American Idol Season 24 Recap: Episode 1 Auditions

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

Opening with a moving shot across Belmont’s main lawn, a new season of “American Idol” officially began as the judges welcomed a fresh class to “Idol University.”

The Season 24 intro featured Belmont’s band, orchestra and students cheering as the judges walked down Freedom Plaza, with much of the season filmed on campus and the lobby of the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts serving as the backdrop for this season’s auditions.

The episode’s auditions brought in a wave of new faces, with 13 contestants walking away with a ticket to Hollywood Week:

• Lucas Leon, 17

• Keyla Richardson, 29

• Jayson Arendt, 24

• Daniel Stallworth, 27

• Jesse Findling, 19

• Ricky Boyce, 29

• Brianna Yancey, 18

• Jacquie Lee, 28

• Genevieve Heyward, 26

• Brooks Rosser, 22

• Kyndal Inskeep, 29

• Bryant Thomas, 26

• Khloe Grace,15

One of the clearest challenges for contestants who did not advance was vocal maturity.

Despite being the youngest contestant of the episode to move forward, Grace was praised by the judges for her unexpected emotional depth after performing an original song about a young girl who died by suicide following cyberbullying, a performance that brought Carrie Underwood to tears. 

Most contestants under 18 were turned away after judges said “it’s not the right time” for them and warned that “bigger voices” would drown them out in the competition.

Among the night’s standout moments was Jesse Findling, a young singer whose stutter completely fades when he performs. 

He dedicated his soulful rendition of “In the Stars” to his brother, who also stutters, using the performance to show he does not have to be afraid of using his voice. 

Another standout was Kyndal Inskeep, a Nashville singer-songwriter who overheard her song being sung by 16-year-old Lainey Grace auditioning ahead of her.

The judges called Inskeep in to sing with Grace, saying they wanted to hear more from the teenager without her being overly focused on the piano. 

Despite Inskeep praising Grace’s performance, the judges ultimately told Grace to return at a later time, while Inskeep continued her audition and earned her ticket to Hollywood Week.

No Belmont auditioners have appeared on screen yet, though the show typically airs five to six episodes of auditions before transitioning to Hollywood Week, leaving plenty of opportunities still ahead.

Tune into “American Idol” Mondays at 7 p.m. CT.

This article was written by Zach Watkins