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Cameron McGhar Covers Little Big Town and Loretta Lynn On ‘American Idol,’ Leaves Judges Divided
Cameron McGhar, a cheerleader from Clanton, Alabama left the American Idol judges mulling over a split decision following her audition…

Luke Bryan, Cameron McGhar, Katy Perry
Cameron McGhar, a cheerleader from Clanton, Alabama left the American Idol judges mulling over a split decision following her audition on the show.
First, McGhar appeared in front of Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie to try her hand at a golden ticket to Hollywood with a cover of Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” Unfortunately, her audition fell flat, leaving the judges a bit unimpressed.
“You’ve got a big voice, you’ve got a voice, you’re singing on pitch… It’s just not flowing out and it’s just not natural,” Bryan confessed.
“I think you were singing and then you were looking at us, then you were having an inner dialogue of like, ‘how is this going?,’ Perry explained.
Realizing that she needed another shot if she had any chance of going to Hollywood, McGhar, offered to sing another song and went on to perform Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Man Enough.”

Unfortunately for McGhar, her second song had Perry calling her out for being out of tune and sealed the deal for Richie to pass on her.
“You have a very infectious personality, and if you can tell we’re pulling for you here, right? In my heart of course I don’t think you’re quite ready,” Richie said, adding that he hopes she will return in the future with a better audition.
Perry was going back and forth over the decision and told her “you weren’t ready” but shared that she was going to “roll the dice” and send her to Hollywood.
“I am in agreement,” Bryan said. “You’ve got a big, big, big voice,” Bryan added. “You have a sparkle in your eye and all that going on, but I don’t know if it’s all the way there for me.”
Encouraging her to add a little more “sass” to her performances, Bryan ended up siding with Perry.
“You’re going to Hollywood,” he told her.
Click above to watch Cameron McGhar’s American Idol audition.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.