HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Who is Nia Renee? Meet 'American Idol' contestant, 17, whom Katy Perry called 'queen of soul'

High schooler Nia Renee from Little Rock, Arkansas, managed to floor the judges with her voice and walked away with the golden ticket

Nia Renee, 17, could never have expected to see what she did when she walked into the audition room. Katy Perry was in her feels with her cow-print outfit and hat and decided to plop herself on the ground on all fours and the next thing she said was a low "mooooooo". "What are you guys doing later tonight for fun?" she said after which Luke Bryan got up from his seat walked towards her in a half-squat position. He gave an impression that he too would mirror Perry's action but instead pushed her to the ground and she rolled to her side laughing. Watching all of this unfold was 17-year-old Nia and the camera caught her mouthing the words, "Oh my God!".

Nia snapped out of what had just happened and got into audition mode. She sang 'Chain of Fools' by Aretha Franklin and the judges could've never expected that mature of a voice coming from a high-school kid. Nia didn't try to replicate what Aretha had done with the song but instead made it her own and that was one of the reasons why the impact was much larger. She showed the judges that she had it in her to take a hit classic, put her own spin on it while exhibiting her power and control on her vocals. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Who is Grace Kinstler? Meet 'American Idol' contestant who reminded judges of Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson

Who is Anilee List? Meet 'American Idol' golden ticket winner who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at 10

Bryan said she was "born to do this" after her performance also adding that Renee might be the show's "best soul singer ever". To receive a comment that big is quite something at 17, and Renee was taking it all in, basking in the glory of her talent being praised. Perry went one more step ahead and called her the "queen of soul" after Renee had finished her performance. 

Audiences watching from home were as blown away with Renee as the judges. "Nia Renée... I am SPEECHLESS ... I’m a decade older than her and her talent ... I’m BLOWN away #americanidol" read a tweet. "So excited to see #LittleRock represented! Nia was fabulous and deserved that gold ticket!! #americanidol #teamnia" wrote another fan. "Nia Renee I bow to your greatness. That is how you make the queen of soul Aretha Franklin proud. Early favorite for me" read another tweet. "Nia Renée opened her mouth and I snapped. Strong vocal with soulful undertones. Aretha would be proud. Sang, Chile. Everybody sing along. #AmericanIdol" another fan tweeted. 

Catch new episodes of 'American Idol' every Sunday at 8 pm ET on ABC.