AMERICAN IDOL: Bella Emry Surprises The Judges With Morgan Wallen Cover And “Cool Vibe”
on Feb 16, 2026
The final episode of American Idol auditions aired Monday night (Feb. 16) and featured some of the season’s most memorable auditions.
American Idol viewers were treated to a variety of genres and styles in the latest episode, which was also the last of Season 24’s auditions. Among those was 22-year-old Bella Emry.
Emry, a waitress from Bend, Oregon, had never sung outside of talent shows and church, but had the judges entranced with her cover of a Morgan Wallen hit. The singer admitted she had never been more nervous than during her audition. But she kept the nerves at bay when she started to perform.
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Bella sat on a stool and strummed a guitar as she delivered her take on “I’m A Little Crazy,” a song released in early 2025 by Morgan Wallen as a promotional single for his fourth studio album, I’m The Problem.
The judges loved the “vibe” Bella Emry brought to her audition.
Carrie Underwood’s initial reaction was surprise at Emry’s lack of performance experience.
“You seemed very comfortable just telling a story,” Carrie said. “Nobody was breathing when you were singing…just hanging on every word with you. So, well done.”
Luke Bryan also expressed his surprise, saying, “You’re so raw and unpolished. I wasn’t expecting you to really be able to hold our attention like that. You didn’t hit a bad note. You held the guitar together really well, and you delivered that song in your own way.”
Lionel Richie added, “When you walked out, Bella, I said, ‘very cool vibe.’ And when you finished singing, I said, ‘very cool vibe.’ Idol University has been waiting on you.”
Watch Bella Emry’s incredible performance of “I’m A Little Crazy” in the video below.
