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'American Idol' Season 22 fans slam Hailey Mia's 'upbeat song' pick for her performance at Disney Hawaii Resort

'American Idol' Season 22 fans worry 'weird song' pick makes Hailey Mia 'sounds young in a bad way' in Hawaii Round

HONOLULU, HAWAII: Hailey Mia kicked off the Hawaii Round of 'American Idol' Season 22 with Tate McRae's song 'She's All I Wanna Be'. Even though the 16-year-old received accolades from the judges, people thought it was unwise for her to choose a Tate song at her age.

Tori Kelly, Hailey's guest mentor for the week, advised that she work on her stage presence. Tori remembered how she struggled with stage presence when competing on Idol herself.

Hailey was shown dancing and singing a Tori song while riding a hoverboard. Tori advised tapping into her young self.

Hailey was wonderful when she performed ballads, especially when she was solo with an acoustic guitar. However, social media users stated she was overwhelmed by the band.

On the other hand, fans of 'American Idol' believe Hailey chose the wrong song by picking a Tate cover. On X fans wrote, "I would have picked a different song for Hailey to sing to be honest. Also, the band is so loud! Can barely hear her!" Another person chimed in, "Love Hailey but I feel like this song does nothing for her. Plus the band is a bit loud."

One fan also tweeted, "Hailey was pretty flat meh. The band was too loud also." A fourth person also added, "I would’ve chosen a different song."

On Reddit, fans argued, "song choice gets people eliminated more often than their voice does." Another fan added, "hailey sounds young in a bad way." 

One user further commented, "I love she's all i wanna be, but choosing it (or any Tate McRae song) is a weird choice. It's hardly a singing song, and Tate kind of does that talky-singy vibe all the time. Hailey's performance was okay with the song she chose, but it kind of felt all over the place and slightly pitchy unfortunately. We'll see how it stacks up throughout the night, but I worry she'll be forgotten and that didn't do enough to get her through." 

One Redditor wrote, "hailey is so talented but i feel like these upbeat songs always swallow people up especially in the Hawaii round?"  

Luke Bryan claim 'American Idol' platform made 16-year-old Hailey Mia 'hold back'

Tori stated that she feels like she's "watching herself in a lot of ways" because she was 16 when she appeared on the show. "You leveled up! "You killed it," she stated.

Lionel Richie wanted more attitude. Katy Perry enjoyed the intimate moments during the performance. She felt the performance "needed more sauce." Luke Bryan believed the severity of the situation caused her to hold back.

Who is Hailey Mia on 'American Idol' Season 22?

Hailey grew up with a passion for music and has been singing since she could talk. At the age of eight, she needed surgery to rectify declining eyesight in her right eye, but she credits music for getting her through it all.

Following a successful operation, she regained more than 30% of her vision and taught herself to read music and play the piano. She participates in choirs and talent shows and is preparing to attend a technical high school where she will be able to study vocal performance.

What happened to Hailey Mia on 'The Voice'?

Hailey, who was just 14 when she auditioned for NBC's 'The Voice' Season 21, came fourth in the two-part finale. The competition was won by the sibling trio "A Girl Named Tom."

Mia, the season's youngest participant, was coached by former 'American Idol' champion Kelly Clarkson.

'American Idol' Season 22 airs on Sundays at 8 pm ET on ABC