‘American Idol’: How Katy Perry Helped Claudia Conway Succeed in First Audition

Claudia Conway’s American Idol audition was sure to make waves, as the daughter of former President Donald Trump’s senior counselor, Kellyanne Conway, took another step into the public spotlight after going viral on TikTok for her outspoken criticism of her parents. Idol judge Katy Perry was there to help the 16-year-old put her best foot forward during Sunday’s season premiere as Conway showed off her singing voice in front of the “Firework” singer’s fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

Immediately recognizing the TikTok star for her public clashes with her parents, Perry asked “Are you OK?” before Claudia could even say hello. “No. But yes,” Claudia said with a laugh, before explaining that her family dynamic has certainly been difficult over the past few years. “It’s a lot, but I only want to spread love, and I love a compromise, and I do agree to disagree with my mom and my dad.” This episode was notably filmed before police were called to the teenager’s home due to a domestic disturbance in late January and a topless photo of the teen was briefly posted on Kellyanne’s Twitter account.

Claudia kicked off her audition with her rendition of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain,” but stumbled midway through. Perry quickly stepped in to attempt to set her back on the right track and calm her nerves, asking if the teen had another song she wanted to try. Deciding to try again with Adele’s “When We Were Young,” Claudia’s second performance was much stronger, although it wasn’t a slam dunk with the judges.

“There’s a lot of noise in your life, and you have to calm the storm that is around you,” Perry advised the young contestant. “Meaning, before you sing, you need to get off your phone, you need to stop reading your comments, because you may not ever rise above your dad and your mom. It’s your choice.”

Ultimately, Bryan voted not to move Claudia on to the second round, noting that he liked her personality but thought her range was likely limited. Perry and Richie, however, noted that she appeared to be taking instruction well and thought she could improve with time, giving her the ticket to Hollywood with their two votes.

Perry did poke into Claudia’s relationship with her mom during Sunday’s episode as well, asking, “With your mom being the figure that she is, does she still, like, hug you?” Claudia responded, “Yeah, she loves me and I love her. I just feel like our relationship, it’s a little iffy. Most of my life, my feelings were being suppressed, and then I got on social media and it was like, ‘Damn, now my voice is being heard!’” American Idol airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.