15-Year-Old Contestant Advances With Powerful Performance Of Original Song, “Forever 13”
It wouldn’t be American Idol without some tearjerking performances … and Season 24 delivered with its premiere on Monday, Jan. 26.
Among those touching performances was that of Khloe Grace, a 15-year-old high school student from Jacksonville, Florida.
Khloe’s journey to Idol really began a couple years ago when she penned a song titled “Forever 13.”
Introduced to the Idol judges by a woman named Heather Wyatt, the significance of this song was soon revealed, and Khloe’s lyrics, as well as her performance, honored the song’s subject.
Watch Khloe Grace’s Performance Of “Forever 13” For The ‘Idol’ Judges
“I am here to introduce Khloe,” said Heather Wyatt as she stood before the judges of American Idol. “Khloe is a young girl who, about a year ago, wrote and performed a song in honor of my daughter, Aubreigh, who we lost to suicide in 2023.”
Hearing this, the Idol judges were saddened, with Lionel Richie expressing, “I am so sorry for your loss. That is just unimaginable.”
Recalling how she first became aware of Khloe, Heather said, “I first heard Khloe’s song about a year ago, and immediately cried. It was beautiful.”
Heather added, “It was what Aubreigh had gone through.”
She went on to share that her daughter committed suicide on Sept. 4, 2023, at the age of 13.
Speaking with Ryan Seacrest, Khloe noted, “I never met her … Something kept telling me to write that song, so I did.”
Now, at Khloe’s audition for Season 24 of Idol, Heather and Khloe would finally meet. As Khloe stepped into the audition room, she and Heather embraced, with Khloe telling her, “This means the world to me, you don’t even know.”
Turning to the judges, Khloe introduced herself, stating, “I went through some of the things Aubreigh went through, and it was really hard, so I was like, ‘If I can write something that could … help someone, that it’s totally worth me writing this song.”
Before Khloe began her audition, Idol judge Carrie Underwood said, “Music is very powerful and it can help let people know that they’re not alone.”
With a guitar in hand, she began singing:
“She was only 13, had some big dreams, and you took ’em all away. She had her whole life ahead of her, and you watched her drift away. You never thought that what you said could mess up someone else’s head, but maybe you think now that she’s gone…”
Later in the song, she sings, “Even though she is gone, her story will forever live on, and I’m gonna say her name, ’cause no one deserves that kind of pain. Forever 13, had some big dreams, and you took ’em all away.”
Evaluating her performance, Lionel said, “I’m just so moved.”
He then turned to Heather, and said, “Heather, that’s a gift right there. That’s God looking back at you.”
Holding back tears, Carrie then said, “I feel like the maturity you possess is quite incredible. The way you — the way you had your heart broken for someone you didn’t even know, you know, and take that and basically say that something positive is going to come out of it, and to potentially even think about all the people that hear that and see you and hear this story, maybe decide to change their mind about something — it’s pretty incredible.”
Idol judge Luke Bryan was the first to say “yes” to advancing Khloe to Hollywood Week, with the other judges quickly following in suit.
Watch Khloe Grace’s emotional American Idol audition (and see her original TikTok video of the song further below), here:
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Watch Khloe Grace’s viral TikTok video of her performance of “Forever 13,” posted online on Sept. 4, 2024, which was one year from the day Aubreigh died, here:
@khloegracemusic I wrote this song in Honor of Aubreigh Wyatt to bring awareness to her story🩷 Aubreigh Wyatt was a 13 year old girl who sadly lost her life due to bullying🤍 Her story really touched me and I hope this song helps others facing the same thing that Aubreigh did🩷 This song is called (Forever 13🩷) PLEASE SHARE AND TAG HEATHER WYATT🫶 #Forever13 #LLA #LLAW #Livelikeaubreigh #livelikeaubreighwyatt #aubreighwyatt💜🕊️ #Aubreighwyatt #aubreighwyattfoundation #mentalhealth #pink #Bullying #youbelonghere #youmatter #bekind #antibullying #sayhername #stopbulling #originalmusic #originalsong #singersongwriter #insperationalsong #pleasestay #justiceforaubreigh #justiceforaubreighwyatt @heatherwyatt ♬ original sound – Khloegracemusic
Learn more about the girl Khloe Grace’s song “Forever 13” is about, Aubreigh Wyatt, by visiting the official website of The Aubreigh Wyatt Foundation.
Heather Wyatt also wrote a 2025 book, titled The Aubreigh Wyatt Story: A Mother’s Fight For Justice, Love, and Lasting Change, which can be ordered on Amazon.