An 18-year-old American Idol contestant shocked the judges with a bold heavy metal audition, leaving Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan puzzled—but Carrie Underwood thrilled. A rock fan herself, Underwood jumped in for an impromptu duet of Drowning Pool’s “Bodies,” trading verses and rocking out with the contestant. The unexpected moment had Richie and Bryan cheering, making it one of Idol’s most unforgettable performances.
“Let’s do this Carrie,” Insite said as Underwood joined him.
Insite, Carrie Underwood; Photo Provided by American Idol / ABC
Carrie Underwood embraced her inner rockstar when she teamed up with Insite, an 18-year-old from Florida, on American Idol for a heavy metal cover of “Bodies” by Drowning Pool.
Insite Auditions For American Idol With “Freak On A Leash” By Korn
Insite introduced himself to Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan, letting them know that he is a drum and vocal instructor at School of Rock in Naples, Florida. “So I assume you do, indeed, rock?” Underwood asked, questioning Insite, who is visibly a rocker.
“I was hoping to kind of change things up and blow the roof off of this place, see what I can do,” Insite told the Idol judges prior to his audition, adding that he would be auditioning with a cover of “Freak On A Leash” by Korn.
His song choice brought a big smile to Carrie Underwood’s face as an avid fan of rock music. “You’ve got the hair for it,” Underwood joked as the contestant took his hat off, unveiling long brown hair to head bang with. His performance of the Korn hit found Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan confused, but got Underwood singing along.
“Well, did you guys enjoy that?” Insite asked the Idol judges after he concluded his Korn cover.
Lionel Richie quickly chimed in, “Man, we need that right center stage. I want Carrie to do the duet. She knew every word. Who are you? Who are you?” Richie continued, “first of all, I am enjoying this, but I mean, I don’t know how we fit you in Disney Night. I just can’t figure that out.”
Luke Bryan then added, “You know what? We’ve had people come in and do rock, but you kind of have you own little thing, but I still don’t know vocally.”
Underwood Then Joined Insite For Cover Of Drowning Pool’s “Bodies”
Carrie Underwood went on to request a “softer” song that would better showcase his vocals. However, Insite didn’t have a song in mind that was softer, but actually another song that was even heavier: “Bodies” by Drowning Pool.
Underwood then joined Insite on the American Idol logo in the center of the audition room to perform “Bodies” with the contestant.
“Let’s do this Carrie,” Insite said as Underwood stood beside him. Insite launched into his heavy metal cover of Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” as Underwood danced and traded verses with him. Following their performance together, Richie and Bryan cheered the pair on.
“That was high school for me,” Underwood said of the track to which Richie, in a state of shock, shared, “we are learning about our judge.”
Underwood continued, “I’ve even crowdsurfed people. Well let’s vote.”
Bryan jokingly replied, “you’re the rock God. What do you say?”
Scored A Golden Ticket To Hollywood
Insite ultimately earned three ‘yes’ votes from all three of the American Idol judges, earning a golden ticket and advancing to Hollywood. “Still in shock! I just got the golden ticket to Hollywood!” Insite wrote on social media following his audition.
The 2025 season premiere of American Idol aired on Sunday (March 9) at 8 PM EST.
