Oneonta man cancels honeymoon, delivers emotional performance on American Idol
Reading time: 3 minutes
Isaiah Moore, a 22-year-old from the small town of Oneonta, shared his emotional journey to the American Idol stage before blowing away the show’s judges with his performance.
Moore took time to speak on his childhood and family before taking his guitar and singing Where the Wild Things Are by Luke Combs. His family soon joined him in the room, getting to hear all three judges say yes to sending Moore to Hollywood for the next round.
Check out the full performance below + keep reading to learn more about his story.
Isaiah Moore
The former Gadsden State Community College student went to audition in Nashville just a week after his wedding. The couple decided to cancel their honeymoon so he could make the tryout.
Moore’s audition started with the judges attempting to pronounce the town where he’s from—it’s on-EE-on-nuh by the way—and ended with those judges in tears.
Before starting his song, he told the judges about his childhood which included his mother’s struggles leading to Moore being raised by his grandparents. He went on to dedicate his performance to his brother that did not make it to the audition.
“I’m a sucker for a Luke Combs song. It’s a story about a man who is missing his brother after he moved to California to live a different lifestyle. It’s a great song. If a song can tell a good story that will make you cry, it’s perfect. I’ve cried many times listening to this song. It’s also vocally challenging.”
Isaiah Moore
Throughout Moore’s performance, the camera cut to each judge struggling to hold in their emotions while listening.
Lionel Richie said he “felt the passion and the pain” of Moore’s story telling. Before bringing his family in, former Idol winner Carrie Underwood told Moore he had a powerful voice, using it for “telling a story and connecting with us which is hard to do.”
What’s next?
According to a release from Gadsden State, Moore is hoping to become a music educator but he is currently taking a break from coursework to focus on his music and his full-time job as the worship leader at Redeemer Community Church.
Moore is headed to Hollywood next + will perform at least once inside Idol Arena where the next cuts will be made. But the exact format + schedule for the remainder of the season has not been released.
There will be a few more episodes before the live shows, which have started with the Top 20 in previous seasons.
Moore is hoping to follow in the footsteps of McIntosh native Triston Harper who made it all the way to the top 5 last year.
Note: Once we learn when Moore will make his next appearance, this story will be updated.
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