"WOW!!!" — American Idol fans react to Samantha Ray's emotional audition in honor of her late sister

American Idol season 23's latest two-hour segment, which was released on March 30, 2025, concluded the auditions as judges travelled to New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville searching for aspiring singers. One of the segments of the episode featured Samantha Ray, a 22-year-old stay-at-home mother, singing I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack to honor her late sister.

Samantha revealed she lost her sister last year to a drug overdose and wanted to dedicate her audition performance to her. She also shared how they used to watch American Idol together when they were younger, and added that her sister loved to sing.

Samantha's emotional take on the popular country song moved the judges, especially Carrie Underwood, who broke into tears while reviewing her performance. The other panelists also appreciated Samantha's act and were impressed by her vocal range and ability to relay emotions.

American Idol fans flooded X with their opinions on Samantha's audition. While many said they became emotional listening to her story, others praised her musical abilities and overall performance.

"Samantha Ray is a little sweet Georgia Belle. And she's going to Hollywood!!! WOW!!!" a fan wrote.

"Samantha, I believe your sister was right there singing with you. What a special song to sing with a great message. Good luck to you in #hollywood," another fan commented.

"That lady doing I Hope You Dance is as fine a singer as anyone that has ever been on @AmericanIdol. Wonderful singer!" a netizen tweeted.

Many American Idol fans were touched by Samantha's emotional performance in honor of her late sister.

"I was tearing up even before she told us about her sister…Samantha has that gift to bring out the emotions like Lionel said," a user reacted.

"Wow. I'll bet Samantha Ray's sister's looking down on her, smiling," a person commented.

"Wow, That was an incredible performance by samantha ray, She sounded amazing this week during the auditions," another fan wrote.

"@AmericanIdol my sisters are my besties so I couldn’t imagine. She was pretty good. Seems sweet," one user posted.

Other fans of the ABC show expressed a similar sentiment.

"Samantha was really good!" a person reacted.

"Samantha has a really nice voice," another netizen commented.

---

"I'm here for her" — American Idol contestant Samantha Ray dedicates her performance to her late sister

When Luke Bryan asked Samantha what American Idol meant to her, she said it meant "everything" and added that she loved the show. While speaking to the cameras, Samantha shared that she grew up singing with her sister, Taylor, her "music partner." She added that since she was a Carrie Underwood fan, impressing her was "top of the line" for her.

After Samantha's performance, Luke asked her what she thought about while singing the song. The American Idol auditioner said:

"Thinking about my sister a lot. Earlier this year, in February, I lost her to a drug overdose, and so, losing her hurts a lot because she was a year younger than me. We were very close. She had two little boys, and now they don't have their mom anymore; it's really heartbreaking. So, I'm here for her."

Lionel confessed he was trying to compose himself from the first note because he believed Samantha had the "absolute trigger on emotions." He praised her for executing the song "perfectly."

Carrie echoed Lionel's sentiments, appreciating Samantha's storytelling ability and capability to pull people in.

"That was really special," she added.

Luke was impressed to hear Samantha's unique take on the country "classic." He applauded her for not overthinking it and making the song "very listenable." The American Idol panelists then took a vote and, with three yeses, sent Samantha to the next round of the competition.

---

American Idol season 23 is now streaming exclusively on Hulu.