Watch NC teen perform again on ‘American Idol’ stage. ‘This could change my life’
A North Carolina teenager performed again for the “American Idol” judges — and earned a spot in the next round of the competition.
“I’m giving this my absolute everything,” 16-year-old Ryleigh Bunch said before her latest audition. “I’m going to pour my heart out on that stage.”
The teen, a high school student who uses the stage name Ryleigh Madison, made it onto the March 28 episode after she wowed the celebrity judges during her first performance. At the time, they also were interested in her hometown of Whiteville, home to about 5,000 people and roughly 115 miles south of Raleigh.
“Living here locally, it’s the most rewarding thing,” the teen said in a March 14 WECT report. “I wouldn’t want to grow up anywhere else. Don’t let it hold you back. There’s so many things we can take from where we’re from, and lessons we learn and go on somewhere and make good things.”
Madison eventually earned a spot on the Hollywood stage, where she sang a cover of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.”
“I’m a singer, and that’s very rare back home, to have such ambitious dreams,” she said in a video that aired before her performance. “But you come here, and there’s so many talented people.”
To help her in the competition, the teen received advice from Lauren Alaina, who was a finalist in the 2011 season of “American Idol.” Video shows Madison starstruck as she met the singer and listened to her tips.
“I feel like this could change my life like it did yours,” Madison said after wiping away tears.
In the video, Alaina urged the teen to put that emotion toward her performance. Apparently, the advice paid off with Madison getting a chance to advance on “American Idol.”
“I only have two words @ryleighmadisonb …REALLY GREAT,” celebrity judge Lionel Richie tweeted the night the performance aired.
Madison echoed that excitement in a Facebook post: “Well y’all, I made it through to the next round!!!! If you thought this round was intense, you won’t believe #Duets!”
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Watch NC teen perform again on ‘American Idol’ stage. ‘This could change my life’."
