‘American Idol 22’ preview: 15-year-old Triston Harper hopes to make Alabama and Chocktaw Nation proud [WATCH]

“American Idol” returns to ABC on Sunday, February 18, but they’ve already released the audition of McIntosh, Alabama native Triston Harper. The 15-year-old country singer auditioned for judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie in Lionel’s hometown of Tuskegee. Check out his full audition below.

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The teenager says he’s been through a lot in life, and his intro package describes his proud heritage as a Choctaw Indian. Things haven’t been easy for the youngster, and at one point he and his mother were homeless after escaping the control of his abusive stepfather. Triston is sings “Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell. His low, husky voice has a surprising range and the judges look impressed. Lionel exclaims, “You got it!” and his purity is “killer.” Katy says he is “so authentic and so connected.” Luke would love an afternoon to coach Triston on a few hiccups, but sees a ton of potential. That said, Triston gets a “yes” from all three judges, and receives his golden ticket to Hollywood!

“American Idol” ranked as the No. 1 program in the Sunday 8-10 p.m. time slot last season among Adults 18-49 and its time period for the fourth straight year in the demo. In addition, “American Idol” was ABC’s No. 1 program last season in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 and was the No. 1 most social reality series across all of television, with nearly 1 billion social video views. The 22nd season of “American Idol,” lucky number seven on ABC, is set to return on February 18 (8/7c).

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