Abi Bowen, a 25-year-old Tennessee native, faced her fears and delivered an unforgettable performance that left the American Idol judges wanting to see more of her talent in Hollywood.

Before stepping into the audition room, Bowen opened up about her apprehension to put herself out there on such a huge platform. She explained that although she considers it to be “the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she was doing it for both herself and her late mother who always encouraged her musical abilities

In an attempt to hide from her fears, Bowen brought a pair of dark sunglasses into the audition room and told the judges she would be facing away from them for her performance.

“Makes me feel like they can’t see me,” she said of the shades. “If you can’t face your fears, ride ‘em. I’m literally just here winging it and just seeing how it goes and hope for the best.”

Carrie Underwood was the first to comment on Bowen’s nervousness as she asked, “Do you perform many places?” The contestant replied, “No. I don’t do anything.

 

With her sunglasses acting as an accessory to her Canadian tuxedo and cowboy hat with two strands of her brown curly hair hanging out, Bowen turned to face the back of the room, closed her eyes and beautifully showcased her rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

Midway through the performance, Luke Bryan silently signaled for his fellow judges to sneak over and stand in front of Bowen without her noticing. As soon as the song was over, Bowen opened her eyes and jumped in surprise to see Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan standing before her.

“You know this is a TV show and people are going to see you,” Underwood kindly pointed out.

Bryan jokingly jumped in to comment on her unique appearance as he said, “When you dress like that, people are going to notice you.”

“That scared me. That was so shaky,” she admitted while taking off the shades once again and watching the judges return to their seats.

 

Richie was quick to let Bowen know that she’s “got something in there.” As he continued giving his critique, Underwood interrupted to invite Bowen’s son, Stetson, to join her in the audition room. The little boy, who Bryan pointed out had more confidence than his mom, happily stood by her side and listeners to the judges give their feedback.

Underwood made sure that Bowen understood what she was signing up for, noting that if she were to move forward, she would have to leave the sunglasses behind and gain some confidence on stage.

“If we send you on, one of two things will happen. You’re either going to figure it out and you’re going to be like, who is this girl? Or you’re going to drown in Hollywood.”

Luke Bryan then explained that Bowen reminded him of Emmy Russell, granddaughter of Loretta Lynn who made her mark on the show last season.

“She started just like you,” Bryan pointed out.

“I felt her shaking and everything. Literally, I was watching. I was like, that would be me,” Bowen admitted.

Even amid her timidness, Bowen still presented a confidence in herself that was hidden below her fear of singing. The judges saw this potential and made the unanimous decision to send her home with a golden ticket to the next round of the competition.

“Seriously, you’ve got the goods,” said Richie. “If you can just get it out. Every time you get ready to go to that thing that’s going to scare you, you go, ‘no, no, no, no, no.’ Sometimes someone can see your potential before you can see your potential. We might have to be your confidence until you realize you’ve got some confidence.”

The contestant had a bright smile on her face and a knowing look as Underwood gave her final comment, “You have a lot of work to do.” With her golden ticket in hand, Abi Bown left the audition room to celebrate with her husband and little boy.

“I couldn’t sit here and explain this audition to you if I tried because it was so chaotic. Thank you to my family for supporting me through all this and pushing me when I didn’t push myself. I’ll see you guys in Hollywood, but I’m leaving my sunglasses at home.”

Abi Bown’s unforgettable audition aired during the 700th episode of American Idol, which also served as the season premiere of the eighth season of Idol on ABC, and the 23rd season overall.