Photo: ABC, Art Streiber/Eric McCandless
Luke Bryan said he had a “full-body wave of chills” when he listened to an American Idol contestant’s soulful Zach Bryan cover.
Kaibrienne “KB” Richins, 20, introduced herself to the celebrity panel of judges when she auditioned for American Idol with her rendition of Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.” KB said she’s from Henefer, Utah, a town with a population of fewer than 1,000 residents. KB shared her emotional story of her diagnosis with Hashimoto's disease, which she describes as “a thyroid disease that’s super painful,” and a challenge to regulate her emotions. KB’s father, Justin, said singing was an outlet for his daughter. He filmed her singing as they went for drives, and noted the powerful response when he posted the videos online.
KB shook out her arms and let out a cough as she prepared to start singing “Something in the Orange.” Her father told host Ryan Seacrest “she deserves this,” as he waited outside.
“From the first note, I had full-body wave of chills,” Luke Bryan said. “I like even how you just kind of shook it out and then you hacked up something and started singing. …The coolest thing is, you’re 20, you’re from a little ol’ small town in Utah (of fewer than 1,000). You just have it. So, great job.”
Katy Perry applauded KB’s “real unique tone,” telling her that she had “the special sauce that people have to have when they’re forming who they are as an artist.” Lionel Richie added that he’s “heard that song a gazillion and one times, OK, but that was your song. You told a story, and that’s your sound. I really love what you did.”
Watch the audition that earned a unanimous “yes” vote for KB here: