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Carrie Underwood jokingly called an American Idol hopeful a “liar” after his audition.
Isaiah Misailegalu, a 17-year-old high school student from Las Vegas, Nevada, said he’s “always been singing all my life. I’ve been exposed to great music, thanks to my parents. And whether I knew it or not, I’ve always been practicing, I guess.” He offered a glimpse of his life with his close-knit family, and explained that the purpose of Samoan culture is “to spread love.” Misailegalu auditioned for American Idol in Los Angeles, California. He brought his uncle, Luigi, into the audition room to accompany him on guitar.
Misailegalu told judges Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan that he’s been singing “ever since I could remember,” though he’s only started singing at community events within the past year. He went on to deliver a powerful rendition of “A Song For You,” an iconic 1970s ballad released by Donny Hathaway.
“Isaiah, you are not 17 years old,” Underwood said in disbelief after Misailegalu’s performance. “You are not in high school. You did not just start singing out in front of people this year. There’s no way I believe any of that. ...It sounds like you’ve been doing it forever, and you made it sound very easy and it’s not. So well done, you liar!”
Misailegalu laughed, and Bryan told the Idol contestant, “that’s as vicious as she gets.” He praised Misailegalu for doing “a lot of subtle stuff that was so perfect and amazing.” Richie echoed the praise, saying the performance was “impressive,” particularly for performing “A Song For You” well enough to make Hathaway’s song his own. Richie said his vote for Misailegalu is a “hallelujah yes.” Underwood and Bryan (who delivered his “yes” in Samoan) agreed.
Underwood added in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that “Isaiah is so inspiring. What a sweet story and person. Hard to believe he just recently started performing…clearly, I didn’t believe it,” she wrote with laughing emojis. “Just kidding…love this kid! Also, give it up for Uncle Luigi!”
Watch that moment from the American Idol season premiere on Sunday evening (March 9) here: