Pregnant Haley Slaton Falls Shorts with Miley Cyrus Cover, Redeems Herself with Adele Hit During ‘American Idol’ Audition
American Idol contestant Haley Slaton is expecting her first child but she refuses to let her pregnancy stop her from…
Haley Slaton; Photo Courtesy Abc, American Idol
American Idol contestant Haley Slaton is expecting her first child but she refuses to let her pregnancy stop her from chasing her musical dreams.
“Being on the show pregnant is actually not going to be an obstacle for me,” Slaton admitted ahead of her audition. “Just being a mom shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams. I just really want to do this for my son and give him a really good life. I really want to show him to never stop chasing his dreams in the future. Never give up on your dreams, mommy went and chased hers.”
Slaton, a 23-year-old Temp Agency Worker, auditioned for Idol when she was nearly six months pregnant with a baby boy.
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The Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been singing since she was 3 years old in church and is determined to pursue a career in music.
Backed by a pianist, Slaton auditioned with a cover of Miley Cyrus‘ “The Climb.”
The judges were not thoroughly impressed by her cover of the Cyrus hit and offered her some constructive criticism.
“Hmmm. Raspy, Luke what do you think?” Katy Perry asked.
“Not perfect, it wasn’t a perfect audition,” Luke Bryan said. “There were some amateur moments, but then there were some real moments, and I wonder if you would be able to begin to replicate those more, that’s the million-dollar question.”
“According to the last time I studied the anatomy, the baby is close to the lungs if I can remember. So holding a note may be quite difficult at certain times,” Lionel Richie added.
The judges decided to ask the expectant mother to sing a different song.
“I think there’s a lot there, but we are not sure,” Perry admitted before asking her to sing her second song choice. “Fight for it, you’re fighting for your son, your future, your voice to be heard. Fight for it.”
She then performed a cover of Adele’s “One And Only” to prove herself and her vocal abilities.
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“Alright, we got you, we’re going to give you a chance, this is going to be a lot. It’s a lot, you’re going through a life change and give it that and more every single time,” Perry tod her.
“For you and little smokey, absolutely yes,” Richie said with a laugh.
Slaton earned a unanimous ‘yes’ and grabbed her golden ticket to Hollywood to chase her dreams even further.
American Idol returns on Monday at 8/7c with another round of auditions.
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
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.