Additional Coverage:
Carrie Underwood, back on American Idol, may have discovered the next Taylor Swift! During Nashville auditions, 20-year-old Zaylie Windsor of Safford, Arizona, wowed Underwood with an original song, “The Used.” The performance earned online buzz, not just for Windsor’s voice, but for Underwood’s enthusiastic comparison of the young artist to Swift.
Underwood, who won the competition in 2004, joined judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in Nashville on March 30th. While Bryan wasn’t initially convinced of Windsor’s readiness for the competition, Underwood championed the young singer-songwriter. Praising Windsor’s “soaring” vocals and the “artistry” of her song, which she wrote at just 14, Underwood argued that Windsor possessed a “Taylor Swift-esque quality.”
Despite Bryan’s reservations, Underwood’s advocacy secured Windsor a ticket to Hollywood week, where she impressed audiences with a rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” As American Idol continues, viewers are eager to see if Windsor lives up to the high praise and advances further in the competition.