The Tribune

By Lesh CHARMING the American Idol judging panel last Thursday, St Louis contestant Lauren Gray was able to make her dream of going to Hollywood one day come true. "You are one of the best female voices we've heard, and I am gonna say absolutely 100 per cent yes," AI judge Jennifer Lopez told the singer after her rendition of Adele's "One and Only." Upon receiving all 'yes' votes from judges J-Lo, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, the 22-year-old said: "This is the biggest thing that has ever happened in my life." Jennifer corrected her by saying, "It won't be the biggest thing ever, so don't worry." It was eight years ago when AI discovered Carrie Underwood in the same town, who went on to become the fourth American Idol winner. Now a multi-platinum recording artist, Carrie has won a number of awards ranging from Grammys to CMT Music Awards to American Music Awards. She is currently working on her fourth studio album that is set to be released sometime this year. A lot of last week's auditions gave the judges 'wow' moments, like stand-out singer Johnny Keyser. Singing a version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," Keyser got his ticket before he could get a chance to finish singing. Enjoying his audition so much, the judges kept interrupting him as he sang to ask him questions and comment on his soulful voice. Jennifer shouted: "You know you are gonna be a star, right? Keep singing." With dreams of becoming the next American Idol, a newly divorced Rachelle Lamb released whatever energy and passion she had inside of her during her rendition of Faith Hill's "Find Somebody New." Sharing her touching story with the panel, the 26-year-old said: "I used to be a professional singer and then I went off and fell in love and got married, and he took all of the dreams away from me. We decided to split up and my girlfriend said let's go try out for American Idol." Jennifer responded to this by saying: "We do things for love sometimes." With her daughter standing by her side, Rachelle got her golden ticket to Hollywood. Another stand-out of the round was Reis Kloeckener; he told his story of being a victim of bullying in high school, and how joining the choir changed his life. The 20-year-old said it was a major turning point in his life when he became dedicated to singing. Singing a rendition of Bill Withers' "Lean On Me," his performance touched Steven Tyler so much, the rocker became teary-eyed. "You made me tear up and get all crazy inside," Steven said. Joining the other golden ticket winners, Reis is now on his way to Hollywood. As the auditions ended, Jennifer reminded the audience of one particular contestant: "Lauren Gray," she said with a huge smile on her face as she made her way out of the panel room. This week, the hopefuls will take on Hollywood a day early as they officially hit the stage on Tuesday. Be sure to look out for Bahamian contestant Mathenee Treco during the Hollywood try-outs!