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'American Idol’ Season 20: Ryleigh Madison told to dial down country accent

Katy Perry jokingly mocked Madison while also having a bit of fun with Luke Bryan, who is one of the top country singers globally

While country/blues musician Mark Osborne easily managed to impress the judges namely Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, another country singer named Ryleigh Madison showed up at the audition in the third episode of ‘American Idol’ Season 20. The 16-year-old crooner was soon compared to Gabby Barrett after she performed her song, ‘The Good Ones’.
 
For the unversed, Gabby Barrett was one of the finalists in Season 16 of ‘American Idol’. She stood at the third position. Circling back to Ryleigh Madison, the teen singer from Whiteville, North Carolina left judges intrigued with her thick country accent. Katy Perry jokingly mocked Madison while also having a bit of fun with Luke Bryan, who is one of the top country singers globally. While the trio liked Madison’s performance, Katy dubbed her as “pure country” and asked her to dial down her thick country accent a bit -- 25 percent to be specific. Lionel Richie claimed that he knew she was nervous but she deserved a chance to go to Hollywood. The judges then unanimously agreed to give her the golden ticket quickly sending Twitter into a meltdown.
 
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A majority of social media users were elated over the judges’ decision to send her to Hollywood. “Glad you put her through. With the judges coaching I hope to see her shine”, said one user as another posted, “Was a beautiful performance. Love her voice. Sounded a lot like Gabby. But she's very much her own artist.”  The next one shared, “Ryleigh is more Janelle Arthur than Gabby Barrett.” Another added, “Aww Ryleigh was adorable! Can’t wait to watch her journey! “ One person stated, “Sure they are so forgiving with this country girl  vs everyone else #ryleigh #AmericanIdol .. not ready but lets advance her” as, another concluded, “Ryleigh Madison, so fearless, strong twang, emotional. Great vocal control and attention to dynamics. Flexible vocal with hoarseness in places that’s interesting.”
 
The show is expected to air a total of18 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.

'American Idol' Season 20 airs every Sunday at 8/7c on ABC.
 
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