The judges of American Idol were caught aback when a great singer joined his daughter to her audition.
On Sunday’s program, Katy Perry, whose mouth fell, and Lionel Richie both spotted the 1980s star when he sauntered in with a guitar.
‘Oh wait, what? You say the backup musician is who?’ the Hello singer, 73, exclaimed while the Fireworks hitmaker, 38, remarked: ‘Oh my god, blast from the past.’
Kaya charmingly presented the panel to her adoring father before explaining that music “had been a part of my life since before I was even born.”
‘There was never a question about what I was going to do with my life,’ she said about music. ‘That was always what I was going to do.’
Kaya revealed that she was lured to American Idol because candidates could exhibit their own unique compositions as they sang This Tattoo, an original music they both wrote together.
Do you know who the musician is?
Dave Stewart co-founded Eurythmics with Annie Lennox in the 1980s, creating popular songs such as Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and Love Is a Stranger.
During the audition, Lionel even disclosed that he and the synth-pop artist had recently been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame together in 2022.
Lionel told him: ‘Just to have you with your daughter is so cool.’
After the performance, Dave joked: ‘This is much more difficult than getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.’
Despite their nerves, Lionel, Katy, and Luke Bryan all rose up for a standing ovation, and the song was a huge hit.
‘I’m going to tell you the truth because the truth is what we’re about,’ the Dancing on the Ceiling star added as he delivered his judgement.
‘So, first of all, from the songwriting part of it and the pressure of being here, I give you so much props. And the fact that your dad showed up, I give him props. I mean, there’s a whole lot of props here.’
‘In the midst of all of this, you slayed it. I love the tone of your voice and you’re an artist; you’re really an artist.’
Meanwhile, Scott claimed Kaya was ‘deserving’ of a position on American Idol and praised her stage presence.
Roar singer Katy lauded Kaya’s vocals but warned her that as the competition progressed, they would get more ‘picky’ with her over ‘technical issues.’
Kaya received unanimous approval from all three judges, advancing her to the American Idol Hollywood stage.
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.
