Lionel Richie couldn't stop grooving after an ‘American Idol’ singer took on a classic the right way
'American Idol' Season 23 is in full swing, with Hollywood Week finally upon us. The Season 23 auditions were brutal, with many contestants not being able to make it to the next round. But MKY, a 25-year-old with deep Mexican roots, was not one of them, as he stunned the judges with his rendition of 'Ooo Baby Baby' by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The performance was so good fact, that midway through the performance, Lionel Richie got up from his seat and started dancing to MKY's beautiful voice. As the L.A. native ended his performance, ending it on a beautiful guitar note, the judges were visibly impressed by him.
Richie, still on his feet, looked around the room in sheer admiration and awe. Luke Bryan then continued to applaud as he said, "That put me in, like, a crystal ball," to which Richie, still in awe, replied, "You know where that put me? In high school." Bryan then asked the young contestant, "Where did you get Smokey?" Richie, hilariously enough, still on his feet, reiterated, "Where did you get Smokey, man?" MKY replied, "I grew up on it. That's a classic for me and my family."
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Richie then asked MKY to call his parents as he welcomed the couple and embraced them. He then asked the parents to join his son as he went back to the judges' table and continued to speak, "Now, this is serious business. You do know that from this point on, he not only belongs to you, he belongs to the world." Richie followed up the powerful statement with the votes, and needless to say, all the judges gave a yes. MKY progressed to the next round as he made his way to the first round of Hollywood Week.
After MKY's performance in the next round, 'American Idol' rolled out a segment where they showed the singer driving around LA, spending time with his family, and speaking about how much his family means to him. The clip then cut to MKY backstage as he opened up about the song he's going to perform, "I'm singing in full Spanish, and Sabor a Mí is such a huge staple song of the culture and it means a lot to me to be able to sing in Spanish on 'American Idol.' I've waited my whole life for this opportunity. I'm hoping that I can pull it off and maybe just show a different side of me."
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As MKY started singing in his raspy yet soulful voice, he struck a chord with the audience and the crowd erupted into a wild cheer. MKY sang the entirety of the song, all the while playing the guitar, which is extremely hard to do even for seasoned musicians. As his vocals climbed to a captivating crescendo, still holding the high note, the video transitioned to the audience as the crowd went nuts. One particularly wholesome moment showed MKY's father standing, beaming with pride and shouting, "Yeah, get that." MKY finally brought his performance to a close with a flawless guitar solo as he seamlessly blended it with his stirring vocals.
