle, but Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, who are all serving as judges again this year.
“I heard an echo,” Perry exclaimed. “I was like, ‘Is there an angel singing somehwere?’ Only on American Idol.”
Prior to her audition, Danielle said she was performing in honor of her grandfather, Chuck, who passed away last year, and had a huge influence on her life.
“My childhood, I would always spend most of my time at the shop with my Grandpa,” Danielle shared. “He was definitely one of my biggest fans. It’s just weird without papa, but very sad ’cause everything reminds me of daddy. My Grandpa passed about a year ago and he was the most important person in my life,”
It was her grandfather who convinced the 20-year-old to stop performing in bars, and focus on music that celebrates her Christian faith instead.
“When I was 18, I had a band and we were singing at all different types of bars and venues,” Danielle recalled. “I didn’t like performing at bars because I felt like I had to act like someone I wasn’t just so the people would like what they were hearing. There was one show I had one night and my papa was there and he pulled me to the side and said ‘What are you doing baby? This isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing.’ He looked at me dead in the eye and said ‘How can you sing for God and sing for this?’ and then I finally decided to totally switch to Christian music.”
After her audition, Danielle earned high praise not only from Daigle, but the Idol judges as well.
“What you have is a real honest, rawness,” Bryan said. “It’s like unpolished diamonds stuff going on. And I think when you start learning, and you start getting your confidence and start realizing you can really, really do this, it’s gonna be fun to watch you grow.”
“What you have is this thing in your voice that I am in love with,” added Richie. “We can get you out of your shyness, and have it come through your vocal cords. And all we’re going to do right now at this point is push you, push you, push you.”
American Idol airs on Sundays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of ABC / American Idol
