Ava Maybee, Daughter of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Drummer Chad Smith, Tries Out for American Idol: Watch
Ava Maybee, daughter of Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ drummer Chad Smith, was rechristened “Ava Yes” on Sunday after wowing the American Idol judges with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Lately.”
Maybee, whose full name is Ava Maybee Cardoso-Smith, took the stage accompanied by Austin Hayman on acoustic guitar. Her rich alto voice reminded judge Lionel Richie of Cher, and the run-heavy performance prompted Luke Bryan to opine, “I do feel like you’re an artist. I’m interested to hear and see more of what you’ve got going on.”
Meanwhile, Katy Perry cautioned her that with such a low register, she’ll be “challenged a lot” going forward in the competition. Perry did seem wowed with her outfit, saying, “I don’t know how you put floral and leopard together but it looks so good on you.” Perhaps most impressively, none of the judges seemed aware of her musical lineage. Ritchie said, “I’m going to go against your family. You’re not going to be a Maybee, you’re going to be a For Sure.”
“Ava Yes!” Perry and Bryan both agreed, securing the young talent a golden ticket to Hollywood. Check out her performance below.
Maybee isn’t the only descendant of a music icon to audition this year. Last month, Aretha Franklin’s 15-year-old granddaughter tried out, though the judges weren’t impressed.
As for Maybee’s famous father, Smith and the rest of Red Hot Chili Peppers are gearing up to release Unlimited Love, their first album with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006. The LP is out April 1st, and so far they’ve shared the singles “Not the One,” “Poster Child,” and “Black Summer,” which we named our Song of the Week.
This summer, the alternative legends will embark on a massive stadium tour with support from The Strokes, Beck, St. Vincent, HAIM, A$AP Rocky, Anderson .Paak, Thundercat, and King Princess. The tour includes a headlining appearance at Louder Than Life 2022, and tickets are available here.