Luke Bryan doubted him during auditions — but this ‘American Idol’ hopeful just made the Top 7
It's quite rare for a veteran judge of a show to admit their mistake. Luke Bryan has been a part of the judges' panel of 'American Idol' ever since season 16, which premiered in 2018. The country artist has been part of the show for eight seasons, and needless to say, he does understand 'Idol' material when he sees it. Bryan is considered to be one of the most critical judges of the American singing show, with the judge even being trolled for expressing odd facial expressions as singers performed.
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However, something rare and unexpected happened as Bryan admitted to being wrong over his judgment of a singer. John Foster is an 18-year-old country singer who went full country mode with his performance during the 'Idol' auditions. While the judges did love his performance, Foster was asked to sing another song, which led to a very hesitant yes by Luke Bryan, who still wasn't sure if the 18-year-old was ready for the grand show. Fast forward to the top 10, with Foster proving time and time again that he deserves a place on 'American Idol.'
Foster performed his soulful rendition of 'Something To Talk About' by Bonnie Raitt, as reported by Fandom, as he was part of the top 10. The song was beautifully performed and beloved by the judges and the audience. In the end, Foster received enough votes to reach the top 8. The fanfare for the young country singer always donning a cowboy hat has been immense, which had fans believe that Foster would definitely make his way to the top 7. However, something unexpected happened before this.
On the top 7 episode, which was also a Judges’ Song Contest, a round where each judge picks one song for the contestant to pick from without the contestant knowing who has given it. Foster performed 'I Cross My Heart' by George Strait, which was suggested by Carrie Underwood. The young 'Idol' aspirant's performance was so good that Bryan admitted to his audition blunder, stating, “I was doing my TikTok scroll daily, and I saw a clip of me saying I didn’t know if you could sing well enough back in your audition, and man, no one has ever proved me more wrong than you.”
This is not the first time Bryan has vouched for Foster. As reported by MassLive, when Foster was competing for his spot in the Top 14, Bryan yet again stated, "You’ve kind of been a wildcard for me the whole time, but what you just did there removed all doubts in my mind that you deserve to be here.”