American Idol 2025: Watch 16 year-old Kaleo Knight nail a ‘Dreamgirls’ classic

Before American Idol 2025 auditions conclude Sunday night (March 30), ABC drops another audition preview (Watch Samantha Ray’s emotional audition) from 16 year old Kaleo Knight. In the clip below the young singer impressed judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan with a performance of Jennifer Hudson’s “And I Am Telling You” from the musical Dreamgirls.

Kaleo, who hails from the Los Angeles area, described growing up doing hula dance and learning traditional Hawaiian “mele.” She speaks Japanese, which has been a “huge part” of her upbringing, she explained to the judges.

Lionel was sceptical when Kaleo announced she’d be covering the Broadway showstopper “And I am Telling You.” She’s a little gal when it comes to stature, but it turned out that Kaleo’s voice is BIG and she packed a punch belting the classic song, which many singers do not attempt to cover. She nailed all the high notes.

After Kaleo nailed “And I Am Telling You” Carrie Underwood remarked, “You landed the plane very very well.”

The judges gave Kaleo a standing ovation after she finished. “I have the answer to that, ” Lionel joked, referring to the lyrics, “We love ya!” He added, “That was crazy good.” Carrie remarked, “You landed the plane very very well.” However, Carrie felt unsure during the first half of the performance because she couldn’t tell where the song was going. “I was scared for ya, I’m not going to lie,” Carrie admitted. “You landed it!”

Luke said, “We have 16 year olds that haven’t found themselves–most of the time we tell them to come back and audition later.” But, what Luke loved about Kaleo’s audition was how she “fought through and battled through and slayed it in the end.” He added, “It’s something a 16 year old should definitely be proud of. Probably the best 16 year old voice we’ve heard in this competition.”

“You went from ‘I’m scared to death’ to ‘I got this’,” Lionel observed. “We love competition when it’s sounding like you.” He advised, “Just stay in your lane and blow them away.” Next the judges all said yes, unanimously sending Kaleo to the Hollywood Round.

Watch American Idol on ABC Sunday March 30 at 8 pm ET/PT, streaming next day on Hulu. Hollywood Week kicks off Monday, March 31.