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Who is Ryleigh Madison? 'American Idol' contestant's uncle too auditioned for the show

The third episode of ‘American Idol’ Season 20 will air on ABC at 8 pm ET. The show is expected to air a total of 18 episodes and might wrap up in late May

The fans of ‘American Idol’ have so far enjoyed the two episodes of Season 20 that saw new singers competing for the coveted golden ticket. Judges namely Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie resumed their judging responsibilities on the ABC network for the fifth time. Contestants namely Hunter Girl and Kenedi Anderson even managed to bag the platinum ticket that was introduced to mark the 20th season of the singing reality show.
 
Ryleigh Madison is one of the new contestants who will appear in front of the judges on Episode 3. Sam Finelli, Cadence Baker, and Mark Osborne are some of the other contestants who will fight for the golden ticket to Hollywood. The show is being hosted by Ryan Seacrest. However, the mentor from the earlier seasons namely Bobby Bones could not return this time due to his other work commitments.
 
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Who is Ryleigh Madison?

Ryleigh Madison is a 16-year-old country singer from Whiteville, North Carolina, who was brought up with traditional Christian influences. She is a student of South Columbus High School. Ryleigh had auditioned for the show in Nashville, Tennessee, in November 2021. According to reports, she had performed her rendition of Gabby Barrett’s single ‘The Good Ones’ in front of Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie, and Luke Bryan. According to the website NR Columbus, Ryleigh stated, “Performing in front of celebrity judges was super nerve-racking,” adding, “I’ve never done anything like that before, but it was an awesome experience that I’m really glad I got to do.” The teen singer has been a fan of the show since she was a kid.
 
Whilst sharing one behind-the-scenes photo from her ‘American Idol’ season 20 audition on Instagram, she captioned the post as, “Today’s the day y’all and I could not be more excited! The premiere of the iconic 20th season of American Idol!!! I won’t be on todays episode but auditions air for a few Sunday’s so stay tuned and you might just see a familiar face!! make sure to watch for my amazingly talented friends!”.

On the photo-sharing app, she just has close to 2,000 followers and it seems she stays less active on social media platforms. Her bio on Instagram reads, “Living for the one who died for me!” She dropped her original single called ‘Stranger’ in 2020. Ryleigh Madison frequently jams with her singer uncle Dustin Chapman who interestingly, had auditioned for one of the earlier seasons of ‘American Idol’ but never got aired. He suffers from a rare disease that doesn’t allow him to swallow food.

The third episode of ‘American Idol’ season 20 will air on ABC at 8 pm ET. The show is expected to air a total of 18 episodes and might wrap up in late May. The auditions for the new season were held in Los Angeles, Austin, and Nashville. Online auditions too happened with virtual sessions. While the format of the show will remain the same, a new platinum ticket has been introduced that would allow the holders to skip the first day of Hollywood Week.