Luke Bryan gives shy American Idol contestant Kelsie Dolin a big opportunity

One of the stories early on in American Idol’s 20th season involved Kelsie Dolin.

There were a lot of people that auditioned for American Idol who were from small-towns and struggled to get used to the big lights and stages of American Idol.

Carrie Underwood is the biggest star to ever come out of American Idol and she was a small-town Oklahoma girl who had never flown on a plane before she went to Los Angeles for the show.

This season’s winner, Noah Thompson, wanted to quit at one point because he wanted to go back to his small-town home in Lawrence County, Kentucky.

For Kelsie Dolin, it was one of the hardest small-town girl stories to watch in American Idol history.

Kelsie Dolin struggled to sing on American Idol

When Kelsie Dolin auditioned for American Idol, she was scared to death. She was worried that she wouldn’t be any good and she struggled until the judges got her to open up.

Kelsie was from Boone County, West Virginia, and she called her home the boondocks. She was born to a mother who was an addict, and it was her grandparents who saved her and took her in so she wouldn’t end up in the foster care system.

Her grandmother wanted her to audition for American Idol, but she died in 2021 before she could see her achieve this dream.

Kelsie auditioned with the Kelly Clarkson song Piece by Piece. The judges wanted to hear more and she sang Adele’s When We Were Young, bringing Lionel Richie to tears. They sent her through to Hollywood.

However, things got tougher for Kelsie. She had never taken a plane and when she arrived, she was so scared that the microphone was giving a lot of feedback because she couldn’t stop shaking.

She finally sang her song and the judges said that made her a winner, regardless. However, Kelsie went home.

Luke Bryan has a special opportunity for Kelsie Dolin

However, while Kelsie Dolin struggled mightily on American Idol, Luke Bryan has faith in the young woman.

Luke has scheduled Dolin to sing at Luke’s Raised Up Right Tour’s pre-party concert in Charleston, West Virginia, on June 9.

“If you haven’t got your tickets to the Luke Bryan concert in Charleston, WV, hurry and get them!!! You might just see a familiar face!!!” Dolin shared in her Instagram Stories.

Kelsie Dolin will be performing at the concert with Grayson Wills as the second act.

Luke Bryan’s Raised Up Right Tour will kick off on June 9 in Charleston, West Virginia, and hit 30 cities along the way.

American Idol is on hiatus. The singing reality competition series will return in 2023 to ABC.