“I had so much to smile about with my audition and I just knew I’d really regret it if I didn’t give this another shot,” he shared.
Julian Kalel has returned to American Idol with a story of strength and survival. After earning a golden ticket during his 2025 audition, he made the difficult decision to step away from the competition to focus on his mental health. Now, he’s back, healthier and stronger than ever, ready for the chance to compete and share his powerful story through music.
“Last year I’d auditioned. I had no idea what to expect. Obviously, I was terrified. When I talk about it with my sister, we both say that we kind of just blacked out and gave a performance of our lives, I guess,” he said, recalling the audition where his sister played violin alongside him.
At the time, he opened up about his battle with anxiety and depression through an original song titled “Surrender.” This performance completely wowed the judges, ultimately earning him a coveted golden ticket. Kalel recalls feeling as though his life had completely changed in that moment.
Julian Kalel; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
“It was one of the greatest moments of my life,” Kalel admits.
He goes on to say that while the excitement reached an all-time high in that moment, the reality was he was unable to continue in the competition.
“There were shared concerns about my abilities to balance a journey like American Idol and my mental health. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression my freshman year of high school, but I’d been struggling with those feelings for a big part of my life. I mean, through even elementary and middle school.”
Kalel’s mom, Melodya, remembered the moment her son told them that he was in a bad place mentally.
“I mean, it’s a knife to your chest because you are thinking what’s going on, what’s happening? And he said, ‘I’m sad all the time,’” she shared.
Since he first stepped into the Idol audition room, Bryan says he has thought “a lot” about the 19-year-old hailing from El Paso, TX. Luckily, with support from his parents, along with receiving help from mental health professionals, Kalel was able to reconnect with the thing that keeps him most grounded – music.
“I had so much to smile about with my audition and I just knew I’d really regret it if I didn’t give this another shot. I’m just hoping that whatever I’m doing, just reflects the message of just not giving up, and most importantly, to not be defined by your struggles, but by your strengths. I choke up just thinking about it because I’m very lucky to be here. Life is a gift.”
Julian Kalel; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Julian Kalel appeared in front of judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan and once again delivered an original song that touched on his real-life battle with mental health.
“The song today is called ‘Long Guitar.’ I wrote it at a very dark time in my life where I was at a crossroads of deciding whether or not to give up or to keep going and found that it’s as simple as just stay one more day. That’s the message.”
With his sister on fiddle once again, the young artist gave a raw, gut-punching performance. He plucked his guitar strings and let his voice carry every word as the lyrics wrestled with the quiet struggle to keep going. The moment was deeply personal as he spoke to his own journey while sending the reminder that strength doesn’t always look loud, and sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to push through the pain and stay.
Photo Courtesy JULIAN KALEL
“I should stay/ I should stay/ oh I’ll stitch my arms and learn to love these marks along the way/ Oh I should stay/ Lord let me stay/ I got too much to give/ I got ‘I Love You’s’ to say/ Don’t want to make my old man cry/ Leave my momma screaming ‘why?’/ Guess I’ll mend this bleeding heart/ The light headed my way/ To the boy alone and suffering/ thinking no one understands/ if its strength that you need/ You don’t have to be a man,” Kalel sang with nothing but true authenticity and power in his words.
After finishing his performance, Julian was met with heartfelt praise from the judges.
Lionel Richie welcomed him back warmly, telling him, “I’m going to leave you with some words that I keep repeating over and over again, and I’m going to pass it on to you. You were born enough.”
Carrie Underwood, visibly moved by the song he just delivered, stated, “Everything about you is just honest and you organize your thoughts and your feelings into song in a way that comes across so real. That is something that’s needed very much.”
Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Bryan then chimed in with his own enthusiasm, “Yeah, man, you got the magic. I think that you’re incredible. I think you have all the skills and tools of a great singer. So glad you’re back and we’ll just have fun with this thing.”
Julian Kalel earned a unanimous “yes” from the judges, securing his second golden ticket. His parents came into the room just as he heard the good news and hugged him tightly as he processed the moment.
“I just felt understood. I felt seen for the artist that I try to be. I want to spread my message. You are loved and everyone is born enough. Everyone is in fact, born enough,” Kalel shared in his final message.
This incredibly touching performance closed out tonight’s round of auditions. More hopeful artists are set to take the stage on Monday, Feb. 9. American Idol Season 24 airs Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.