Watch Muscle Shoals singer Cadence Baker thrill ‘American Idol’ judges with ‘amazing’ audition
We don’t have to wait until Sunday to see how Alabama singer Cadence Baker fares during her Season 20 audition on “American Idol.”
The ABC reality series has released an early video of Baker, who’s from Florence, performing for judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. The 5:42 clip, posted Saturday on the “Idol” YouTube channel and other social media, includes Baker’s backstory, her performance, the judges’ comments and the results of her audition.
Baker, 19, is music royalty in the Shoals, as the granddaughter of songwriter Gary Baker – a Grammy winner for “I Swear” and a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame – and the daughter of Shane Baker, former lead singer for the Christian rock band Cadence.
The teen’s jazzy cover of a Whitney Houston hit, “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” thrilled the “Idol” judges, who responded with raptures and kudos.
“A lot of people come in and they go, ‘Well, I’m going to sing “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston, and in my head I’m saying, ‘All right, well, see yourself to the door,’” Perry said. “That was amazing. It was really good … I think you got so much gas in that tank. I think you’ve got a lot of stuff.”
“I think it’s one of the best auditions I’ve seen,” Bryan chimed in. “I wrote, ‘potentially top 10′ down. Write this date down, because it’s a dadgum special one for me. That was awesome, awesome, awesome.”
Baker’s dad accompanied her on guitar for the audition, prompting extra praise from Richie.
“You came in with a professional guitar player that happens to be your dad, and he had such a pocket,” Richie said. “That pocket was so tight, and then your daughter just stepped right in the pocket. I loved it.”
“That means the world to me, right there,” Shane Baker said, smiling. “I just won ‘American Idol.’”
He was joking, of course, but Cadence joins two other singers from Alabama – Kezia “Lady K” Istonia of Montgomery and Tyler N. Allen of Mobile – who’ve received golden tickets to Hollywood this season. One more hopeful from the state, Tristen Gressett of Pell City, will be featured on Sunday’s episode.
By releasing Baker’s full audition, the reality series is essentially being its own spoiler, but that’s a good sign for the teen’s prospects on the show. “Idol” producers are highlighting Baker’s talent, building her buzz and allowing fans of the reality series to get to know her, early in the competition.
Early episodes of “American Idol” are filmed in advance. Sunday’s two-hour program, which airs at 7 p.m. CT, is the third of five audition episodes scheduled this season.
Singers who receive golden tickets move on to the Hollywood Round, a fast-moving phase of the competition that tests their mettle and significantly trims the number of hopefuls.
