‘American Idol’ Singer Debuts Eye Patch in First Live Audience Round

One contestant during Sunday night’s all-new episode of American Idol was sporting a new accessory as they took the stage in front of a “living, breathing” audience for the All-Star duet episode. Andrea Valles, the 23-year-old Houston, Texas wedding singer, not only dazzled the judges with her bilingual performance of Billie Eilish and Rosalia’s “Lo Vas a Olvidar,” but also with her bedazzled eye patch.

Decked out in a red ensemble, Valles explained that the eyepatch was not just a new fashion accessory, but actually there for medical reasons, as she recently had eye retina detachment surgery. Despite the hiccup amid her quest to become the next American Idol, she said, “You have to learn to push through and just roll with the punches,” and she certainly did. After singing Eilish and Rosalía’s “Lo Vas A Olvidar,” went on to perform “Careless Whisper” with Brian McKnight for her duet. Her performances certainly won over the judges, with Perry quipping, “I think everyone at home is going, ‘I’m gonna vote for the girl with the eye patch.’ It’s amazing! You can do anything: have eye surgery, be on the American Idol stage.”

Valles first debuted the eye patch to fans on Instagram just a day before Sunday’s episode, joking in a photo of herself sporting the item while sitting on stairs, “arrrgghhh me matey!” She said she was “just taking some time to meditate and ground meself before the next episode” of the singing competition. Following the episode, she gave fans a better look at her blinged-out eye patch in several different posts shared to her account. In one post, a video of her performance, she wrote, “When life gives you eyepatches, BADAZZLE THEM!!!!” She added that she felt “ALL THE LOVE AND I’M POURING IT ALL RIGHT BACK THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH XOXO.”

The Texas native began her American Idol journey by initially failing to impress the judges with her rendition of “Landslide,” though she quickly won them over and earned her ticket to Hollywood after signing “Dance Monkey.” Competing on Idol has long been her dream, with Valles having told the Houston Chronicle, “I was 9 years old in computer class. They had us do this project, and I drew myself on the American Idol stage. It’s been something I’ve seen since I was a little girl. I knew that I was working toward something like it, but I never knew when it would happen.”

Sunday night’s episode fond a total of 12 singers taking the stage. The remaining half of the Top 24 will take the stage Monday night. The top eight singers from each night will then move on to the Top 16 next Sunday. Stay tuned to PopCulture for the latest updates!