"Heart-wrenching tribute": American Idol fans react to Freddie McClendon's performance

American Idol's March 24, 2025, episode featured various remarkable performances. One of the participants who advanced to the next phase was Freddie McClendon. The 19-year-old singer performed his original song celebrating his late father's life, winning panelists' hearts.

After witnessing his performance, Carrie Underwood got emotional, while the rest of the panelists also shared their positive remarks about Freddie's performance. Freddie advanced to the competition's next phase, Hollywood, for his impressive performance and heart-touching original song.

Witnessing such an outstanding performance, fans took to social media platform X and celebrated Freddie's Golden Ticket.

A fan wrote on X:

"Freddie McClendon's heart-wrenching tribute to his dad is a powerful reminder that love transcends loss #AmericanIdol."

To that, another fan replied:

"Wow, brilliant song writing & arrangement - he has a unique, identifiable sound that's pleasing to the ear. Based on his exceptional presentation, you're taken on an emotional journey listening to the lyrics."

A netizen reacted to Freddie's performance:

"Freddie, wow. So brave. So beautiful. #AmericanIdol."

A person wrote about Freddie:

"Freddie is amazing #americanidol."

One more fan discussed Freddie's American Idol performance on X:

"Freddie McClendon, 19, auditioned on Idol with his original song You Never Loved Him, honoring his father, Davis McClendon, who was murdered. He aimed to show his dad was more than a true-crime story. #davismcclendon #AmericanIdol."

An X user celebrated Freddie's performance:

"The latest episode of American Idol featured an unforgettable moment as 19-year-old Freddie McClendon took the stage with a deeply personal performance. #FreddieMcClendon #AmericanIdol."

A netizen commented on X:

"@carrieunderwood @lukebryan @LionelRichie Tonight's American Idol episode was a inspiring. Freddie McClendon's story and unique vocals and powerful lyrics, Nina Daig's love for family- their performances gripped me to tears! Best episode ever! #AmericanIdol."

One more fan cheered for Freedie:

"Wow, That was an incredible performance by freddie mcclendon, His original song is amazing, And it was one of the best performances of the night this week during the auditions #AmericanIdol."

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American Idol Season 23: Freddie McClendon advances to Hollywood with a Golden Ticket

One of the artists who performed on the Sunday, March 23, 2025 episode, was Freddie McClendon. While opening up about his late father, Freddie stated that he was:

"So much bigger than just the true crime story of the week."

Rather than being sad about his father's demise, Freddie chose to celebrate his life via his original song and performed that during the audition. After witnessing such a heart-warming performance, American Idol panelist Carrie Underwood, with tears in her eyes, mentioned:

"Thank you for bringing that and sharing your heart. And it's so brave of you to decide that you want to choose the narrative."

Fellow panelist Luke Bryan stated that Freddie had "a really honest approach" and referred to that as a "little modern-day Paul Simon or something." Lionel Richie said Freddie could "translate" emotion and feeling to a point that could "move" people.

After his performance, Freddie's family also joined him as he was awarded the Golden Ticket to the competition's next phase. Everyone cheered for Freddie after his emotional performance on American Idol Season 23 Episode 4.

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Fans can stream the latest American Idol Season 23, Episode 4, on Hulu and enjoy all the performances from various artists.