S.A. teen on ‘Idol’ headed to Hollywood
She may not be San Antonio’s answer to Taylor Swift quite yet, but she’s still going to Hollywood.
Liliana Tovar Dalton, a 17year-old senior at Antonian High School, earned a golden ticket Sunday, the final night of auditions on “American Idol.”
She was showcased early in the show with interview clips that played up her resemblance to Swift.
She talked about how she was inspired to write as “I Knew You Were Trouble” played in the background.
“I’m a teenage girl, and I have a lot of feelings — about boys, especially,” she told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest. “I’m young, so I might as well enjoy it and write a bunch of songs about stupid teenage boys while I can.”
She auditioned with an original song called “5%,” which she sang while playing the piano. She said the title was a reference to how much effort an ex-boyfriend put into their relationship.
The judges seemed to appreciate her more for her potential than where she, and the song, are right now.
“I feel like that was just one long text message,” Katy Perry said, then added: “Even though that song lacked a little bit of fundamental structure, I loved it. It was raw. It was honest. It was vulnerable.
Lionel Richie had similar thoughts.
“I want you to understand there’s potential there” he said, “but you can’t just kind of nonchalantly walk out there and and sing ‘la la la.’ So I just want to toughen you up.”
The judges asked her to sing a bit of Adele’s “Someone Like You” a cappella to see of she had a fifth gear: the ability to perform with more volume and convey strong emotions.
It must have worked because she got three yeses, even after she dropped an f-bomb while talking to the judges.
San Antonio “Idol” fans might have missed Sunday’s episode because it didn’t air until after 1 a.m.
KSAT devoted prime time last night to coverage of high school All-star basketball games. The episode is now streaming on Hulu.
The Hollywood Week episode of “American Idol” airs at 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC.