Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 24, 2021

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK MARCH 24, 2021
From life in a tent to joy in
Tinseltown, American Idol hopefuls Ammon and Liahona Olayan are proving that success can happen in an instant with a great song.
L
once, their dust-up got so personal and
And boom, just like that, the Olayans soared into the show’s next round with their winning tickets in hand. The one-time residents of Pāhoa entered Hollywood Week on March 21, in Tin- seltown. There, they were hoping to fight on in their pursuit of becoming the next American Idol.
ike most siblings, Ammon and Li- ahona Olayan are capable of butt- ing heads every now and then. But
Regardless of what happens in the competi-
about the duo that many viewers likely agreed with: “I think the sky’s the limit, and I’m just freaking out!”
nasty that the two stopped talking to each other for a period of time.
“We weren’t scrapping or nothing like that, but we said some pretty mean words to each other and went our sepa-
rate ways,” recalls Ammon.
“We were holding grudges,” remem-
bers Liahona.
Unlike most brothers and sisters, how-
ever, the Olayans are also capable of turning raw emotions into catchy melodies and hurt feelings into thoughtful lyrics. In fact, they’re so good at making music together that they’ve turned their beef into an ap- parent hit single with Boom, an original composition that the pair performed
Former Big Island residents Ammon and Liahona Olayan were hoping to survive Hollywood Week, which began March 21. PHOTO COURTESY AMERICAN IDOL
“I think it’s way more than anything I could have imagined — from releasing our own song to being able to sing on American Idol,” says Ammon, 18, who along with Liahona, 17, pre- viously released an EP titled Life is Good and were featured on a youth album for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We’ve re- ceived so much love and support, so many good comments and so many awesome fans that say that they’re rooting for us and hope we get big.”
on A
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tion, the Olayans are grateful to be able to show- case their musical talent to the world.
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celebrity judges Katy Per- ry, Luke Bryan and Lionel
Richie.
Suffice to say, the judg-
Liahona and Ammon Olayan’s song was originally called Listen to My Heart, but was changed because “everyone was calling it Boom,” explains Liahona. “They were like, ‘That chorus stay stuck in my head!’” PHOTO COURTESY AMERICAN IDOL
es were blown away by the Olayans’ presentation during the televised audi- tion that aired last month — with all three praising the teenagers for their “fresh” sound and considerable songwriting abilities.
Already, they have solo projects in the works, as well as a joint album they plan to drop soon. Fans should not only expect soul music with a bit of “pop-hop” fun on their upcoming releases, but material that’s also filled with meaningful and uplifting messages.
In particular, Perry called the siblings “tal- ented beyond belief” and noted they “should be signed right now,” while Bryan uttered the words
“There’s just too much depression and stuff
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