"Great job" — American Idol fans react to Ethan Senger's audition

American Idol's latest segment, which aired on March 30, 2025, featured many hopeful artists from different walks of life auditioning for a chance to showcase their talent. One of them was a 24-year-old musician from Woodstock, Georgia, named Ethan Senger. He presented the panelists with his rendition of Keith Urban's Somebody Like You.

Although impressed, Luke Bryan often interjected with instructions to help Ethan improve his performance. Ethan followed the expert's advice and made the necessary changes to his act, leaving a lasting impression on the judges. After his audition, Ethan was joined on stage by his mother, and they sang Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.

The American Idol judges — Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie — appreciated the auditioner's performance and voice and passed him through to the next round of the competition.

American Idol fans on X shared their opinions on Ethan's act. While many praised his voice, others applauded Luke for advising Ethan during his audition.

"@senger_ethan Great job, Ethan! Looking forward to watching you on @AmericanIdol!," a fan wrote.

"#Ethan, to keep your composure through that was especially terrific. Nice job!," another fan commented.

"Ethan has a great country voice might not do the best in Hollywood against others but it’s really good," a netizen tweeted.

Many American Idol fans praised Luke Bryan for instructing Ethan during his performance, saying the latter sounded like Keith Urban's "impersonator."

"@AmericanIdol he sounds like a Keith urban impersonator lol," a user reacted.

"@lukebryan love having you on there. Good advice to Ethan! He’s really good but he was nervous! I hope he goes through!," a person commented.

"Glad Luke had that kid slow down. He sounded exactly like Keith Urban, which wasn't a good thing because his own personality wasn't anywhere in there. Once he slowed it down, it was all there. Radio voice for sure. He'll do well," another wrote.

Other American Idol fans said:

"Yes, I love the Georgia boys and hope to put us back on the map on the LIVE show," one user posted.

"Ethan senger is going to hollywood," a person reacted.

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"Open your mouth a little bit!" — American Idol judge Luke Bryan advises Ethan Senger to enunciate

While introducing himself to the American Idol panelists, Ethan shared that he was a musician who sang "all over the place, playing gigs." He then revealed that his father was a guitar player and his mother a singer, with whom he sang from time to time.

Shortly after Ethan started singing, Luke shouted:

"Open your mouth a little bit!"

He eventually stopped Ethan and asked him to "slow it down" so he could "really hear him sing this thing." As soon as Ethan continued, Luke interrupted him yet again, correcting his pronunciation. Once Ethan took the judge's advice, his performance improved, earning him applause from the panel.

While reviewing his act, Luke first apologized for "yelling" at him but then praised his voice, saying he had a "cool thing going on." Lionel was equally impressed and believed Ethan had "some true P-O-tential."

Soon after, Ethan's mother joined him on stage and presented the experts with a Falling Slowly duet. Carrie was touched by the mother-son performance and immediately gave Ethan a "yes." Luke and Lionel followed suit, advancing Ethan to Hollywood Week.

"Georgia boy, congratulations," said Luke.

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American Idol season 23 episodes can be streamed exclusively on Hulu.