Berea, Kentucky Singer Wows Judges on American Idol

You're a different kind of diamond in the rough. -Katy Perry

A young Berea, Kentucky mom wowed the judges last night on ABC's American Idol. Kyra Waits, who has auditioned for the show multiple times, was invited by producers this season to audition in front of Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry. Kyra explained to the them that being on the show is a 'dream come true.' She has watched American Idol since she was a kid and finally got her shot at standing before the judges to sing for a shot a Hollywood.

Before she sang, Kyra explained that singing is in her blood. She got the gift honestly. Her mom Tasha is a bluegrass singer and spent fifteen years chasing her own dream. In Kyra's words, her mom "had a really hard life and she just didn't how to deal with it properly. Eventually, addiction came into her life, so her dream kinda got ruined."

However, there's some truly uplifting news in the story. Tasha has been sober for a while now and was able to accompany Kyra to her American Idol audition. There, Kyra performed Patti Griffin's "Up To The Mountain" and blew the judges away with her range, power, emotion and raw talent.

Take a look!

Kyra admits it took "a lot of hard work" to get to American Idol and she certainly made the most of it. All three judges gave her a "YES" and she's advancing to the Hollywood round. Luke Bryan said, "You may approach the desk and retrieve your golden ticket." Kyra admitted, "This ticket is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

American Idol airs Sunday nights at 7pm CST on ABC.

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