American Idol season 22: Colin Stough returns, gets a haircut from Singing Barber

American Idol season 22 released its second round of auditions in episode 2 on Sunday, February 25. The segment saw many performances receiving standing ovations, and one of them was from Noah Peters, a 24-year-old from Benton, Tennessee. Famously known as the “Singing barber” in his town, Noah first went viral for crooning Shake It For Me, Girl alongside a little boy customer.

During auditions, Noah impressed the judges with his rendition of Rascal Flatt’s I Won’t Let Go, but after the performance judge Katy Perry enquired whether he’d sing better if given a chance to do a haircut on the show. “I definitely would,” said Noah and this prompted host Ryan Seacrest to bring out American Idol season 21 finalist Colin Stough.

With the equipment set up, Noah gave Colin a trim as the pair sang Broken Halos together. In a confessional, the barber admitted:

“I’ve never shook while cutting hair before, but it happened today. I’m so excited, I now get to put Colin Stough on my client list.”

Ahead of the audition, Noah admitted it was his childhood dream to get a golden ticket on American Idol.

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Noah Peters gets positive critiques from American Idol season 22 judges

After wrapping up Broken Halos with Colin Stough, the young barber hugged the season 21 finalist, revealing he was utterly stoked. The veteran, in return, advised Noah to keep moving forward no matter what the outcome was. “Life’s a garden, dig it,” he told the Singing Barber.

Meanwhile, judge Katy Perry said she recognized an ease oozing out in his performance while he was giving a haircut to Colin. She explained:

“I really want you to visualize that when you sing, that you're just back at the shop giving a trim. I just don't want you to overthink. You’ve got some sweetness to your voice, some soul, some purity. But it's definitely going to need a blunt edge here and there, or some layers. Either way, it going to need some chippity chop.”

Judge Lionel Richie agreed with Katy, noting Noah has a “fantastic” quality of voice but he needs to learn how to “relax.” Lionel advised the Singing Barber to stay true to himself:

“Don't get psyched out. You have a quality of voice that's fantastic. But more importantly, relax. I know that's hard to say. Trust in who you are and what you sound like. You stay true to your lane and you'll be on to something.”

In the end, all three judges, including Luke Bryan, voted “Yes” for Noah Peters to move ahead in the competition. He walked out of the audition room with a golden ticket and an invitation to Hollywood in his hands. The Singing Barber found it almost unreal to come to terms with singing in front of well-known personalities. In his outro interview, Noah noted:

“When you’re from a small town and nothing really happens, singing in front of big stars is a whole another ball game for me. Knowing my life’s going to change is pretty nerve-wrecking, but I’m so excited about this journey.”

Besides him, contestants Emmy Rose Russell, Nyachomba Muchai-Kinya aka Nya, Abi Carter, and Ziggy Krassenberg, were some others who impressed the judges in episode 2. The American Idol season 22 audition rounds will continue for two more episodes before the beginning of the main phase.

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American Idol season 22 will return with episode 3 on Sunday, March 3 on ABC.