'American Idol' Recap: Salt Lake City Auditions Showcase New Stars Austin Wolfe And Tessa Norman

by uInterviewJanuary 30, 2014, 12:00 amNews >

American Idol continued with auditions in Salt Lake City where judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. recruited a lot of young talent to Hollywood, including stand out Tessa Norman.

Austin Wolfe, 16, kicked it off with a strong rendition of Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive” that won over the judges immediately. Keith and Harry loved her from the get go when she introduced herself – they were immediately jealous of her rock star name.

Another 16-year-old stand-out was Kenzie Hall, who showed off her range and guitar playing with John Mayer’s “I’m Gonna Find Another You.” To quote J. Lo, “She’s one of my favs…She was great.”

Other young aspiring singers who made the cut included Briston Maroney, 15, Kylee Adamson, 18, Michael Simeon, 19, D.J. Bradley, 20, Emily Rottler, 17, country singer Laurel Wright, 18, and diva in the making, Tessa Norman, 19. Tessa had the judges in the palm of her hand with her rendition of “Mama Knows Best” and had barely sung her last note when J. Lo dubbed her “a star.”

Alex Preston, 20, risked it all by auditioning with an original song. His confidence impressed Harry, as did his desire to be a singer-songwriter, and his performance certainly entranced Keith and J. Lo as well. J. Lo thought his song was so good that she had to check twice to make sure his song was, indeed, an original.

Samantha Calmes, 25, gave one of the most anti-American Idol auditions with an original song that incorporated spoken word and then she charmed Harry and Keith with The Jefferson’s theme song.

Carmen Delgina, 24, showed up with her rapper father, Wonder Mike of the Sugar Hill Gang, and underwhelmed with “Tainted Love.” The judges all agreed that she was right on the line and they let her through, saying she had natural talent. They instructed Carmen to practice before Hollywood, and viewers will have to wait and see if she follows their advice.

Nashville vet, Paisley Van Patten, 25, was also ushered into the next round. Patten had a nice audition, but it was her story that is sure to win her supporters: the recovering alcoholic won her first Nashville recording contract when she was 15 and is now fighting her way back to the top. Another Country artist through and through was discovered in Dexter Roberts, 22, who spends his days as a farm hand and trains dogs to hunt ducks.

CJ Harris, 22, also tugged at viewers’ heartstrings in his introduction. Harris began his audition by declaring himself a huge fan of Keith’s and displayed a very sweet, humble attitude throughout the process, dedicating his audition song to his father, who recently died. J. Lo admitted that his voice wasn’t perfect, but thought his personality shined through and he got three yeses.

The night’s biggest personality came from Tiquila Wilson, 24, who took a very big risk auditioning with Adele’s “Someone Like You.” She made it through to the next round and didn’t leave the audition room without hitting on Harry – if nothing else Tiquila will certainly make Hollywood interesting.

It wasn’t always unanimous at the judge’s table. Johnny Newcomb, 16, barely made the cut after Harry told him he didn’t think he had enough experience, but J. Lo and Keith voted against him and he got the golden ticket to Hollywood. Kassandra Castaneda, 16, was also a no for Harry but a yes for his fellow judges.

Wrapping up the episode was Casey Thrasher, 23, a father of two who is determined to do well, and impressed the judges more with his work ethic and emotion than with his vote. Still, it’s a yes and he is the last Hollywood-bound contestant of the night.