Kutter Bradley Honors His Parents with Jason Aldean’s ‘Amarillo Sky’ on ‘American Idol’

Alabama native Kutter Bradley turned heads on American Idol with a high-energy delivery of Jason Aldean’s “Amarillo Sky.”

Before chasing music full-time, Bradley held a variety of jobs, from carpentry and welding to construction, but he says music was always calling him.

“Ever since I started, something’s been poking at me, like I’ve got to see how far I can take it,” he explained.

Bradley’s commitment to hard work, regardless of what he’s doing, is a lesson he learned from his parents. Those values are what inspired him to choose Jason Aldean’s “Amarillo Sky,” a song that reflects the dedication and grit he carries into every performance.

“The reason I picked that song is because it’s a song about hard work. Dedicating it to my parents right here because they showed me what hard work is and it’s rubbed off on me because I’m hard working for my dreams right now,” Bradley explained as he pointed to his parents seated in the front row of his Ohana Round performance.

Sporting a pair of overalls, a look Luke Bryan jokingly praised, Bradley brought the stage to life with an uptempo performance that had the audience dancing in their seats and nodding along to the beat. He hit high notes effortlessly and truly meant every lyric he sung while moving across the stage like a seasoned performer. By the end, he had clearly won over not only the judges but his proud parents and the entire crowd with his energy and authenticity.

Bryan went on to commend the singer on his “great song choice,” and noted he was impressed not only by his outfit but also by the vocals he delivered.

“I tell you, rocking overalls in Hawaii, I tell you what, that’s pretty amazing. You really impressed me with where you went vocally. I enjoyed it. Great job,” Bryan said.

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The stakes were raised for every contestant this week, knowing that three platinum tickets were up for grabs at the end of the night. For the first time, Idol introduced the Ohana round, which invited three different groups: Idol contestants, the contestant’s family members and a panel of Industry experts, who were tasked with voting to determine who would earn the coveted ticket.

Kutter Bradley’s performance did not award him a platinum ticket, but fans will get to see him take the stage in Hawaii next week because the judges believed he deserved a spot in the Top 20.

The Season 24 American Idol journey continues over the next two weeks, where contestants will sing for America’s votes. They will also be guided by new mentors, Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer.

New episodes of the singing competition show air Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and on streaming the following day on Hulu.