Long Island-native Christian Guardino struck a major chord with the judges on ABC’s “American Idol,” earning him a spot among the show’s top 24 contestants — and a trip to Hawaii to compete at Disney’s Aulani resort. Guardino, 22, was born with a rare condition that causes blindness, but he beat the odds and is now on the road making a name for himself on one of the industry’s biggest stages — which he told The Post’s Angela Barbuti is “so exciting — but it’s craziness.” Can you explain the condition you had as a kid? I was born with a rare disorder called Leber congenital amaurosis, but we call it LCA. It’s a disorder that causes a gene that’s missing in your eye, because if the gene isn’t there, it’s not producing proteins that your cells need to live, so they all start to die off and then it causes inevitable blindness.
Luke Bryan Calls Virginia Football Player Dan Marshall ‘One Of The Best Sounding Country Artists’ On ‘Idol’ After Garth Brooks Cover
21.03.2022 - 16:13 / etcanada.com
Country crooner Dan Marshall was among those wowing the “American Idol” judges during Sunday’s episode.
Marshall, 24, belted out Garth Brooks’ “The Dance”, and his rendition of the track impressed fellow country singer Luke Bryan, who called him “one of the best sounding country artists that have been through” on the show.
Lionel Richie said of the Virginia Tech student and former college footballer, “Dan Marshall, you have that storytelling thing, man.
“There’s something you can’t teach and that’s called natural talent and your craft of who you are. I like what I just heard.”
READ MORE: Pregnant Haley Slaton Wows With Adele Cover After Failing To Impress ‘American Idol’ Judges With Miley Cyrus Track
Perry said, commenting on Marshall’s admission that he’d only played a handful of gigs: “Sorry, I’m already thinking about marketing you. You know, I was really nervous when you said you’ve only been doing this for five or six months.
“I do think you have some natural-born talent. I think you’ve had your family members say, ‘Oh, go do it,’ but to come here to see if the world likes it, that’s a huge risk. All you need is support and a little guidance. It’s not there but the foundation is secure.”
Bryan then said: “First and foremost, playing the guitar may be taking your focus away from singing.
“If you make it to the next round, let the big time pros play the instruments. Man, you’re one of the best sounding country artists that have been through, but you’re not doing all of the emotion properly.
“If I had 20 minutes out there to coach you, I could really show you some tricks, you’ll just have to focus on toeing the line the whole way if we’re talking in football and country music terms.”
READ MORE: Douglas Mills
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Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Former 'American Idol' Finalist Nadia Turner Surprised With Daughter's Audition 17 Years Later
contestants are keeping it in the family! Former top eight finalist Nadia Turner got the surprise of a lifetime during season 20’s fourth auditions episode on Sunday, after getting tricked into attending her daughter, Zaréh’s audition, on the guise that they were headed out to enjoy a mother-daughter spa day.Zaréh, not only competed on the show 17 years after her mother but wore the same gold halter top for her audition that Nadia wore to her audition for the show's fourth season in 2005. Season 4 is the season Carrie Underwood famously won, after going head-to-head with Bo Bice.With the help of Ryan Seacrest and the American Idol crew, Zaréh was able to fool her mom, blindfolding her and bringing her to the show's set for the big reveal.Ryan was there to meet Nadia and once he took her hands and said his signature, «This… is ,» the jig was up.
'American Idol' Contestant Haley Slayton Auditions While 5 Months Pregnant, Meets Future Husband on Show
. The 23-year-old musician auditioned during Sunday's episode while five and a half months pregnant with a baby boy.«Being on the show pregnant is actually not going to be an obstacle for me,» Haley assured viewers on Sunday, telling host Ryan Seacrest that she'd already named her little guy, Jaelyn. She performed Miley Cyrus' «The Climb» for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, who all seemed to be on the fence after the performance. Luke called the audition «not perfect,» saying, «There were some amateur moments, but then there were some real moments.
Luke Bryan celebrates lookalike son Bo's birthday with rare picture
Luke Bryan had fans quite surprised with his latest social media post featuring a heartfelt tribute to a family member very close to his heart.MORE: Luke Bryan performs new heartfelt song during ACM Awards - fans reactThe country star and American Idol judge took to Instagram to share a snapshot of himself with his older son Thomas "Bo" Bryan to celebrate his birthday.WATCH: Luke Bryan calls on fans to help him after ‘losing money’ in Las VegasThe two looked quite similar sitting in Luke's dressing room with him, with both also wearing baseball caps, and he wrote: "Happy birthday Bo Bryan. 14 already.
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as contestant Sam Finelli faced his fears and auditioned for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. The 28-year-old bakery assistant opened up about his struggles with autism, expressing how music helped him get through a difficult childhood.«I don't connect with people very well. It's just a small part of who I am,» Sam explained.
'American Idol': Autistic Contestant Sam Finelli Wows Judges With Kacey Musgraves' Performance
as contestant Sam Finelli faced his fears to audition for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. The 28-year-old bakery assistant opened up about his struggles with autism, expressing how music helped him get through a difficult childhood.«I don't connect with people very well. It's just a small part of who I am,» Sam explained.
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'American Idol' Contestant Kelsie Dolin Brings Lionel Richie to Tears in Her First Performance
audition, she had also never performed before she stepped on the stage in front of judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. The 18-year-old native of Boone County, West Virginia, shared the story of her difficult childhood, and being raised by her grandparents. Kelsie noted that her grandmother sadly died in 2021 after suffering complications from COVID-19. Noting that her grandmother «pushed her» to try things, Kelsie decided to «step outside» of her comfort zone in her honor.
Luke Bryan performs new heartfelt song during ACM Awards - fans react
Luke Bryan has driven fans wild as he finally performed his new song, Up, during Monday's 57th Academy of Country Music Awards.MORE: Exclusive: ACM Awards nominee Carly Pearce pays heartfelt tribute to 'inspirational' Dolly PartonLuke teased he would be performing new music for his fans ahead of the awards. He shared a video on his Instagram stories straight from his Las Vegas dressing room, at the city's Allegiant Stadium.