'American Idol' Season 18 Episode 5: Meet Demi Rae who blew the roof off by grooving Noah Cyrus' 'Mad at You'

Performing her rendition of Noah Cyrus' 'Mad About You', Demi blew the roof off leaving the judges stunned with her voice
Demi Rae (ABC/Scott Patrick Green)
Demi Rae (ABC/Scott Patrick Green)

Demi Rae Moreno just made her younger self very proud!

Season 18 of 'American Idol' returned for its final round of auditions on Sunday night, and we witnessed a slew of contestants line up hoping to get a golden ticket to Hollywood. While there were a number of contestants who received a golden ticket advancing to the next round, only a few stood out beside them all. One amongst those few contestants was Demi Rae Moreno, who might've been the best audition of the night.

Hailing from San Jose, California, the 26-year-old shared a book with the judges that she wrote when she was just nine-years-old, wishing to hopefully one day appear in 'American Idol'. She shared how her father was in and out of jail but turned a new leaf when she turned 15. 

Performing her rendition of Noah Cyrus' 'Mad About You', Demi blew the roof off leaving the judges stunned with her voice. Her performance was confident and impeccable with an amazing range. 



 

After her performance, Katy asked Demi if she has ever performed professionally, to which she replied 'no', because she is really insecure that she doesn't look like the other girls. 

The judges were shocked by her answer. Lionel shared, "If this is how you sing scared to death and with no confidence, I can’t imagine what you’ll be when you realize, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got this. Because that’s what you’re going to need from this point.”

Without a doubt, Demi received three yeses from the judges and advanced to the next round in Hollywood. In 2008, Demi also won the San Jose Idol competition where she received vocal lessons and a cash prize. Demi is currently a teacher at the Kiddie Academy of Morgan Hill. 

Taking to Twitter after her performance, fans affirm that she was the best contestant of the night to audition. "Demi Rae Moreno is absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!! I’m OVERCOME with Joy that she has made it to Hollywood! What a GORGEOUS voice she has!" a fan wrote. 

"Wow! The best performance tonight! Best of luck to you, Demi Rae," a fan shared, While another said, "DEMI RAE, FINALLY a good singer and NOT a sob story! Girl has pipes, and my vote #AmericanIdol."

'American Idol' Season 18 airs every Monday and Tuesday night on ABC. Check your local listings for more information.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Emaline West is a new character who does not appear in the original Stephen King novel
2026-11-02T11:58:15.000Z
Dave Bautista, who looks unrecognizable, began weight training in September after being cast as the Norse god, following Ryan Hurst’s exit from the series
2026-11-02T09:31:15.000Z
Tovah Feldshuh addresses reports of tension on the set of ‘Nobody Wants This’ after Adam Brody’s comments on the Israel-Gaza conflict
2026-11-02T09:21:34.000Z
The HBO period drama brings two unexpected faces to its carefully recreated 1880s New York setting
2026-11-02T07:37:24.000Z
Russell, played by Jensen Ackles, left at the end of Season 3 for an undisclosed assignment
2026-11-02T06:27:59.000Z
Here's everything we know about the Christmas-meets-murder-mystery TV series
2026-11-02T06:21:38.000Z
Gladys welcomes a son in the Season 4 premiere, but a postpartum hemorrhage leads to an emergency hysterectomy that changes her future
2026-11-02T06:06:43.000Z
'Marshals' Season 2 Episode 5 is out now and it finally reveals whether Kayce survived the bomb blast after the previous cliffhanger ending
2026-11-02T04:52:10.000Z
The Apple TV drama returns after a record-breaking first season that earned six Primetime Emmy Awards
2026-11-02T04:14:27.000Z
One of the new characters joining Season 2 may be connected to Andrea's arc
2026-11-02T03:14:22.000Z