American Idol has been auditioning singers all summer as part of their “Idols Across America” virtual auditions. But with Labor Day behind us, the open auditions are winding down. The show could schedule extra dates, but for now, there are only 4 more days on the schedule, including: South Open Call on Sept 7, East Open Call on Sept 9, West & Midwest Open Call on Sept. 12 and Nationwide Open Call on Sept 14.
American Idol Judges Round Auditions set for Las Vegas, New Orleans, Nashville
Next, come the Judges auditions. And according to @IdolSpoilers, judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest will travel to three cities. Reportedly, the show will audition singers in Las Vegas, Nevada, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Reportedly, American Idol will be in Las Vegas at some point between mid and late September, New Orleans between early to mid-October and Nashville between early and mid-November.
American Idol 20 Hollywood contestant Haley Miles returns to Judges Round
In the meantime, a few auditioners are popping up in the media, confirming the audition locations. For instance, remember Haley Myles? Her name was Haley Slaton when she auditioned. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa singer was 5 1/2 months pregnant when she performed for the judges. Haley made it through the first week of Hollywood last season, but the show cut her after the duet round.
Her story was wild. She met a fellow auditioner, Jordan Myles, during the judges round in Austin, Texas, and by the first of the year, they had married. Her new husband happily became step-dad to her new baby.
“We got married pretty quick,” Haley told the local Gazette. “We just knew. We started right off the bat talking to each other, and it ended up being an everyday thing. I was already pregnant, and he stepped up to be a father, and I couldn’t thank him enough for that. We’re very in love, we’re very happy that we met, and I feel like another reason why I was on the show was to meet him. That was a great experience — to meet someone that I finally could spend the rest of my life with.”
Jordan is schedule to audition in Las Vegas.
Teen hopefuls announce their judges round auditions, explain process
High school student Ellen Buzzard, from Centralia, Washington, announced during a local live performance that she would be auditioning in Las Vegas for the judges this fall as well.
She explained that she initially sent in her first audition tape at the end of June.
“A couple weeks later, I got a call back from them and I got to have a Zoom audition with a couple of the American Idol producers. So I did that and they told me they would let me know if I was selected. I kind of forgot about that and then two weeks later I got another call, and this was for a much bigger Zoom call,” Buzzard said. 500 other hopefuls were on the call, she said. Elle and nine others advanced to yet another Zoom call with the show’s executive producers.
“They just said, ‘The next time you audition will be in front of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan,’” Elle said.
Come back with more songs!
And Tabor Sullivan, a freshman at Oak Grove High School in Plaquemine, Louisiana. His mother, Shelli Sullivan, wrote on Facebook:
“During the audition, he was pushed through to the next round which was a Winner’s Circle round (we also didn’t know this would happen), this was another virtual audition in front of a set of producers,” the post read. “He was not told “yes” during that one but was also told he wasn’t being told “no” he was a “strong maybe” that they wanted three videos of him singing his heart out to be submitted. We cleared the room and my boy went to work alone. Just him and his guitar and his camera.” Tabor is schedule to audition in New Orleans or Las Vegas in September or October.
Will the Platinum Ticket return?
Last season, judges auditions took place in Los Angeles, Nashville and Austin. In each city, the judges chose a “Platinum Ticket” winner who got special perks in Hollywood. Whether the show brings that particular gimmick back remains to be seen. Idol presented it as a special “2oth anniversary” perk. HunterGirl, the Nashville Platinum Ticket finished in 2ne place, while the Los Angeles winner, Kenedi Anderson dropped out after the Top 24.
The Idol bus tour is a thing of the past
Remember when American Idol sent busses across America to audition hopefuls in person where they live? According to American Idol showrunner, Megan Michaels Wolflick, although virtual auditions were introduced as an alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve worked so well, Zoom auditions will be permanent going forward.
“I would never go back to doing only in-person auditions, because you can audition from anywhere, anytime,” Wolflick told E News. “I get a window into their life. It’s like doing a home story every time: I can see what’s in the room. I can meet their mom. I can meet their cat. And you really get an idea for people and everything about them.”
“Noah Thompson, who won our show last year, would have never come to an open call,” Wolflick explained. “It would have never happened. I literally meet people every day who say, ‘I would have never thought about auditioning except for on Zoom. I thought, ‘Why not give it a shot.'”
