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Carrie Underwood couldn’t hold back tears after teen’s powerful tribute to lost father on ‘American Idol’

This 19-year-old's tribute to his late father left Carrie Underwood in tears during his audition

‘American Idol’ judges didn’t see Freddie McClendon’s emotional performance coming! The 19-year-old singer graced the audition room with a heartbreaking original song dedicated to his late father. Judge Carrie Underwood couldn’t hold back her tears as Freddie paid tribute to his father, Davis McClendon, a 46-year-old dad of three who was murdered in 2023. “One of my favorite memories — I was around 15 years old and my dad took me to Nashville for the first time,” Freddie said. “Seeing Music City and Broadway — he said, 'You know Freddie, that's gonna be you one day.' It's happening today!” the contestant added.

He told the judges that he’s been writing music since he was a freshman in high school, but only began taking it seriously after his father passed. “My dad was killed about a year ago in 2023. It became a national and statewide news story. Everyone was focusing on his death, and I wanted to tell the story of his life,” he added. He recalled being woken up to the news of his father’s death and how it quickly became a media sensation. “My dad and I had a great relationship. He was an absolutely wonderful person. He would do anything for anybody. We used to talk about everything and he really understood me,” Freddie said.

In the introductory video, Freddie’s mother revealed that the teenager lost his best friend when he lost his father. He struggled to process his feelings, but music and songwriting became a powerful outlet for him to convey his emotions. “I miss him every day,” he said. He also revealed that not only did his family have to deal with Davis’s death, but also the public attention and media coverage that followed. Everybody talked about Davis, but nobody except his family knew who he really was.

“He was something so much bigger than just the true crime story of the week. He was our dad, and he meant the world to us,” Freddie admitted. For his audition, he chose to sing an original song titled ‘You Never Loved Him,’ and its lyrics tugged at the audience's heartstrings: “Never got to see him one last time. We never got to tell him goodbye.” By the end of his performance, Underwood was in tears. “I need a sec,” the 'American Idol' judge said, reaching for tissues, adding, “Thank you for bringing that and sharing your heart.” 

“It's so brave of you to decide that you want to choose the narrative. You want to remember not what happened, but him,” she said, holding back tears. The ‘Before He Cheats’ hitmaker also praised the contestant's “super cool” voice and pointed out that it had a “throwback” vibe. Judge Luke Bryan called the teen a modern-day Paul Simon, and Lionel Richie praised his ability to move people with his voice. “You were able to translate that emotion, that feeling to the point where you move people and that’s what you are in this business to do,” he added. In the end, Freddie walked away with a golden ticket to Hollywood.