Canadian talent is no joke, y'all. They start young and they just keep getting better. At least, that's the case for 16-year-old Vancouver Island native, Lauren Spencer-Smith, who just made it into the
American Idol (Sundays at 8pET on CTV2) Top 20 in Sunday night's Hawaii Top 40 showcase. When you got pipes like that, not even the Hawaii heat can hold you down.Lauren absolutely smashed a version of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and honestly, she's got buckets of ours after that performance. The competition was fierce though—putting her up against other female teenage powerhouses Cyniah Elise and Makayla Phillips who sang "Lady Marmalade" and "Sorry Not Sorry" respectively.
All three ladies held their own and all three of the teenagers made the Top 20. While they're all clearly amazing, we're definitely partial to our homegrown girl Lauren, especially since we've had our eye on her since
her audition aired back at the beginning of March. In her first appearance at the Oregon open auditions, Lauren had the judges speechless with her cover of P!nk's "What About Us." All Luke Bryan could get out was "You could sing circles around me." No duh."Last night, you looked the crowd straight in the eye and beat them up," Lionel Richie told Lauren on Sunday's episode. In her post-performance interview, Spencer-Smith said the feeling was overwhelming and she can't wait to show people what she can do.Honey, we think you did that already, but we're pumped to see more.[video_embed id='1932780']RELATED: ‘The Rookie’ is coming to ‘American Idol’ for an unexpected crossover[/video_embed]She may be young, but Lauren has been working at her music career for a good portion of her teen years. She consistently posts videos of herself singing in everyday situations on YouTube and
one of those videos—a cover of Lady Gaga's "Always Remember Us This Way"—got her some
international recognition with its viral popularity. Back at home, she's reaching even greater heights and was even nominated for a Juno for her debut album,
Unplugged, Vol. 1.The next step in Lauren's
Idol journey is the live shows, which were supposed to begin after the selection of the Top 20 (which was filmed earlier in the year). Unfortunately, with COVID-19 concerns, the exact trajectory of the season is unclear but we will be watching for the Canadian standout's next moves.Watch
American Idol Sundays at 8pET on CTV2.[video_embed id='1933748']BEFORE YOU GO: Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal do shirtless handstand challenge because we all need a win right now[/video_embed]
