iHeartRadio Music News

Luke Bryan & Huntergirl Perform Iconic Randy Travis Song

By Kelly Fisher

May 23, 2022

Photo: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

Luke Bryan took the stage during the American Idol Season 20 finale with a contestant whose success he predicted from the first time he heard her voice. Huntergirl, who finished runner-up on Sunday night (May 22), teamed up with Bryan to duet one of Randy Travis’ most iconic songs.

The Winchester, Tennessee native and the “Down To One” artist delivered a heartfelt performance of “I Told You So,” singing on the heartbreak song: “I told you so/ Oh, I told you so/ I told you some day you'd come/ Crawling back and asking me to take you in/ I told you so/ But you had to go/ And now I've found somebody new/ And you will never break my heart in two again”

Bryan revealed last week that he would sing with Huntergirl during the finale. Fellow celebrity judge Katy Perry sang “Firework” with Leah Marlene, and Melissa Etheridge took the stage to perform “I’m The Only One” with Noah Thompson, who won the competition this season.

Bryan picked Huntergirl to go far in the competition during her first audition in front of the celebrity judge panel, which also includes Lionel Richie. Bryan hailed Huntergirl — who introduced herself as a Tennessee native who works with veterans in music therapy to help them cope with PTSD — his “favorite female country voice I’ve heard in five years.” He also deemed her a “new age Miranda Lambert,” and predicted she would at least make the Top 10.

Huntergirl also made history as the first recipient of the platinum ticket, which allowed her to bypass the first round of Hollywood week. Only three platinum tickets were available for the entire season, and all three judges had to agree unanimously to award one to a contestant. Host Ryan Seacrest deemed it a “game changer.”

Watch Huntergirl and Bryan perform a Travis classic here:

Todd Matthews