Aaron Wayne Kelly (born April 2nd, 1993) was a contestant on Season 9 of American Idol.
Audition[]
Aaron auditioned in Orlando. He sang "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. All four judges voted "yes", sending him to the next round.
Hollywood Round[]
He was shown in a group with Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox singing "Get Ready" by The Temptations. On his final solo performance, he sang "Angel" by Sarah MacLachlan. After that, she was placed in a holding room with Shelby Dressel, Haeley Vaughn, Maddie Penrose, Jessica Furney, Angela Martin, Didi Benami, Lee DeWyze, Lacey Brown, Ashley Rodriguez, Joe Munoz, John Park, J.B. Ahfua and Janell Wheeler. It was revealed that everyone in the room had advanced. During the final deliberation, it was revealed that he did enough to make the Top 24.
Top 24[]
Aaron sang "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 20[]
Aaron sang "My Girl" by The Temptations. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 16[]
Aaron sang "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. He received enough votes to become a Top 12 finalist.
Top 12[]
Aaron sang "Angie" by The Rolling Stones.
Performances[]
| Week # | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | N/A | "The Climb" | Miley Cyrus | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Group Round | "Get Ready" | The Temptations | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Second Solo | "Angel" | Sarah McLachlan | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 (12 Men) | Billboard Hot 100 Hits | "Here Comes Goodbye" | Rascal Flatts | 2 | Safe |
| Top 20 (10 Men) | "My Girl" | The Temptations | 8 | Safe | |
| Top 16 (8 Men) | "I'm Already There" | Lonestar | 6 | Safe | |
| Top 12 | The Rolling Stones | "Angie" | The Rolling Stones | 11 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Billboard #1 Hits | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Aerosmith | 4 | Safe |
| Top 10 | R&B/Soul | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | 10 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Lennon/McCartney | "The Long and Winding Road" | The Beatles | 1 | Bottom 3 |
| Top 9 | Elvis Presley | "Blue Suede Shoes" | Carl Perkins | 5 | Safe |
| Top 7 | Inspirational | "I Believe I Can Fly" | R. Kelly | 4 | Bottom 3 |
| Top 6 | Shania Twain | "You've Got a Way" | Shania Twain | 5 | Safe |
| Top 5 | Frank Sinatra | "Fly Me to the Moon" | Kaye Ballard | 1 | Eliminated |
Trivia[]
- This marks the first time two separate contestants had the exact same name, along with season 4's Aaron Kelly.
- Aaron shares the same birthday as Season 9 winner, Lee DeWyze. Coincidentally, the other two Top 5 males (Casey James and Michael Lynche) each share a birthday as well (May 31st).
| Season 9 |
| Finalists |
| ·Lee DeWyze ·Crystal Bowersox ·Casey James ·Michael Lynche ·Aaron Kelly ·Siobhan Magnus ·Tim Urban ·Katie Stevens ·Andrew Garcia ·Didi Benami ·Paige Miles ·Lacey Brown |
| Semifinalists |
| ·Katelyn Epperly ·Todrick Hall ·Alex Lambert ·Lilly Scott – ·Michelle Delamor ·John Park ·Jermaine Sellers ·Haeley Vaughn – ·Tyler Grady ·Joe Muñoz ·Ashley Rodriguez ·Janell Wheeler – ·Chris Golightly |