American Idol Attracts New And Exciting Talent During The Audition Round
American Idol is back! The fan favorite reality singing competition has returned for its 24th season. Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie sit at the judges’ table, calling on their decades of music industry experience to find the next rising star.
New this season, the infamous Hollywood Week has moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for a “music city takeover.” Additionally, fans can expect a real-time social media voting component to be unveiled once the competition moves into live shows. A full rundown of the season’s changes can be found here.
On Monday, February 2nd, the second episode of auditions found the judges in Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. The prestigious school is the alma mater of musicians Brad Paisley, Lee Ann Womack, Josh Turner, Trisha Yearwood, and more.
16-Year-Old Michael Garner Covers The Red Clay Strays
Country rock band The Red Clay Strays is quickly becoming one of the most buzzworthy bands in the genre. After building a dedicated fan base online over the last few years, they officially staked their claim in the genre when they took home the CMA Award for Vocal Group of the Year in November 2025.
Having a strong online presence has exposed the band to a youthful fan base. Michael Garner, a high school student from Forrest City, Arkansas, hoped to impress the judges with a rendition of “I’m Still Fine.”
The Red Clay Strays released “I’m Still Fine” on their 2024 album Made by These Moments. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 9 on the US Country chart and number 29 on the Billboard 200 cross-genre chart.
Armed with his acoustic guitar, Michael showed great vocal control as he made his way through the ballad. Watch his audition below!
Luke Brayn was an immediate fan of the young vocalist. While Carrie Underwood was wary of his age, they decided to give him a shot, and Michael Garner will be advancing to the next round of the competition! The teen posed with his Golden Ticket and expressed his gratitude after the successful audition. See his post below!
Watch American Idol on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC or stream the next day on Hulu.