Samantha Ray, a 22-year-old stay-at-home mom, delivered an emotional performance of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” on American Idol, leaving Carrie Underwood in tears as she paid tribute to her late sister, Taylor.
Samantha Ray Paid Tribute To Her Late Sister Taylor On American Idol
Ahead of Ray’s Idol audition, the contestant from Ila, Georgia, explained what it would mean to her to win American Idol. “Absolutely everything to me because this is my dream,” Ray admitted with a big smile on her face.
Ray continued to detail her admiration for Idol, “I love this show. I’ve been singing since I was little. Watching this show with my sister growing up was awesome. I had somebody to sing with. She was my music partner. I would sing a song, and she would sing a song, or we’d sing a song together, do harmonies. Me and her both loved Carrie Underwood, so impressing her is like the top of the line for me.”
Auditioned With A Cover Of “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack
Samantha Ray went on to deliver an incredible cover of “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack in front of the star-studded judges panel, which features Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder/ You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger/ May you never take one single breath for granted/ God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed/ I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean/ Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens/ Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance/ And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance/ I hope you dance/ I hope you dance,” Ray sang on the opening verse and chorus during her Idol audition.
Dedicated Her Audition To Her Late Sister
Following her impressive performance of the Lee Ann Womack hit, Luke Bryan asked Ray, “what were you thinking about when you sang that?”
She replied, “Thinking about my sister a lot. Earlier this year in February [of 2025], I lost her to a drug overdose, and so losing her hurts a lot because she was a year younger than me. We were very close. She had two little boys, and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking. So I’m here for her.”
Earned A Golden Ticket To Hollywood And Praise From Idol Judges
Bryan then complimented her performance, “you did a great job,” before passing it to Carrie Underwood. “What do you think, Carrie? Should I go to Lionel?” Bryan said.
“I’m teary-eyed, and then he just goes right to me,” Underwood chimed in as she was visibly overcome with emotion. “Lionel, kick us off.”
Lionel Richie praised the aspiring singer, “From the first note, I was trying to compose myself because every once in a while we just run across some people who have the absolute trigger on emotions. You did it perfectly.”
Underwood continued, “We didn’t know what you were thinking about, but we knew you were thinking about something, and that’s being a storyteller that pulls people in, and that was really special.” Bryan later added, “It’s nice just to hear somebody sing a classic like that, but you did it your own way. You don’t really overthink it, and it felt very listenable.”
Samantha Ray secured a golden ticket to Hollywood on American Idol after receiving unanimous approval from the judges with three ‘yes’ votes.
American Idol airs every Sunday and Monday at 8/7c on ABC.
