'American Idol' judges were stunned when a contestant brought along her famous family as a surprise
On March 23, Lola Bonfiglio's appearance on 'American Idol' was full of surprises. The first surprise was when she came to the stage with her father holding the guitar. As they exchanged usual pleasantries, Carrie Underwood exclaimed, "Hi, Lola's dad, I like it." She continued. "So, I'm guessing you come from a musical family." Bonfiglio confirmed, "Yes." Then Carrie Underwood asked her, "What do you intend to perform for us?" "First, I've gotta get some family members," Bonfiglio teased. She returned to the stage with another surprise: her mom, Carnie Wilson, and her aunt, Wendy Wilson. All three Judges had a jaw-dropping moment, and Underwood, awestruck, goes, "Nahhh Ahhh... WENDY WILSON!" She continued, "I don't know how to proceed here." Lola Bonfiglio performed a rendition of Wilson Phillips's classic 1992 hit, "Hold On."
Underwood was lip-singing the song throughout the family's performance, and at the end of the performance, all the judges cheered and clapped for them. "That was so good," Richie said. Bonfiglio's mother beamed hearing Underwood's comments, "You can tell that is a thing with family; everybody is genetically designed to just sound good together." Backstage, Bonfiglio shared that "this audition is going to push me; it's out of my comfort zone as I'm always used to singing with my family." Bonfiglio then sang her solo song, which was Kacey Musgraves's 2019 hit 'Rainbow.'
After the performance, Richie was the first to give her some feedback, "When you sing the lead, hold the story out longer. It could have been the nerves, but you were getting to the end and just cutting it off." Bryan also noted, "The tone and pureness, and the quality of your voice, that's the perfect song for you. But this competition is going to require you to belt too, and let loose a little bit, filling up the room a little more... use it to your dynamics, because your voice is very beautiful." Underwood praised the budding singer: "You gave an honesty in your voice and your presence." She further added, "You have a lot to offer, and it makes me excited." "If I'm on this show, I'm going to push myself; that's why I want to be on American Idol. I want to grow," Bonfiglio said.
"When she was in the womb, I was playing Frank Sinatra with the little headphones, putting it up to my belly going, 'This kid going to be musical, whether she likes it or not." Bongfolio's mother joked in an interview, per Entertainment Weekly. Wilson also shared that Lola's idea to audition for Idol was "perfect" because the show "profiles a lot of different styles," and though "Lola is not this big Broadway-type singer, but she's got something so honest and pure and lovely," she added. As much as judges loved Bonfiglio's performance, fans did, too. One YouTube user commented, "A Beautiful voice that needs more time and seasoning. Mom and Aunty have never lost their sound- kudos to that." Another added, "Her presence is so sweet a pure. I felt a warmth like a big hug as soon as she walked into the room."
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However, not all fans were happy. One Instagram user wrote, "Don’t nepo babies already getting enough help? First Brian Litrell's kid, now this? No normal American kid stands a chance." While Wilson defended her daughter and said, "We’re human, and the Internet is so cruel," reported People. She also added, "Would you encourage a doctor’s son not to be a doctor?” she asked. “Lola wants to be a singer, and they say these terrible things. And she was so hurt.”