During the premiere of the 22nd season of American Idol, a poignant moment arose when a contestant named McKenna Breinholt revealed to judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie that she was adopted.
Breinholt, a native of Arizona, shared that her adoptive family had difficulty conceiving a child before they chose to adopt her. The “Dark Horse” hitmaker, 39, along with many viewers, became emotional and teary-eyed when Breinholt, 25, was able to meet her biological family for the first time after her live audition.
Katy Perry Gets Teary-Eyed During American Idol Premiere After Contestant Meets Her Biological Family In Poignant Moment
"I have the best family in the world they’ve always supported me," Breinholt told Perry, Bryan and Richie during the February 18th episode. At the age of 21, Breinholt said that she learned from her parents that her innate musical talent had been passed down from her biological mother, Amy Ross Lopez, who had been a member of the band Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl before she passed away.
The aspiring singer then shared with the judges that she had utilized FaceTime to connect with her biological relatives and had intentions of eventually meeting with them in person. Unbeknownst to Breinholt, both her adoptive and biological families were present in secret for her audition.
Upon impressing Perry, Bryan, 47, and Richie, 74, with her rendition of the 2019 song "There Was Jesus," Breinholt received an invitation from Perry to bring her family inside for the judge's ultimate verdict. As the Idol hopeful opened the door, she was met with a shocking sight. In addition to her adoptive family, her biological aunts and uncles were also present.
Bryan asked, "What happened here?" as Perry and Richie watched on with disbelief. Brienholt's surprised declaration of her blended family's arrival was met with Perry's restrained attempt at concealing a smile. "My birth family is here!" the contestant exclaimed as Perry and Richie repeated in unison: "Your birth family!"
The moment deeply touched Perry, causing her to close her eyes and let her tears flow, unable to suppress them. "Is she crying?" Brienholt then asked, gesturing to Perry as the "Hot N Cold" singer replied: "No, I’m not crying. You’re crying."
Perry then got up behind the young singer and asked for "Lopezes on the right" and the "Breinholts on the left." "Do you know any of your mom’s songs?"
The Grammy nominee sweetly asked the contestant. "You could play it for them." Brienholt revealed that she did, and this caused her biological grandmother to cry. Perry and Richie then encouraged the vocalist to make use of the piano situated in the audition room.
Bryan then joked: "Tissue on 'Idol' set." The performance of "Tumbleweed," Brienholt's interpretation of her mother's melody, evoked an instant response from the entire room, leaving her family members and the judges in tears. This was especially true after the singer's grandmother said hearing Brienholt sing was "like a ghost," and compared her vocal prowess to her late mother's.
"So beautiful. Look, music is connection. Music is emotion. Music is heart. You’re not the only person out there that’s searching for their birth family," Perry said while fighting tears. "There’s hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands that are watching this right now that are going, ‘Oh! Me too, me too!’ You know?"
"And it’s wonderful to have them all together. And it’s so wonderful for your mom and dad to see this and to be so open and loving and supportive about this," the "Unconditionally" artist continued. "I’m sure there was a big loss for your birth family. And for you to sing like that, I think it’s healing."
On X (formerly Twitter), many fans were touched and moved by the contestant's entire story and Perry's response to it. "Literally sobbing," one tweeted beneath a clip of the scene as another added: "Just wow, makes me wanna cry."
After the show uploaded the audition to YouTube, one other fan commented: "I absolutely bawled through this beautiful story" as someone else replied: "this is why i love american idol."
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Brienholt's entry into the next round of the show was met with no surprise, as the unanimous vote reflected their impressive talent. This season of American Idol began on an emotional note thanks to this heart-rending audition. It also coincides with Perry's recent announcement of her departure from the series.
While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week, Perry revealed: "Well, you know, this fall, this September, I’m going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio. It’s really exciting." She added, telling host Jimmy Kimmel: "It’s a big deal for people all over the world, especially my Brazilian fans, so I think this will probably be my last season for Idol."
