American Idol delivered one of its most emotional auditions during the Season 23 premiere. 18-year-old Slater Nalley walked in with his English teacher, Michele Davis, to perform a song he wrote in honor of her son, Carter, who was killed at 17. Michele had turned to poetry to cope with her loss, and Slater transformed her words into “Traces of You.” As he sang, the judges—Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood—were brought to tears. A teary-eyed Carrie told Michele, “Every person who hears that can fill in that memory with somebody…” Slater earned three yeses and a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.

As American Idol was gearing up for its Season 23 premiere on March 9, 2025, the show gave fans sneak peeks of what to expect from the new season.

In past clips, it’s clear that this season will be filled with heavy moments. Two different previews showed instances when newcomer judge Carrie Underwood was brought to tears.

Later, the singing competition shared a full-length audition of one hopeful contestant, and it had all three judges crying by the end of it.

A contestant named Slater Nalley was the last audition of the day during the judges’ stop in Nashville, Tennessee. With him for support was his teacher, Mrs. Davis.

Before Slater took the stage, she introduced him to the judges and shared that the original song he was about to perform had a deeply touching story behind it.

Watch Slater Nalley’s emotional audition in the video below.

The song that Slater had written was for Davis’ son who had been tragically killed eight years ago.

Davis went on to explain that after her tragic loss, she approached Slater, knowing that he was a talented songwriter. She asked if he could turn a poem she had written for her son into a song. Slater gladly took on the project, wanting to help in any way he could.

Before he began to sing the song, which he shared was titled “Traces of You,” Slater told the panel of judges that he was happy to be in the Idol audition room and able to “put a little joy in a dark place.”

As he began singing the emotional lyrics, it didn’t take long for everyone in the room to be in tears. A few of the lyrics go as follows:

“Now you visit me in shadows / I can’t reach and I can’t run / In the dark night you always found the sun / A moment breaks and you appear / And for a second I swear you’re standing right here / I’d give anything for love to be enough / To make it true as the memories come racing into view / these traces of you.”

By the end of the song, all three judges were trying to collect themselves before sharing their thoughts with Slater.

“Even though this was about your son, every single person that hears that can fill in that memory with somebody that’s in themselves,” Underwood says to Davis who was standing alongside Slater his entire audition. “I couldn’t have imagined you doing that any better,” she added.

“You just stick to walking out on stage and singing from your heart, and the rest will take care of itself,” Luke Bryan also said.

There’s no denying that this audition was one of the most special in the show’s history. That’s why it was no surprise that the judges felt there was no need to vote on whether or not Slater would be moving on to the next round. On a count of three, all the judges said in unison, “You’re going to Hollywood.”