Carrie Underwood is making a bold prediction about one American Idol contestant, and his future in country music. Slater Nalley, one of the Top 24 contestants, put his own spin on the well-known classic, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow.'" His performance caused Underwood to heap high praise on the Georgia native. The performance took place in Hawaii, as Underwood is enjoying her first season as a judge on American Idol, says.
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"I don't understand how there is this much talent, and this much of a seasoned professional in somebody that is at the very beginning of his career," Underwood says.
"I see you guys on stage, and I'm like, 'Where is this person going to be in 10 years?'" she continues. She goes on to predict that people will know about Nalley for a long, long time. "You have the talent and the voice that in 10 years, it will be like 'This is one of the finest voices that we've ever had in country music.' I feel like that's what people are going to say about Slater. You're so good."
Fellow country music superstar Luke Bryan echoes Underwood's statements.
"I'm just happy for the promise of your career," Bryan says. "The day that I found out I was going to get to do music the rest of my life, that this is what I was going to get to do, was a really important day. You're going to get to do music for a long, long time, and it's really fun."
Who Is Slater Nalley?
Nalley brough Underwood, and all of America, to tears during his American Idol audition. The high school student was joined by his English teacher, Mrs. Davis. He performed a song based on a poem Davis wrote about her late son, who was tragically murdered in 2016.
"This song is called 'Traces Of You," Nalley said at the time. "I wrote it for Carter Davis. It is, 100 percent, the most deep thing I have ever written about."
Both his songwriting and his vocal delivery earned high praise during his audition. He also received a golden ticket to continue competing.
"This was about your son," Underwood said. "[But] every single person that hears that can fill in that memory with somebody that's in themselves." "I couldn't imagine you doing that any better."
