BATON ROUGE - The first round of virtual American Idol auditions made their way to the capital region this week.

Addis native Dylan Reaux has a dream as big as the Mississippi River to be a contestant on American Idol. That is why he went through the first round of virtual auditions for the fifth time on Monday. However, he says this is his year.

"I've had a lot of practice. I think it was confidence and vocal strength. You work every day at it and get better. If this happens for me I know it will be an amazing experience and meet more amazing people. Just being on the show would be incredible," Reaux said.

He loves his home state of Louisiana, which is why he wrote a song called "Louisiana Soul" and hopes to sing it in front of the judges soon.

"I wrote that song three years ago in my bedroom because I wanted people that weren't from here to know what it's like to live here," Reaux said.

The show is also welcoming a new judge. Previous winner Carrie Underwood will be replacing Katy Perry.

American Idol producer Adam Davis says when choosing contestants, they look more at who the person is and their story, not just their talent.

"You know the thing that I love about meeting people from Louisiana, any part of that state, is despite anything that may be going on there's always a smile, a laugh, and kindness and the kindness that people of Louisiana bring to the audition is so refreshing," Davis said.

Another Idol hopeful, Tori Bendily, has both a beautiful voice and a touching story.

"I always grew up on music. My family is a huge music-loving family. I have been a recovering addict for almost three years now and music is really the only thing that saved me. I've wanted to be on American Idol as long as I can remember honestly," Bendily said.

Louisiana's no stranger to idol mania. Livingston's Laine Hardy won the title back in 2019. Both Bendily and Reaux hope they're the next idol from Louisiana. Now, it's up to the judges if they'll make it to the next round.

The season is set to start in the spring of 2025.