Julia Gagnon, a candidate of American Idol, shared a touching story about her journey of finding her birth mother and singing to make her proud. At just 21 years old, she took on the challenge of performing Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way” – a brave feat considering the legendary status of the Queen of Soul. Fortunately, Julia delivered an unforgettable performance, impressing the judges with her soulful and expressive voice.
As soon as she opened her mouth, it appeared that she was born to be a singer. Her heartfelt rendition, complete with a breathtaking falsetto, left the judges in awe. The audition video quickly went viral online, garnering over 1 million views in just a few weeks.
“Ain’t No Way” was a perfect song choice for Gagnon. Even though the lyrics are about a romantic relationship, they resonated with her journey to find her mom. Gagnon’s performance over a solo piano arrangement was sincere and moving, earning her praise from the judges.
Gagnon’s rendition showcased her talent and started with a raspy and subdued vocal before building to a powerful high note that had judge Lionel Richie exclaiming, “Oh my God.” Luke Bryan commented on this, saying, “When you hit the amazing falsetto and then you turned the volume down to a beautiful…”
Katy Perry praised her soulful singing and said, “I loved that. You’ve got several soul singers inside of you, and you could go really far. You could be in the top 10.”
Gagnon’s talent is undeniable. A bandant of viewers gave her great compliments below the video. One wrote, “I came here specifically for this voice. I wanted to replay this over and over. Her voice had me in tears. Every emotion needed to convey the message in that song was nailed. Her rendition will always be a fav. Wishing her so much joy and success.” Others admitted to getting goosebumps whenever watching this performance.