‘American Idol’ contestant gets emotional after reuniting with Hawaiian family for the first time
An 'American Idol' contestant, Kyana Fanene, reconnected with her family on the singing reality show. During an episode of 'American Idol' Season 23, which was released on April 14, Fanene got pretty emotional when she got the chance to meet her family members for the first time while the filming of the ABC singing competition. As per Mass Live, Fanene shed light on her Polynesian heritage and went on to say, “My father, who is Polynesian, kind of walked out of my life, and the hurt from that made me drift away from my Polynesian side. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I started to connect with my Polynesian side again.”
In the episode, Fanene, who is of Polynesian descent, embraced her Hawaiian family members by singing a Māori version of the Stan Walker song “I AM.” Following her performance, Fanene stated that “being able to come back to the motherland and merge all parts of me is pretty insane. Reconnecting with my roots and then being on this island, I realized I was missing a whole part of me that I didn’t understand."
At the end of her performance, Fanene received a standing ovation from the esteemed judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. Soon after, the ABC show's host, Ryan Seacrest, told Fanene, "Kyana, come over here. You did it. You used your power. You got all three judges up at the exact same time, on their feet. Lionel, you start us off with the comments." Then, Richie quipped, "Well, first of all, I want to say, congratulations because she met the other half of her family. What was that? Yesterday?" to which Fanene replied, "Today."
Speaking of Fanene's roots, Richie further added, "She discovered the Polynesian side that she did not know. So I'm so happy because that song was actually part of the culture of what she was trying to demonstrate, and by the way, you did a great, great job. I just loved what you did." Shortly afterward, Bryan chimed in, "The best thing about you is you have like this total vibe going on. I mean, that was a song that I have never heard, but I was in the vibe, and that's what you have the power to do, and just make sure you capitalize on the way you could set the tone with your amazing voice and the vibe that you have."
Underwood also raved over Fanene's vocals by saying, "I had chills; it was like a shift in the air, and there was this moment when, like, the music started picking up and the lights started going, and I could see those waves, like, crashing behind you. Like, there was just something really special and amazing just about that moment. It all worked together beautifully." Then Seacrest told Fanene, "It's been an emotional day for you." In her response, Fanene quipped, "Extremely emotional." Seacrest asked Fanene, "And of the family you met today, who's your favorite?" Obviously, Fanene didn't answer that question and laughed it off.