American Idol season 23 is here, and if the sneak peeks are any indication, it’s going to be a good one. One hopeful contestant won the hearts of judges when he performed an original tribute song.
A sneak peek at the audition of contestant Slater Nalley had the world — and the judges’ — in tears. This teenage contestant brought emotion to the room with a stunning tribute, dedicated to a boy named Carter Davis. There’s a deep, moving story that bonds the two names together for life.
Who is Slater Nalley and what happened during his audition?
Slater Nalley, the 17-year-old singer from Atlanta, Georgia, was introduced by his high school English teacher, Mrs. Davis. Full of smiles, she introduced herself to the judges and explained why she had to come up first. “I’m so grateful to be here,” she said. “I have a special student of mine, Slater Nalley, and he wrote a song for my son, who was killed eight years ago. Slater had heard the story about my son,” she explained, “and I had written a poem, and the second year that I taught him I asked, ‘Would you mind looking at the poem? I’d love to see what your thoughts are and how you turn a poem into a song.'” The judges were already hooked by her moving story by this point, as she continued. “Two weeks later he wrote the song and that’s what he’s going to sing today.”
As Nalley came on, Luke Bryan told him he had “the coolest introduction ever.” He also commented on the bond between student and teacher. Nalley explained his process of writing the song, which only further enamored the judges. The song, titled “Traces of You,” was written in honor of Mrs. Davis’s son, Carter Davis. Carter was killed in suburban Atlanta by a random gun attack in 2016. He was 17, the same age as Nalley is now. Nalley explained, “It is 100% the most deep thing I’ve ever written about.” In a solo interview, he shared that he hadn’t known Carter Davis before his death. However, when Mrs. Davis told her students about him, Nalley felt a “presence come into my life.”
Did Slater Nalley make the cut?
The second that Nalley began playing his guitar, the entire room knew it was going to be a tear-jerker. The first line of the song, “Your life was like a river running home, that crooked smile made people talk, you know,” set the tone for the emotional ballad. Lionel Richie commented on that line, saying, “That one line… got the blues man. That’s the one. Very powerful.” Nalley’s strong country drawl emphasized the emotions of the song. And by the time he hit the bridge, Carrie Underwood was wiping away tears. Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie weren’t faring any better.
“Even though this was about your son,” Underwood said to Mrs. Davis, “every single person that hears that can fill in that memory with someone that’s in themselves.” Luke Bryan also dded, “You just stick to walking on stage and singing with your heart and the rest will take care of itself.”
When it came down to deciding whether Nalley would be making it to the show, Lionel Richie simply said, “Sometimes we don’t have to vote.” The judges chorused a unanimous, “You’re going to Hollywood,” sealing Slater Nalley’s place in the competition.
Published: Mar 10, 2025 11:48 am