Claudia Conway rephrases her story – using her own voice to navigate the rough waters of online shame.
The troubled TikTok teen’s first official ‘American Idol’ contest presentation came with his own one-woman cheering squad: her mother, former Trump administration spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway.
Claudia seemed to have taken the judges to Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie’s earlier advice to silence all the ‘negativity that surrounded her’ so she could focus on her vocal potential – and what? she wanted to consist of her suddenly controversial.
The just raven-black 16-year-old told viewers on Sunday that she believes it is “ the most important thing in the world ” to establish her own identity – through music. While her proud mother cheered on her, she went on to release a passionate rendition of “River” by Bishop Briggs during her Genre Challenge performance for Hollywood Week.
The trio of judges approved – and took Claudia to the next round, as her mom started using slow burnt ham like any other crazy-proud parent in the audience.
The New Jersey high school student’s revealing performance came after reports that ABC was in “crisis mode” above the high-profile TikTok teen who caught the attention of other participants. Rumors spread after her first performance was labeled “exploitative” as it appeared to capitalize on her serious battle with mom Kellyanne, 54, which included a police investigation after a nude photo of her daughter was posted on social media in January.
However, the infamous social media star made it to round two after a rough audition in February, in which she wore a skimpy bandana and echoed a wobbly rendition of Rihanna’s ‘Love on the Brain’. Judge Katy Perry immediately interrupted Conway’s first tryout and told her to take off her glittery stilettos and try a different tune.
“You have to calm the storm around you,” Perry warned her at the time, “because if you sing like you want to read the comments on social media afterwards, you will only become a TikTok star.”
Claudia then redeemed herself with a look at Adele’s “When We Were Young,” which brought her proud father – anti-Trump lawyer George Conway, 57 – to tears as he listened just outside the audition room. “She loves music,” he said, suffocating in February. “It makes me happy to see her here.”
But it was Mommy who showed up as a daughter on Sunday’s episode and offered unsolicited singing tips (“that was a bit flat”) that Claudia politely turned down with a series of eye rolls before her mother smothered her in festive hugs after the performance.
Kellyanne – who reportedly has a multi-million dollar book deal in the works – even grabbed a few bars from Alicia Keys’ 2012 national anthem “Girl on Fire” to cheer on her little girl.
