Top 10 People with the Best TV Singing Competition Auditions

This is a top 10 list of auditions from shows such as American Idol, The Voice, The X Factor, and whichever others show up.

These auditions absolutely gave me goosebumps, even though some of the performers didn't make it far in the competitions.

The Top Ten

Jackie Evancho - America's Got Talent

Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho is an American classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age. Since 2009, she has issued nine studio albums and three EPs, including a platinum-selling EP and a gold-certified album, while three of her releases debuted in the Billboard 200 top... read more

Turned down twice by the AGT producers, it took YouTube fans to vote her on. She finished #2 before rocketing off the stage to begin an amazing international concert and recording career that's only just begun. And keep an eye out for her third PBS special.

America's Got Talent. Jackie floored everyone and received endless standing ovations as the little girl with the big voice began her voyage to conquer the world.

If you listened to her voice without seeing an image of her, you would expect her to be an experienced, professional classical star. And she's only 14.
Katharine McPhee - American Idol

Katharine Hope McPhee is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In May 2006, she was the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol. Her self-titled debut album was released by RCA Records on January 30, 2007, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 381,000 copies sold.

She sang God Bless the Child in front of the judges of American Idol, and it was one of the best auditions I've seen or heard. Amazing voice and beauty.

Her audition was perfect. Her voice is amazing, and she controlled her breath very well. She sang like a pro!
Bianca Ryan - America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent. She came in and absolutely tore the place down while singing Jennifer Holliday's And I Am Telling You. She also did this when she was 11 years old, which is just incredible.
Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent

Susan Magdalane Boyle, born April 1, 1961, is a Scottish singer who rose to international fame in 2009. She appeared on the television show Britain's Got Talent on April 11 of that year, performing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. Her performance became a viral sensation and launched a successful... read more

I still cry and get goosebumps whenever I view Susan's audition on YouTube. As I write this post, I am getting misty-eyed all over again. As the old cliche says, "She went out onto the stage a nobody and came back a star."

Britain's Got Talent. Surprised everyone, including me, while singing I Dreamed a Dream.

How she totally took everyone by storm.
Leona Lewis - The X Factor UK

Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer, songwriter, and animal welfare campaigner. She was born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, England, where she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. She rose to fame after winning the third series of The X Factor in 2006.

X-Factor Britain. Sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow and certain notes still give me chills while listening to it today.
Javier Colon - The Voice (U.S.)

The Voice. All contestants on this show are usually good singers since they're invited, but his rendition of Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper was absolutely amazing. Once he started singing, I knew this guy was going to win.
Clay Aiken - American Idol

American Idol. Talk about shocking. This guy came out with the glasses and a dorky look but absolutely blew me away with his voice while singing Always and Forever.
Jeffrey Gutt - The X Factor U.S.

X-Factor. He did a great rock rendition of a great song, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. His voice is awesome. It's a shame he didn't make it that far.
Heejun Han - American Idol

American Idol. I didn't expect such a soulful voice from this guy. I actually thought he was going to really suck. He sang How Am I Supposed to Live Without You by Michael Bolton and was fantastic.
Carly Rose Sonenclar - America's Got Talent

Carly Rose Sonenclar is an American singer and teen actress. In December 2012, she became the runner-up on the second season of the American version of The X Factor. Before that, she appeared in Broadway productions such as Les Misérables and Wonderland.

X-Factor. She did an awesome rendition of a Nina Simone song, I Feel Good. For a 13-year-old to sing such an old song like that surprised me. It surprised me even more with her stage presence.

Respectfully... there's no contest here. Carly's audition was clearly in a class all by itself!

Carly Rose Sonenclar is simply amazing! She is definitely a star.

The Newcomers

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Tori Kelly - America's Most Talented Kids

Victoria Loren "Tori" Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She first gained recognition by posting videos on YouTube at age 14 and auditioned for American Idol when she was 16. Kelly has released several albums and earned Grammy Awards for her work in... read more
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Harry Styles - The X Factor UK

Harry Edward Styles is an English singer and songwriter. He initially gained fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. He has since launched a successful solo career with the albums Harry Styles, Fine Line, Harry's House, and Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, producing global hits such as... read more

The Contenders

Lisa Tucker - American Idol

American Idol. Sang One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston, and her voice was just awesome.
Grace VanderWaal - America's Got Talent

Grace Avery VanderWaal is an American singer-songwriter from Suffern, New York. She won the eleventh season of "America's Got Talent" in 2016 at the age of 12, performing her original songs. Her debut EP, "Perfectly Imperfect," was released in 2016, followed by her full-length album "Just the Beginning... read more

It goes without saying. Grace has more views than all of these people combined. The fact that people are watching her every day while the rest of these people are a memory says it all.

This is a joke. Grace is the most popular in this category by far. She had more internet hits in her audition for AGT than the rest of these people combined. That's what popularity is all about!
Olly Murs - The X Factor UK

Oliver Stanley Murs, known professionally as Olly Murs, is an English singer-songwriter, television presenter, and actor. He first came to national attention when he finished as the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009. Since then, he has released multiple albums and served as a host... read more

His version of Superstition was awesome, and he knows how to pump a crowd.
Michelle Chamuel - The Voice (U.S.)
Angie Miller - American Idol

She wrote her own song, "You Set Me Free," and had the judges amazed! The next time she performed, the judges didn't even talk about her performance. They kept mentioning the fact that she is an artist because of her last song and how amazing it was, wishing that everyone got a chance to witness what they had.
Jessica Sanchez - American Idol

Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her runner-up finish on the eleventh season of American Idol Her debut studio album, Me, You & the Music, peaked at number twenty-six on the US Billboard 200. In 2025, nineteen years after... read more

Fantastic voice, great personality, awesome!
Ella Henderson - The X Factor UK

Gabriella Michelle Henderson, known professionally as Ella Henderson, is a British singer and songwriter. She was born on January 12, 1996, in Tetney, Lincolnshire, England... read more
Jaz Ellington - The Voice UK

On The Voice UK, he did his audition song, Ed Sheeran's The A-Team. After Jessie J wanted an encore, he performed John Legend's Ordinary People.
Amber Holcomb - American Idol
Carrie Underwood - American Idol

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma) is an American country singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame by winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005.
Her debut album Some Hearts, released in 2005, produced five hit songs, including "Before He Cheats... read more

She sang "I Can't Make You Love Me." Her voice was so flawless here.
Lin Yu-chun - One Million Star
Amira Willighagen - Holland's Got Talent

Amira Willighagen is a Dutch soprano singer who won the sixth season of Holland's Got Talent in 2013 at the age of 9. She gained international recognition for her operatic performances, despite having had no formal vocal training at the time. Since then, she has performed in several countries and released... read more
Connie Talbot - Britain's Got Talent

Connie Talbot, born on November 20, 2000, is an English singer who gained fame as a finalist on the first season of Britain's Got Talent. She released her debut album, Over the Rainbow, in 2007. Talbot continues to perform as an independent music artist and regularly shares her work on YouTube.
Haley Reinhart - American Idol

Haley Elizabeth Reinhart is an American singer, songwriter, and voice actress from Wheeling, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She rose to fame after finishing third on the tenth season of American Idol in 2011. Reinhart has since released several albums and is also known for her work with the musical... read more
Jordan Smith - The Voice (U.S.)