It is still early goings, but American Idol contestant Slater Nalley may already have claimed the moment of the season all to himself.
The Woodstock, Georgia-native took the stage during the Season 23 auditions, bringing its panel of superstar judges (which includes Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie) to tears with his original song "Traces of You."
While the reality TV staple is no stranger to viral star-making moments, Nalley had the honor of being one of Season 23's first.
Get To Know American Idol Contestant Slater Nalley
Slater Nalley Has Attended The Lovett School Since Kindergarten
One of the key details viewers learned about Slater Nalley in his first American Idol appearance is his deep-rooted connection to the school he went to.
Nalley attended the Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, from Kindergarten right through to graduation. The 18-year-old (who was 17 at the time of his audition), was a key member of the Lovett community for his entire time there, garnering the nickname a "Lovett Lifer."
Lovett is an independent learning institution that has been serving the Atlanta area for over 90 years, specializing in a philosophy of 'Whole Child Education.' It teaches a unique curriculum where students are learn by doing with a focus on "how to think instead of what to think" (via Lovett.org).
In a profile on the American Idol contestant by Lovett, Nalley credits the school for molding into the person he is today.
"Lovett prepared me in my character," Lovett posited, admitting "[There were] a lot of times where I was feeling down on myself, and I would always have the support of faculty:"
"I think that Lovett prepared me in my character,” said Slater. “[There were] a lot of times where I was feeling down on myself, and I would always have the support of faculty. The main thing I have to thank Lovett for is Mrs. Davis; they hire really incredible faculty."
Slater Has Been Singing Since He Can Remember
Singing has long been something Slater Nalley has been passionate about. In fact, the aspiring American Idol entrant has had music flowing through his veins for as long as he can remember.
Nalley told The Lovett OnLion in 2023, "I actually can’t remember my life without singing:"
"For as long as I can remember; I actually can’t remember my life without singing. [Singing is] an out-of-life experience and a connection with the world."
He credits artists like Tyler Childres, Jason Isbell, and Nathaniel Rateliff as some of his biggest musical influences and hopes he can make people explore their emotions with his performances.
According to the aspiring musical superstar, he has also fallen in love with playing guitar. Guitar is the first instrument that imprinted itself on Nalley, receiving his first guitar from his parents after he had spent months saving up in his early teens.
It was this early showing of talent that turned heads long before he appeared on the hit reality series. In a conversation with The Ticker, local venue employee Bekah Bell described Nalley's early beginnings, saying she remembers him at 15 years old "singing with the soul and the pain of someone like Chris Stapleton:"
"Here he was at 15 years old, singing with the soul and the pain of someone like Chris Stapleton. He has a lot of maturity in his voice…and there’s this juxtaposition between this young, polite 'Yes ma'am' kid and a tortured artist storyteller who can devastate you with a song."
Slater Has Performed in Several Musicals
Outside of performing original tunes or songs from his favorite country artists, Slater Nalley has also been known to take the stage in another form.
Nalley has starred in several stage musicals at the Lovett School. In his time attending the Atlanta institution, he played the Big Bad Wolf in Into the Woods and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He has said he loves performing stage musicals and feels as comfortable singing and acting in musical theater as he does performing with his guitar on stage.
The Backstory Behind Slater's Traces of You
Slater Nalley took American Idol fans by storm with his performance of his original song "Traces of You" during his tear-jerking audition.
The song was introduced by one of Nalley's former teachers, Michele Davis, in something of an unprecedented move. She stood in front of the show's panel of celebrity judges (which saw a major change coming into this season), describing what they were about to hear.
It turns out Nalley's original song was inspired by the death of Davis's son, Carter, years before the Georgia educator had crossed paths with the aspiring singer.
Describing what went into the song, Davis told the American Idol judges, "Slater had heard the story about my son, and I had written a poem," so she asked if he could look at it:
"Slater had heard the story about my son, and I had written a poem, and the second year I had taught him, I asked would you mind looking at the poem? I would love to see what your thoughts are and how you turn a poem into a song. So he did, and two week later, he wrote the song."
Carter Davis was killed in the summer of 2016 in a random shooting in the suburbs North of Atlanta at just 17 years old.
Nalley's tribute to the late teenager brought the American Idol judges to tears, punching his ticket to Hollywood and moving on to the next round.
