John Foster, 18, Auditions for American Idol With Classic Country Flair

On the March 23rd episode of American Idol, 18-year-old John Foster stepped into the audition room, sporting a cowboy hat and a guitar slung over his shoulder. Judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan immediately sensed they were in for a classic country performance. Adding to his charm, Foster enlisted host Ryan Seacrest to help carry in three red coolers—each labeled with a judge’s name—setting the stage for a memorable audition.

Some Cajun food was in the coolers, as he is from Addis, Louisiana, and wanted to show some “Cajun hospitality.” After Luke Bryan complimented the jerky, Foster revealed that he is studying biology and hopes to become an oncologist, specifically, a “singing oncologist.”

“Oh, you one of them smart people?” Bryan asked.

“I don’t know about that, but I try my best!” Foster replied.

John Auditioned With A Classic Alan Jackson Cover

After the judges thanks him for bringing them Cajun snacks, Foster revealed he would be performing Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock The Jukebox.”

Underwood and Bryan enjoyed dancing along to the beat and singing the lyrics to one another. Even though it was an enjoyable audition and had the judges’ table dancing, it was clear they weren’t wowed.

They were clearly having a great time with Foster’s performance, but Underwood explained that she wanted to hear another song that “showcases [his] vocals a little more.”

Luckily, he had another song up his sleeve, Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time.”

“Aww, hell!” Bryan said, admiring the song choice. The country singer admitted he’d also been singing the song all day and even sang along at some parts!

The judges gave him a round of applause before giving him their feedback. See what they had to say below.

Carrie Underwood

“Thank you! I got the information that I wanted out of that. That sweet spot in your voice that that song really brought out. If you end going through to Hollywood, when we ask you to sing different genres, be yourself, but definitely think about how you’re going to navigate different situations.”

Lionel Richie

“Carrie’s right. I want to hear more of who you are, I mean I love the timber, but you gotta carve out and start making your sound. “

Luke Bryan

“Lionel said what my heart was thinking. I don’t know. I don’t know if vocally it’s there to make it through many rounds of American Idol, but I think you’ve got a nice voice.  You’ve got a lot of great tools. That last song certainly showed us that. I’m a yes. I went from no to yes.” 

Underwood clarified that Bryan’s change in vote was because she asked for another song, and Bryan confirmed that was correct. Richie agreed.

How do you think John will do in the competition? Watch his full audition in the video below.