One American Idol hopeful has found a way to chase his dreams and honor his father — all while making Carrie Underwood cry.
Freddie McClendon made quite the impression on Sunday’s episode when he auditioned with the original song, “You Never Loved Him.” The track was dedicated to his late father, Davis McClendon, whose 2023 hit-and-run death made national news. But for Freddie, it was important to remind people that his father’s death was not the defining moment of his life.
“He was something so much bigger than just the true-crime story of the week,” the 19-year-old shared in a backstage interview. “He was our dad. He meant the world to us.”
Davis died at 46 on May 7, 2023. His body was discovered next to his wrecked car around 1 a.m., initially leading authorities to suspect a hit-and-run before further evidence led them to the estranged husband of Davis’ girlfriend, Bud Ackerman Jr. Ackerman has since been convicted for the murder and sentenced to 45 years in jail.
Davis McClendon on ’48 Hours’. CBS
The homicide has already become the subject of numerous true-crime podcasts and series and was documented in an episode of CBS’ 48 Hours earlier this month.
Freddie told the judges that while music and songwriting have long been interests, his dedication deepened after the loss of his father.
“Everyone was telling the story of his death and I wanted to tell the story of his life,” he explained. The South Carolina college student, cheered on by his mother and two sisters, then launched into the song dedicated to his dad.
“We never got to see him one last time, we never got to tell him goodbye. We never got the chance to even try to warn him that you had lost your mind,” Freddie sang of the untimely loss.
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Afterward, his performance was met with astonishment amongst the judges.
Freddie McClendon on ‘American Idol. Disney/Eric McCandless
“You’ve got a really honest approach to this thing,” Luke Bryan told him. “It’s like our little modern-day Paul Simon.“
Lionel Richie added, “You were able to translate that emotion, that feeling, to the point where you moved people. And that’s what you’re in this business to do.”
Through her tears, Underwood also praised the young musician: “It’s so brave of you to decide that you want to choose the narrative that you want to remember him [as] him. Not what happened, but him,” she said.
Freddie then received a unanimous “yes,” confirming that he would advance to the next round.
Watch Freddie’s ode to his father in the audition clip above.
