Hartford native Amari will appear on the March 17 episode of “American Idol.”
The episode is one of several in which auditions are held to determine the main contestants for the season.
Amari, who now lives in Indiana and also goes by the fuller name Amari Scott Keys, told the Hartford Courant she had “stopped singing for three or four years” when the opportunity to audition for “American Idol” arose. “My mom had a brain disease, so I was taking care of her.”
Amari, a trans woman, also underwent a medical transition about a year ago.
“I began singing again, doing karaoke for fun,” she said. “My friend from the karaoke sent me a link to audition for ‘American Idol’ and I thought ‘Why not?’”
After the happy surprise of being selected to audition, Amari went to Nashville, where she had a couple of days action-packed with all the things that go along with appearing on a national TV show.
“It was very fast-paced,” she said. “It was a quick taste of what the music business is like.”
One of the things she had to do was film brief promo clips telling Connecticut viewers to make sure they watch on March 17.
Though she said “my karaoke go-tos are more like ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone,” Amari chose a very different sort of song for her audition: A cover of the 2003 Britney Spears hit “Toxic.”
“I wanted to get vocally interesting with a song,” she said, and the Spears tune inspired a fresh interpretation. Generally, she says she likes listening to “big strong vocalists” like R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan.
Amari also writes her own songs, though she hasn’t released any original recordings.
“I was born in Hartford and lived there a long time,” she said, “then I lived in Alabama, then came back to Hartford and then to Waterbury. It’s crazy. Then I moved to Indiana with my boyfriend.”
Those who appear in competitions such as “American Idol” are not allowed to reveal how they fare on the shows. Whether Amari continues as a contestant won’t be known until it is announced on the show.
Connecticut has already had one “American Idol” winner. Guilford native Nick Fradiani won the 14th season in 2015.
The current season of “American Idol,” the show’s 22nd, began Feb. 18. This season’s judges are Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, and the host is Ryan Seacrest.
Virtual auditions were held in August and September, followed by live auditions before the judges. The final televised auditions episode will be on March 24.
“American Idol” airs Sunday nights on the ABC network. For more information, go to the show’s website at abc.com/shows/american-idol.
