Kenyan singer Nyachomba Muchai lights up the internet after impressive American Idol audition

A Kenyan-American has wowed the internet after her effortless American Idol audition floored the judges and won plaudits from thousands of viewers online.

US-born Nyachomba Muchai, who goes by the stage name Nya, recently appeared before the American Idol judging trio in an attempt to audition and proceed to the next stage of the competition which is on its 22nd season.

While appearing before legendary soul singer Lionel Richie, pop star Katy Perry and country singer Luke Bryan, a visibly bubbly Nya let out a hearty laugh as Katy Perry took her through a short introductory process - which she impressively nailed too.

Perry: What's your name?

Nya: I'm Nya... 

Perry: Tell me about yourself

Nya: What do you wanna know? 

Perry: What's your dream? Who are you? What do you think? What's important?

Nya: I'm a superstar! Singer, dancer, actor, musician...

Perry: What do you do in New York?

Nya: I do Broadway performances...

Perry: Are you from New York City?

Nya: No, I'm Kenyan, but I grew up in Florida and I've travelled all around and now I live here.

Perry: What you do at Broadway is what brings home the bacon? 

Nya: (Laughing) No, it doesn't. I do other things to make that bread...but hopefully this will get me to do what I hopefully want to do...

After the brief and fizzy exchange, Nya then revealed that she wished to perform Willow Smith's song 'Wait a Minute'.

"Willow?" Perry exclaims. "Yeah!" Nya responds, confidently.

The Broadway performer then goes on to deliver a knockout rendition of the Willow Smith composition, hitting all the right notes, owning the song, bringing her own twist to the hit and utterly flooring the judging panel who immediately gave her a standing ovation.

Impressed, the judges wasted no time in showering praises on Nya, complimenting her powerful voice, her effortless range, her confidence and full personality. 

"My favorite performance, audition this year. The most impressive thing is you don't sound Broadway...you are actually a massive singer, a massive personality!" Judge Luke Bryan says.

"When I heard your laugh, the volume of your laugh, I was like, 'that is exactly right’... Yeah!"

On his part, Lionel Richie singled out Nya's personality, telling her she was “good to go.”

"You have effortless control and your personality is already defined. What you have are the goods, I think, to go all the way...This is my best audition this year!" he exclaimed. 

Katy Perry played around a little as she left her seat and held up a running fan to Nya's face to mimic a superstar stadium performance as they both went back and forth, redoing some lines in the Smith hit.

"I'm gonna start with a 'YES' because there is no... De-NYA-ing...." Perry says as she plays on Nya's name in the place of 'deny'.

"There's no de-NYA-ing that you are a star!" Perry declares.

Richie agrees, "Nya, there's no de-Nya! It's a 'YES' for me!"

Also clearly thrilled by the audition was the US Embassy in Kenya who took to their X account to show their support to Nya.

"Rooting for Kenyan singer Nyachomba Muchai on Season 22 of @AmericanIdol! Congratulations on earning a Golden Ticket!" the account tweeted.

Hundreds of other Kenyans have also left congratulatory messages under the tweet, with many wishing Nya all the best as she proceeded to the next stages of the nail-baiting singing contest.

Finland-based Kenyan Benard Mwasi threw his support behind Nya, saying, "After watching a short clip... The laughter, the voice, the honesty...I went to look for the full clip but in vain. Thank you for sharing and the launching of this campaign. From Finland with love, I second you!"

Another new-found fan, Scovvy Ann, said, "The uniqueness of that voice, her aura, charisma, confidence, looks. This is a superstar. May she grow in this industry to become a megastar!"

According to her LinkedIn, the 27-year-old pursued communication from Lee University and kicked off her professional career as an Administrative Assistant at the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts.

The aspiring singer continued to follow her passion for acting and has been a principal actor at Roundabout Theatre Company and has featured in several Broadway musicals.

Now, she is making strides on a much bigger stage with her latest entry to the American Idol show.

Rooting for 🇰🇪 singer Nyachomba Muchai on Season 22 of @AmericanIdol! Congratulations on earning a Golden Ticket!! pic.twitter.com/YvvNM1eOBf— U.S. Embassy Nairobi (@USEmbassyKenya) March 1, 2024