“American Idol” will enter a new era of sorts when Season 23 premieres on March 9 — the season will mark the first time in seven seasons that a new (but still familiar) face will be behind the judging table.
Twenty years after winning “Idol,” country superstar Carrie Underwood is replacing Katy Perry and joining Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan as a judge on the long-running competition show.
Although the new season hasn’t aired yet, “Idol” fans are already getting a glimpse of some of the contestants who will be doing everything in their power to impress the judges and get a ticket to Hollywood.
And for fans of “The Voice,” at least one aspiring “Idol” winner will likely be familiar.
Thunderstorm Artis is auditioning for ‘American Idol’
In early February, former “Voice” contestant Thunderstorm Artis revealed that he auditioned for Season 23 of “American Idol.”
“Well I guess I should let this cat out the bag,” he shared with fans on social media. “Tune in March 9th to see if I made it through my audition on @americanidol."
The singer’s appearance on “Idol” comes five years after he auditioned for “The Voice” and made it all the way to the finale as a member of Nick Jonas' team.
Artis isn’t the only “American Idol”-“The Voice” crossover this season.
Victor Solomon, who was a member of John Legend’s team on Season 20 of “The Voice,” has also reportedly auditioned for “American Idol.”
The current season of “The Voice,” meanwhile, features a singer named Renzo, who made it to the top 10 on “American Idol” seven years ago, as the Deseret News reported.
A look back at Thunderstorm Artis on ‘The Voice’
For his blind audition on “The Voice,” Artis stepped onto the stage with an acoustic guitar and began to lightly strum as he sang The Beatles' “Blackbird.”
The slower, more drawn-out version of the famous song won over all four coaches — Jonas, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Legend.
Legend, who is known for being more selective when it comes to turning his chair, said Artis had a “magical” tone. The then-23-year-old singer chose to join Legend’s team, but was later stolen by Jonas during the Knockout round, as the Deseret News reported.
The singer-songwriter from Hawaii was a favorite throughout the show’s 18th season, which took an unprecedented turn due to the pandemic.
The season finale took place remotely, with the top five singers — including Artis — performing from their homes.
Artis ultimately placed third in the competition (the victory went to Todd Tilghman, a pastor from Mississippi).
Who is Thunderstorm Artis?
Since his appearance on “The Voice,” Artis has continued his music career, sharing stages with artists like Jack Johnson and the Zac Brown Band, according to his website.
The 29-year-old artist opened for Train on the band’s summer tour in 2023 — which included a stop in Salt Lake City, as the Deseret News reported. He returned to Salt Lake last year for his own tour.
Artis is from Hawaii and grew up in a large musical family (he’s one of 11 kids). His father, Ron Artis, was a session musician who played keyboards on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” per the Deseret News.
When his father died suddenly from a heart attack, Artis began singing more as a way to cope with his grief, according to the singer’s bio for “The Voice,” the Deseret News reported.
The singer-songwriter has released a lot of music since “The Voice.” His song “Stronger” was featured on the Season 19 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy” (that version has been streamed more than 14 million times on Spotify). In 2023, he released “Surprise,” a song about his wife, Faith, who he met after doing his blind audition for “The Voice” in 2020.
“We met randomly at a concert,” Artis told People. “At the time, I didn’t think that true love really existed. And to my surprise, she came into my life and tore down a lot of these walls.
“I’ve always written from a place of pain and turmoil and deep, thought-provoking things,” he continued. “But with ‘Surprise,’ I wanted to go the opposite way. It was the first time that I was able to write about something that I’m super happy about.”
Artis released his 2023 single “Stand Up Eight,“ which has more than 1 million streams on Spotify. His YouTube channel features a mixture of originals and covers. His latest single, “Take it Slow,” came out this month.
The singer received high praise as Train’s opener back in 2023.
“His emotional covers of ‘Blackbird,’ ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ were brilliant, but his original closing track ‘I’m So In Love With You’ earned him a standing ovation as he left the stage. His wife should be pleased the song he wrote for her brought the crowd to its feet,” Dan Savoie wrote in a review for 519 Magazine.