Kya Monee Pays Tribute to Willie Spence With Her Special Song

Kya Monee Pays Tribute to Willie Spence With Her Special Song: Kya Monée’s song for Willie Spence brings everyone to tears. During the debut episode of American Idol in 2023, Kya Monée paid touching homage to late participant Willie Spence with a performance that had the entire audience in tears on February 19.

Celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned for the premiere of “American Idol’s” 21st season on Sunday night. One Sunday audition, in particular, was particularly heart-wrenching, but the reality TV singing competition always could fascinate viewers with the poignant backstories of the singers.

Have a Look at the tweet of American Idol done on 20th February in memories if Willie Spence:

Shine bright Willie Spence. 1999-2022 pic.twitter.com/na1GdvFju3

— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) February 20, 2023

Story of Kya Monée and Willie Spence

Austin, Texas native Kya Monée, age 21, auditioned for Season 19 and was invited back. She got to Hollywood week but was eliminated before the actual concerts began. Willie Spence, the cycle’s runner-up who died in a vehicle crash last October, was her duet partner in one of those rounds.

A standing ovation was given to the pair as they sang Rihanna’s “Stay” beautifully. In the years after their time together in Hollywood, Kya, and Willie remained close friends, and he encouraged her to keep auditioning and pursuing her goals. The American Idol 2021 runner-up from Georgia, Spence, passed away in October of that year. The young man was only 23 years old.

Monée said on Sunday’s Idol episode,

“We grew a very, very close friendship … Losing Willie was just very, very hard for me, He passed in a tragic car accident, and I’m still trying to cope.”

Kya Monee Pays Tribute to Willie Spence With Her Song

Have a Look at her performance on American Idol below:

Through tears, she said, “Willie, he always told me, No matter what, you’ll always be a singer. Three days before he passed, Willie told me, You have to go back. You have to chase your dream. I’m gonna go with you to American Idol. He made me want to do it, and I’d love to make it further. But most of all, I wanna make Willie proud.

Monée told judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie,

“He was supposed to be here with me today for my audition. It’s just very hard not to have that support anymore. But I know he would want me to be here … The song that I’m singing today is a song that we picked together. I’m singing ‘I’m Here’ from The Color Purple.”

After seeing Monée play, “I’m Here,” judges Perry, Richie, and Bryan were visibly moved and unanimously decided to advance the singer to the next round. Perry said, “That’s how you sing through sobbing,” He and the other two judges applauded Monée.

When Richie saw Monée crying, he hugged her and gave her a handkerchief. Everything we’ve been trying to tell all these youngsters is in what you gave us,” he remarked. To quote one of our wonderful brothers Willie, “The performance was so emotional, so heartfelt, so divinely guided in the magnificent name of our great brother Willie.”

“I’ve lost some people in my life. When you go to sing, you sing like Willie’s still here,” Bryan noted.

“It was on another level. It was so connected to the pain, and everybody’s feeling this loss, but we also feel connected because you are authentic, just like he was,” Perry added.

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