Julián Kalel returns to American Idol after leaving last season to focus on his mental health (Photo Credit: American Idol / YouTube)
Julián Kalel Auditioned For Season 23 Of American Idol
Season 23 of American Idol premiered on March 2, 2025, and featured some of the most talented people we’ve seen on the show yet. Jamal Roberts was named the winner, with runner-up John Foster and third-place finisher Breanna Nix giving him a run for his money.
Other fan-favorite singers included Thunderstorm Artis, Slater Nalley, Maddie Pruitt, and Gabby Samone. Had he not left the competition, we also might have had another name in the Top 10, Julián Kalel.
He auditioned for the show when he was 18 years old with an original song titled “Surrender,” a song he wrote about his struggles with anxiety and depression. His audition was never aired, and although he made it through to Hollywood Week with rave reviews and three yeses from the judges, he dropped out of the competition to focus on his mental health.
Julián Kalel auditions for American Idol in 2025 (Photo Credit: American Idol / YouTube)
Now 19, Kalel returned to American Idol for Season 24 to give his dream another try.
Julián Kalel Returned To American Idol With A Powerful Audition
As Kalel walked into the audition room, Carrie Underwood asked her fellow judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, “Do you remember this kid?”
“Yes. I think about him a lot,” Bryan replied.
His package reveals that he was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when he was just a freshman in high school. Kalel clearly struggled so much in his youth, and with a diagnosis, finally had answers as to why he was so sad all the time, despite finding success in so many different activities, such as sports and music.
“Music is my lifeline. It’s what keeps me grounded. I had so much to smile about with my audition, and I knew I’d really regret it if I didn’t give this another shot,” Julián said in his package. “I just hope that whatever I’m doing reflects the message of just not giving up and most importantly, to not be defined by your struggles, but by your strengths.”
He returned with his sister on violin once again to perform a new original song called “Lone Guitar,” a song he wrote when he was in a dark place.
“I was at a crossroads of deciding whether or not to give up or keep going,” he told the judges about the song. “[I] found that it’s as simple as ‘Stay one more day.'”
Julián’s mom, who was standing outside the audition room with her husband, said that the song is about suicide prevention. He began singing, and emotion just began filling the room. As he sang some of the emotional lyrics, you could tell it hit the judges, especially Carrie, hard.
See some of his heart-tugging lyrics below.
“I should stay, I should stay…I’ll stitch my wounds and learn to love these marks along the way. Oh, I should stay, Lord, let me stay. I got too much to give, got I love yous to say. Don’t want to make my old man cry, don’t want my mama screaming, ‘Why’…”
Julián Kalele auditions for Season 24 of American Idol (Photo Credit: American Idol / YouTube)
When he finished, he received a round of applause from the judges.
Lionel told him, “You were born enough.”
“Everything about you is just honest,” Carrie added. “You recognize your thoughts and feelings into song in a way that comes across so real. That is something that is needed very much.”
Luke told him he has the magic, and he is incredible. They all voted him through to the next round.
After the audition, Julián said, “I felt understood, I felt seen for the artist that I try to be. I want to spread my message: you are loved, and everyone is born enough. Everyone is, in fact, born enough.”
His audition ended with ABC letting people know when they can get help if they are struggling with their mental health. See the message below.
ABC and Disney provide support for those in crisis following Julián’s emotional audition (Photo Credit: American Idol / YouTube)
