Carnie Wilson of the '90s pop vocal trio Wilson Phillips spoke out in response to the slew of cruel comments leveled at her 19-year-old daughter Lola Bonfiglio after she auditioned for American Idol .
"I just wanna say, we're human, and the internet is so cruel. It can be so cruel," Wilson said during the "Music of the ’90s" panel at 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut.
On the March 23 episode of American Idol, Lola was joined by her dad, musician and producer Robert Bonfiglio, to perform for the teen's audition in front of the AI judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.
The judges were surprised when Lola brought out her mom and aunt, Wendy. The siblings are daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, and they comprised Wilson Phillips with singer Chynna Phillips Baldwin, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas.
The judges were delighted to hear Lola leading the family band to sing one of Wilson Phillips' popular hits, "Hold On."
For her audition, Lola was given the floor to sing Kasey Musgrave's 2019 hit song "Rainbow," which got three yeses from the judges who complimented her voice.
They also gave Lola constructive notes and encouraged her to be less tentative, as Bryan pointed out, "This competition is going to require you to belt, too, and let loose a little bit, filling up the room a little more."
Here is a video of the audition.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Many fans praised Lola's voice, saying it reminded them of a Disney princess, and the performance of "Hold On" made them nostalgic for an era filled with some of the catchiest tunes in pop history.
Some social media users, however, were less supportive.
"She’s not ready," wrote a YouTube commenter, referring to the brutal competition awaiting the aspiring singer in the reality series, now in its 23rd season.
Another called her out for trying to leverage her advantage in the competition as a "nepo baby," saying "If you feel you have to use the family spotlight to go through, you ain’t good enough!"
A third wrote, "Her singing made me think of middle school talent shows."
In response to the criticism, Wilson said "The internet is so cruel, and the comments were really pissing me off, and I can't respond."
Wilson continued:
"Would you encourage a doctor's son not to be a doctor? No. Would you ever say, 'Don't be a doctor because your dad's a doctor'? Lola wants to be a singer, and they say these terrible things, and she was so hurt."
The 56-year-old singer recalled that Lola was "really scared" to audition for AI, saying that the experience was "the scariest thing she has ever done."
"She was trembling with nerves, and she did great," said Wilson, adding:
"I'm so proud of her, and they asked us to sing, you know, so we came and crashed the party. I don't think that Lionel and Carrie Underwood and Luke knew we were gonna be there, so that was fun."
Wilson emphasized that despite coming from a famous musical family bloodline, her daughter was "an aspiring artist."
Her Wilson Phillips group mate, Phillips Baldwin, who was also at the "Music of the 90s" panel with Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean, noted that she "read some [comments], too, and I think that we need to recognize there were beautiful comments...the majority of the comments were very supportive."
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
Wilson acknowledged the encouraging comments but asked haters to reconsider posting hurtful comments, especially after watching the toll they took on her daughter, who's just starting out in the business.
"I just want people to understand that it's not all these happy glitter things. We're real people with hearts and souls," Wilson said.
Here is a news report of the story.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
The new season, which kicked off on March 2, premiered with the '90s family theme when Backstreet Boys' band member Brian Littrell performed an impromptu duet with his 21-year-old son, Balyee.
The musical scion then sang his original song "Waiting on Myself to Die" while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for the audition, which received a unanimous "yes" from the AI judges.
Baylee joined Lola for the bloodbath that is American Idol's Hollywood week, when more than half of the 144 contestants were eliminated from the competition.
He survived the cut, but unfortunately for Lola, it was the end of her AI journey.
Regardless of her exit, we hope to see more of Lola as her music career develops further and fans take more notice of her angelic voice.
American Idol/YouTube
American Idol/YouTube
Keep singing, Lola!
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