‘American Idol’ preview: Olivia Soli proves flattery gets you everywhere by singing Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ [WATCH]

Denton Davidson
·2 min read
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It’s always a risk to sing one of the judge’s own hits for your “American Idol” audition, but Olivia Soli proves flattery gets you everywhere if you have the chops. Below, watch the aspiring pop star sing “Hello” by Lionel Richie in a preview of tonight’s episode.

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“Big shoes, Olivia,” warned Katy Perry before the contestant sat down at the piano to audition. Despite being nervous, Olivia floored the judges with her original take on Lionel’s classic.

SEE Everything to know about ‘American Idol’ Season 21: Premiere date, judges and host

Following the performance, Lionel approached Olivia saying, “I want to be the first in your long career to rush the artist.” He  continued, “When people say ‘I’m gonna sing your song,’ Katy’s song or Luke [Bryan]’s song, please don’t sing it like us. Own it. Take it and turn it into your song. You did it to perfection! I know who you are now as an artist. Yes, it’s my song. Yes, I wrote it. Yes, I sang it, but it’s your song. Best so far in this audition. I’m so happy!”

Luke followed up, “I thought it was tremendous. It was a really strong audition.” Next, Katy joked “You put Lionel Richie out of a job! You have a tremendous voice. So many incredible runs, so much soul. You seem like you’re ready. You’re worth a shot. We’re probably gonna push you harder than others because we know that there’s a diamond in there.”

With that, the judges screamed in unison, “You’re going to Hollywood!” Watch this audition and many more on Season 21 Episode 3, airing tonight, Sunday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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