It’s not football season, but the sight of Carrie Underwood certainly got one “American Idol” hopeful hyped up.
Yani, a 26-year-old from Tabernacle, New Jersey, took an unconventional approach when she auditioned on the March 30 episode of the show by singing “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” the theme to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” which, of course, is sung by “Idol” judge Underwood.
“I will be singing a song that perhaps is familiar,” Yani said before she started belting it out. “It’s pretty deep. We’ll just see how you take it.”
“I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday night,” she began, choosing to sing it as a moody ballad and prompting Underwood and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie to laugh, while Underwood bopped her head and sang along to the performance that was original and amusing, but also pretty darned good.
“I did not see that coming,” Richie said after Yani wrapped up her performance.
“Me either,” echoed Underwood.
Richie and Underwood praised her for being clever, but Bryan wasn’t as impressed.
“It was quite theatrical,” he said in voting not to let her advance to the next round.
“I’m going to say yes,” Underwood said. “I don’t know if you’re right for this show, but I can’t say no to your voice.”
“I’m going to say a yes from me because I know that it’s so far out in left field, but you’re so damn good at it,” Richie said, ensuring that she was going to Hollywood.
Fans watching the performance on YouTube were also blown away by Yani.
“That fact that I laughed because of the song choice AND was impressed by her voice? Can’t beat it,” one person wrote.
“She deserves a chance her voice is incredible!!” someone else commented.
“It makes it even better that American Idol comes on Sunday nights.. lol,” another fan pointed out.
It’s not the first time an “Idol” contestant took a gamble with an Underwood song. The same episode featured New York City singer JMarie winning raves and moving onto the Hollywood round after she belted out Underwood’s signature hit, “Before He Cheats.”
“I’m going to be real honest, I was a little worried coming into sitting here that people would sing my songs to me. But you made it your own,” Underwood told her. “I forgot about myself ever having sung that song and it was like I’d heard it for the first time and that was … It was effortless. Amazing.”
“But I’m mad at you for not trying out sooner,” she added.
