‘American Idol’ grants Iowa’s Haley Slaton a ticket to Hollywood

“The American Idol” judges made Haley Slaton work for it, and made viewing audiences wait for it Sunday night, while they decided whether to send her to Hollywood.

They eventually said yes, and she’s going to Hollywood from Swisher, Golden Ticket in hand.

Slaton was 5½ months pregnant with son Jaelyn when she auditioned for Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan in Austin, Texas, in October. She met contestant Jordan Myles there, and by December, they were married. Myles has since moved from Louisiana, and now the family is living with Slaton’s mother, Sarah Gorman in Swisher, before moving to Cedar Rapids in May. Gorman accompanied her daughter to Texas.

For the audition, which was broadcast Sunday, Slaton first sang “The Climb,” a hit for Miley Cyrus, with lyrics that mirror Slaton’s “Idol” quest: “I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreaming …”

But the judges weren’t convinced.

“Hmmmm. Hmmmm,” Perry said. “Raspy. Luke, what do you think?”

“Not perfect,” he said. “It wasn’t a perfect audition. There was some amateur moments, but then there were some real moments. I wonder if you could begin to replicate those more. That’s the million-dollar question.”

Richie pointed out that with the baby being close to the lungs, she might have a harder time holding notes out. Perry agreed, remembering how pregnancy affected her voice.

“I think there’s a lot there,” Perry said of Slaton’s performance, “but I am worried. It’s a lot, it’s a lot, it’s a lot — so much pressure. We’re not sure.”

When asked what other song Slaton considered singing for the audition, she replied with “One and Only,” by Adele.

“Fight for it,” Perry urged. “You’re fighting for your son, your future, your voice to be heard. Fight for it.”

Then came a commercial break, and after that, Slaton’s second chance to impress the judges, which she did, getting a whoop from Perry partway through.

“All right, we got you, we’re going to give you a chance,” Perry said. “Haley, Haley, this is going to be a lot. Are you ready for it?”

“I’m very ready — yes,” Slaton said.

“It’s a lot. You’re going through a life change, this could be a life change, and give it that and more every single time.”

And with that, the votes were unanimous to send Slaton through to the Hollywood rounds of the competition.

Watch her journey unfold as the show continues Sunday nights at 7 p.m. on ABC-TV. Keep up to date with show clips, interviews and more at abc.com/shows/american-idol.

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