BATON ROUGE – The first round of virtual American Idol auditions took place this week in the capital region.
Addis native Dylan Reaux has a dream as big as the Mississippi: to be a contestant on American Idol, which is why he took part in the first round of virtual auditions on Monday for the fifth time. But he says this is his year.
“I practiced a lot. I think it was confidence and vocal strength. You work on it every day and get better. If that happens to me, I know it will be an incredible experience and I will meet even more incredible people. Just being on the show would be incredible,” Reaux said.
He loves his home state of Louisiana, which is why he wrote a song called “Louisiana Soul” and hopes to sing it in front of the judges soon.
“I wrote this song in my bedroom three years ago because I wanted people who aren’t from here to know what it’s like to live here,” Reaux said.
The show also welcomes a new judge. Previous winner Carrie Underwood will replace Katy Perry.
According to Adam Davis, producer of American Idol, the candidates are selected not only based on talent, but also on the person’s personality and story.
“You know what I love about meeting people from Louisiana, no matter what part of the state, is that no matter what, there’s always a smile, a laugh and kindness, and the kindness that people from Louisiana bring to the audition is so refreshing,” Davis said.
Another Idol hopeful, Tori Bendily, has both a beautiful voice and a touching story.
“I grew up with music. My family is a huge music-loving family. I’ve been a recovering addict for almost three years and music is really the only thing that saved me. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to be on American Idol for as long as I can remember,” Bendily said.
Louisiana is not new to Idol mania. Livingston’s Laine Hardy won the title in 2019. Both Bendily and Reaux hope to become the next Louisiana Idol. Now it’s up to the judges to see if they make it to the next round.
The start of the season is planned for spring 2025.
