An American Idol contestant is making amends for a tough time on last week’s episode.
Nutsa Buzaladze has been a fan favorite on the show so far this season. But she wasn’t a favorite of her duet partner Carina DeAngelo last episode when the two got together for the show’s vaunted Hollywood Week. And now, after the dust has settled on that duet dust-up, Nutsa is coming clean to judge Katy Perry after a very awkward on-camera interaction!
Related: Mom Of 3 QUITS ‘Idol’ Following Standing Ovation & Katy Perry Mom Shame Drama!
So, first, if you missed it last week, Nutsa and Carina were paired up to sing a duet in front of judges Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Things didn’t go so well from the very beginning, though. Carina explained to producers how Nutsa went to sleep the night before their performance instead of staying up to rehearse.
After a long night of stops and starts, the two women got on stage together in front of the judging trio. There, Katy asked how rehearsals went, and Carina admitted something less-than-ideal happened:
“We had a couple of issues last night… some people wanted to sleep instead of working.”
Nutsa looked on in shock — and silence — amid that reveal in front of the high-powered judges!
As you can see (below), the tension was seriously palpable during the entirety of last week’s duet drama:
Of course, as American Idol fans know, Carina did NOT end up making it through the duet round following their ill-fated performance.
The judges did keep Nutsa around, though. But Katy counseled the star-to-be while on stage that she needed to have “more grace” in working with and performing alongside other singers. Oof!
Related: Katy Breaks Down After ‘Idol’ Performer Reveals Emotional School Shooting Story
Now let’s fast forward to this Sunday night’s new ep, and we’ve got updates!!!
During Sunday’s brand-new Idol ep, Buzaladze sat down with the three judges for a meeting. Even before their 3-on-1 chat, in her opening interview with producers, Nutsa admitted how difficult the duet had been for her:
“Duet round was the hardest emotional experience I’ve had in my life… ever. I am not this person. I have never been this person.”
Then, in her judge meeting, the singer immediately opened up with a direct apology meant for the Firework superstar. Nutsa said she felt “very bad” about what transpired with DeAngelo, and added:
“I wanted to tell my side of the story and I felt so bad I was frozen. I didn’t want to bring negative energy so that’s why I didn’t say nothing. I didn’t speak up because I didn’t want to cry on stage. After I left the stage I was just destroyed. So I wanted to apologize for that.”
Ugh!
The Dark Horse singer was immediately moved by the frank admission. Katy dropped her note cards, stood up, and went to give Nutsa a big, long hug as Lionel and Luke looked on and praised the women.
Then, Katy gave her own powerful response to the young rising star with some career advice to boot:
“That is great. That’s so wonderful and Nutsa, what I meant by grace is that it’s OK to be determined and ambitious and edgy and strong but also with grace. I really relate to you because I know what’s like to be a strong woman… to want to be strong and to never break and feel like nothing can ever get to me but that’s not real. You’re a real person with a big heart and a big talent.”
Well said!!
As you can see (below), Nutsa really owned up to a difficult time during the duet week. And then she sang the hell out of Tina Turner‘s Proud Mary to keep pushing forward in the music competition:
It all ended well for Buzaladze, who officially made this season’s top 24 after that performance! She called her mom to deliver the amazing news, and said this to her proud parent on the phone:
“It’s the biggest thing that’s happened in my life!”
Awww!
More top 24 entry tickets will be handed out on Monday night’s Idol ep. We can’t wait to see who else will be joining Nutsa!
What’d U make of her authentic apology to Katy, y’all? She definitely handled that part with grace. Right?!
Still, so much drama on Idol so far this season. Like, damn!!!
[Image via American Idol/YouTube]
The post <i>American Idol</i> Contestant Apologizes To Katy Perry After Being Told To Show More 'Grace' In Competition! appeared first on Perez Hilton.